Evening star., 1937-03-14
DOCTORS CONCUR
IN TRADER CASE
3 Agree Operation Might
Have Saved Life of
Woman.
BY the Associated Press,

~ tiiO hoSoSialcu
SALISBURY, Md, March l3.-
Three physicians told a coroners jury
today that the late Mrs. Jeannette B.
Trader, indicted for the murder Of her
husband, would have had excellent
chances" of recovery If ar operation
had been performed a week earlier.
Without making a recommendation
the jury, assembled by Coroner Marion
A. Humphries. concluded the inquest
into her death by reporting it was due
ito peritonitis caused by abdominal
adhesions following prior surgical
operations"
Mrs. Trader died March 3 following
an operation at a hospital here. She
mad been removed a short time before
to the Wicomico County Jail from
Snow Hill. She had been held there
after being indicted for the fatal
shooting OF her husband. Clarence j.
Trader, Stockton utility operator.
The jury heard a report from DR..
Howard Maldeis, post mortem physi-
clan of Baltimore who examined the
Womans viscera. DR.. Maldeis reported
That there was no trace of poison in
the organs and further examination
had determined her death was from
natural causes.
Physicians Agree.
DR.. j. McFadden Dick and DR.. Ran
dolph M. Mock, who performed the
operation shortly before her death and
the autopsy, agreed on their conclu-
slons. They and DR.. Charles R.
lrultt, jail physician, testified she may
have recovered had the operation been
performed several days earlier.
DR.. Dick said that the examinations
made by him and DR.. Mock indicated
that the abdominal adheslons which
made the final operation necessary
had developed into peritonitis and the
disease was the actual cause of death.
DR.. Dick said he was called into
consultation on March after the
Uoman's condition became acute. He
reported to Judge Benjamin A. John
son then that she had "one chance
OF 1000 to recover if she is treated
at once and suggested the opera
ton.
DR.. Truitt and Sheriff Charles H.
Trultt testified Mrs. Trader was not
able to retain any food after she ar
rived at the WicomCo Jail The
sheriff said he summoned the physi-
clan when the woman complained of
being i'll
Mrs. Trader during her confine-
ment of about a month in the Snow
Hill Jail had complained several times
Of illness.
DR.. Truitt said he had followed in
structions from Dr. John l.. Riley for
treatment of the prisoner for acute
Indigestion. He said a maid attend
ant was kept in her cell constant and
she was also attended by a public
health nurse.
DR.. Riley, the Snow Hill Jail physi-
clan for 80 years. told of his treat
ment. He said she complained of
stomach pains and he prescribed for
those ailments. He added he saw
her two and three times a day for
time.
Coroner Humphries said he had
ordered the inquest because of the
ugly rumors being spread that she
had been poisoned" Mrs. Traders
three sons, Estel, 81; Richard, 1s,
and Reginald, IA, we're represented
at the inquest by their mothers at
torneys, Godfrey Child and John l..
Sanford, jr.
The final action in the case re-
sulting from the mysterious shooting
of Trader January IA at the home of
his estranged wife was expected to
be taken at the convening of the
March term of Worcester County Cir
cult Court on March %
States Attorney Thomas F. john
son was scheduled to make his recon-
for the disposition of the
murder indictment against Mrs.
Trader. One course left for him was
to enter notation "abated by death"
for the approval of the court.