Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-04-17


time. She employed her mother and
sister to take care of her eight weeks
steadily.
IJpon cross-examination Mrs. Nelson
testified that she had never before been
treated for nervousness and that since
then she has been to see no other doc
tor except DR.. Badger Of Winthrop.
Edwin F. Brown of Augusta testi-
fed that he was a passenger on the
car that was derailed on Nov. IA, and
he SAID that as the car took the siding
at Maranacook the front truck went
off. causing an awful jolt. Mrs. Nell
sons sister, who was seated behind
him, grabbed him by the shoulder.
When he had turned around he saw
Mrs. Nelson crying and clinging to the
back of the forward seat and had
heard her say she had hurt her knee.
He went out of the car and looked at
the switch, which seemed to be. frozen
so it would not work, He had seen
Mrs. Nelson once since that time.
Miss Katherine Mclaughlin of Prov
idence, r. l., a sister of the plaintiff,
gave testimony which corroborated the
plaintiffs regarding the alleged acct
dent She and her mother had intended
10 return uOIuc puI 4<SA'oh Ill
ployed them to stay longer. She has
seen Mrs. Nelson faint away, some-
times daily, and before the accident
she never knew Of her sister faint1ng.
Mrs. katherine Mclaughlin of Prov
| idence, r. l., mother of the plaintiff,
Testified regarding her daughters re-
turning from Augusta that evening
and she said that at the request of
Mrs. Nelson she and her daughter had
remained with her until January %.
| Witness testified concerning the condi-
| ton Of Mrs. Nelson's knee anu she
said Mrs. Nelson had never been lame
or been troubled before with rheuma-
tism, or had been nervous. Mrs. Nell
son has since complained Of pains in
her knee and sometimes she will drop
in a faint. Mrs. Nelson had promised
to pay her if she would stay with her.
Charles F. Nelson of Winthrop said
he had examined his wife's knee that
night and had found it badly swollen,
bruised and discolored, the bruise be-
ing larger than a silver dollar. He
had applied hot packs to the knee,
and the doctor called on Mrs. Nelson
the next day. Witness had seen his
wife faint away at times and he said
his wife had not been lame or been
troubled with rheumatism previously.
The next witness was DR.. Forrest H.
Badger Of Winthrop. who described at
length his examination of Mrs. Mel
sons knee and his treatment Of the
case. He said he believed there is a
loose body in the joint cavity keep
ing up an irritation and probably it
cd hxy
operation. A loose floating body will
cause effusion, he said. The doctors
bill against Mrs. Nelson amounted to
about sS7, which included the medicines
he had furnished.
| Upon Characterization he testified
| that he had never seen Mrs. Nelson
| fair. away. He said he had searched
for the loose body in the joint cavity
but could not locate 1t.
| Dr. o. C. S. Davies Of Augusta tes-
titled that he had heard part Of the
testimony in the case and he gave his
opinion regarding the result of the in
| jury, assuming the car went off the
track and the plaintiff had struck her
knee on a hard substance with the
result DR.. Badger had described. He
! said the result would be a more or
less permanent injury. He testified
that such a loose body between the ar
| ticulate surfaces Of the joint would
cause an inability to move the joint.
He thought there was no sure way to
remove such a loose body. Such faint
| ing spells might be ascribed to the
shock, he said. He testified regarding
an examination he had just made of
Mrs. Nelson's knee. He did not think
the knee would be we'll until a loose
body was removed. Such an operation
would cost 5000
Upon cross examination DR.. Davies
said an operation to remove such a
loose particle would not be small or
minor one.
Mrs. Nelson said she had paid out
about $50 for medicines aside from
those furnished by the doctor.
Defense
In opening the defense Attorney Mel
son called the witnesses to be sworn,
saying he would state the defense at
the summing up of the case
Mrs. Thomas Sinclair Of Winthrop
! testified that she had seen Mrs Nell
t son out of doors in January and had
! seen her walking very fast. She had
seen no signs of lameness or a limp.
Mrs. Inez Murray of Winthrop tes-
titled that Mrs. Nelson had come over