The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-02
TO Be
CONDUCTED IN
BABY'S DEATH
Prosecutor Orders Full In
quiry by Coroner - DR..
Kruger Nal kes Statement.

Investigation Of the circumstances
surrounding the death of a newborn
child, belonging to a family named
Smith, 213 North Eighteenth street,
which was found on an old dump on
South Fifth street yesterday afternoon
will be made this afternoon by Cor
oner Bond.
Yesterday afternoon about 4:30
o'clock police officials we're called by
people living on South Fifth street,
that they had found a baby wrapped
in newspaper. in the bottom Of the
dump, and that it had been thrown
there by DR.. F. w. Kruger, local
physician.
According to Mrs. Fred Grover, 62S
South Fifth street, one of the women
who saw the child thrown into the
dump by DR.. Kruger, and later helped
get it out, DR.. Krueger drove up to
the dump, walked back about thirty
feet from the street, and threw a pack
age down to the bottom Of the pit. One
of the women then sent her boy to
find out what was in the package, and
when the boy returned, they found It
contained a live child.
Mrs. Grover said Wednesday that
the baby was wrapped In cloth loose
ly and then tied up In newspaper,
and that when they opened the pack
age, the child moved its head and
arms, and stuck its thumb ID it's
mouth II could see nothing wrong
with the child, and apparently 1t look
ed as healthy as any of my own chill
dren did," Mrs. Grover declared. "The
only thing wrong was an apparently
crushed skull, due, thought, to the
force with which it was thrown to
the bottom Of the dump"
The police took the child from
South Fifth street to the office Of DR..
Kinsey, city health officer, who made
an examination Of it. DR.. Kinsey said
today that although the child was
there was no reason why 1t should be
disposed of in the manner attempted.
"In my opinion, the act was of a
criminal nature, and some action
should be taken in regard to the mat
ter" DR.. Kinsey said.
CAS- far as I know, there Is nothing
which entities physician to dispose
of body, dead or alive, no matter
what might be wrong with It,"
| ut is true that the child was a mon.
strosity, but do not know whether ii
would have lived or not1 There is nc
doubt but that the child was alive
when brought to my office last night.
The child died some time during
last night, according to its parents
and had received no attention from
either the physician or the family
since 1t was brought home. 1t has
been taken to a local morgue where
an autopsy will be held this afternoon
DR.. Krueger, in discussing the af
fair, said that he had often recommen
ded the disposition of bodies of mon
strosities" to Richmond physicians
but according to DR.. Kinsey, nothing
of this kind had been done to his
knowledge.
II have been practicing medicine fol
the last thirty years, and l have never
either recommended or done anything
of this Sort" DR.. Kinsey said.
The mother of the child said toda!
that Dr. Kruger told her of the NAL
formation of the child, and that i
would not live, and she said she asket
him to dispose of it for her. Th'
Smith family have lived in the cit,
only a short time, and said they dit
not know how to dispose Of the body
DR.. Kruger said that the financia
COnQll1On OF the family, ana the faC
that there were other children about
prevented proper burial, and elaine,
to be ignorant of the law which pre-
vides for the furial at public expens
of persons who are unable to defra,
their own funeral expenses.
People of the city have show
much indignation concerning the al
fair and according to Sheriff Carr,
number have asked him why d.
Kruger had not been arrested. TIL
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