The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-01-02
CORONER NOT CALLED
In STRANGE DEATH OF
MRS. CATHERINE Dewitt

~AJ S~~SS@~ SyS
Death Was Due to Cere-
bral Hemorrhage, But He
is Not Sure of Circum-.
stances That Led UP to
This Cause.
Investigation, If There is
Any, Must Now Be Made
By the Board of Charities
Sub committee Of Board
is Likely to Take Up the
Case
With the statement Of DR..
w. Lee Weadon, attending
physician of Mrs. Catherine A.
Dewitt, that he will not report
her death for official inquiry
by the medical examiner or
coroner, the burden of inves-
tigating the unusual circum-
stances Of the we'll known
,woman's death falls upon the
board of charities.
Mrs. Devitt's death occurred
yesterday at the Galen, a pri-
vate hospital with which Dr..
Weadon is connected. DR..
-Weadon has signed a certifif
cate stating that death was due
to cerebral hemorrhage. MRS.
Dewitt was taken to the hospi-.
tai, readers Of The Farmer will.
recall, following her discovery
in a police cell by members of
her family. She was suffer-
ing, when taken from the CELL
with a fracture of the skulE,ss
and broken hip. : :
How she came by her injuries Is
still a matter of conjecture, although
the fact that she was examined by an
emergency hospital surgeon when she
in her cell, and was pronounced to be
a subject for police disposition rather
than hospital attention, has caused no
little discussion in official circles.
DR.. Weadon discussing<&he death OF
Mrs. Dewitt, said he did not regard
1>1~- ~ h a
case to the medical examiner.
Whether the cerebral hemorrhage
caused Mrs. Dewitt to fall, on the
street, and suffer the fracture OF the
skull and fracture of the hip or the
hemorrhage was due to the fracture
which had come from some other
cause, he was not able to say. He
said that an autopsy. would not deter
mine the phase of the mystery OF the
woman's injuries.
F. w. Behrens, president Of. the
board Of charities, has stated, In con-
nection with the case Of Mrs. Dewitt
that of John Youngs, who died unat--e
tended in Water street lodging
house, and other similar cases recent<-
lv brought to light, that the board OF
charities will make thorough In
quiry. ~
The inquiry is being conducted, quiz
city, at present, it is understood. by
two members of the board Of charities
who constitute a subcommittee OF the
board which handles the business or
the ambulance corps and emergency
hospital. These members up to jan
1, were Mrs. NJ. H. Ford and Henry
Harris. The latter's term expired Jan.
T. and he was succeeded in the board
by Isaac Moss, retired merchant,
Mr.. Moss under the usual procedure
would succeed Mr.. Harris committee.
It is not likely that much progress will
be made in the investigation, however,
until the next regular meeting OF the
board as now constituted, when the
formal organization will be effected.
The day before Christmas, Mrs.
Dewitt, who resides at Is Myrtle court,
and a year ago sustained an injury to
her knee which despite hospital treat
ment caused her to experience dim
Guilty in Walking slipped and fell on
the sidewalk Her family maintain
that as a result of this fall she sus-
tanned fracture OF the skull and hip.
A policeman found her unconscious
and took her to headquarters In the
patrol wagon. physician was called
to determine what was the cause OF
her insensibility He stated that she
was suffering from, the effects of in
toxication and she. was arrested on a
charge of drunkenness
Some hours later members of her
family removed her in a cab from Pc
lice headquarters and called a doctor
when she had been carried into her
house. He ordered her immediate re-
moval to the Galen hospita1 She died
there yesterday DR.. w. Lee WeadoD.
who treated Mrs. Dewitt, in signing
the death certificate gave as the cause
Of demise cerebral hemorrhage, due to
her injuries.
Coroner John J. Phelan when asked
if he would ho'd an inquest into the
death of Mrs. Dewitt, stated that no
had received no report from Medical
Examiner s. M. Garlick. The latter
states that as yet he has not received
any official notice Of Mrs. Devitt's
death. =
Mrs. Dewitt was widely known in:
Bridgeport and had a wide circle Of