Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-03-28
|QuiintupIets Live
Only Few Hours
|At Freedmen's
Efforts to Save
Premature B!obies
Prove Vain
By THOMAS MCINTYRE.

BY THOMAS MCINTYRE.
Quintuplets born last night at
Freedmens Hospital, five tiny COL
ored girls, weighing / to IL pounds
each, all were dead by am. today.
Intense efforts on the part Of the
hospital staff to save them with
incubation and artificial respiration
we're futile. The quintuplets were
premature, born at 61z months.
The mother was Mrs Ada II. Tur-
ner, SO, wife of Harold Turner, also
SO, a receiving clerk at the Bureau
of Standards. +
Medical statistics indicate quin-
tuplets occur only once in 4l,500,00
births.
Delivered in IL Minutes.
The first baby was born at 10:40
O'Clock. All except the third baby
were fully developed and were born
alive. AL were delivered within II
minutes
Early today, DR.. A. P. Allen, coll
ored, youthful Freedmen's inferno,
who was obstetrician at the rare
event, hoped to save the fifth girl,
but she died despite his efforts.
While X-ray and stethoscopic ex-
animation of Mrs. Turner had in
Dictated the likelihood of multiple
birth, only twins were expected.
Two nurses assisted DR.. Allen in
the delivery of the quintuplets, Mrs.
Vada Locket and Miss Mary Jones.
"Very Excited"
Before the last baby had arrived
the word spread through the hos
pital and doctors and nurses crowded
at the door of the delivery room
DR.. Allen, a native of Texas and
graduate of Howard University
Medical School, said:
Don't let anybody fool you that
I wasn't quite surprised and very
excited; any doctor would be-"
During his interneship, DR.. Allen
had seen no multiple births One
of the nurses, Mrs. Locket, had as
sisted at birth of triplets.
Inquiry at the hospital and at
the five-room prick house nearby
at 1858 Eighth street NV, where
Mr.. Turner, whose Government
salary is 81 800 year, and his wife,
nine children and a woman friend
of the family live, revealed this
story:
About $50 o'clock last night Mrs.
Turner realized the event was near.
She walked to the hospital.
Mr.. Turner went to bed. He did
not expect the event so far ahead
of time
At 2 o'clock a reporter knocked on
the door and awakened him.
DO you know you have five chill
dren?" the reporter asked.
Sure" said Mr.. Turner. ct have
six children and I expect another
one"
(Six of the children who live in
the house are Mr. Turner's. Two
are his wifeis by former marriage
and one is her niece
The reporter said, You don't I'M
derstand. You have quintuplets"
Mr.. Turner in recounting this later
said, Il was shocked"
An hour later a policeman arrived
and told him he and his wife swere
becoming famouS-that quintuplets
had arrived.
He dressed and went over to the
hospital. Even then when he ar
rived there, he said, no one made
it clear to him that the quintuplets
then we're not all alive. Only two
were alive at the time 49,
Sister Had Dream"
Mrs. Turner's sister, Mrs. Harriet
Stanard, TAG Morton street NV.
was in the kitchen of the Turner
home preparing breakfast for the
children, who were all asleep, when
second reporter arrived.
Mr.. Turner was beck from the
hospital by this time walking about
moodily. The reporter mentioned
the birth of the quintuplets.
Mrs. Stanard had not heard q
word about it.
HE never told me-" she said.
Mrs. Stanard then said she had
dream last night that all was not
we'll with her sister.
The reporter remarked to Mr..
| Turner that the support of so many
children must be hard on him.
TT takes all I can get and that
isn't enough" he replied.
One Set of Twins.
His own children are: Eleanor, S:
Harold and Hattie Twins, 4; Louise,
3; Lucille, 2, and Peggy, 10 months.
Also living in the five small rooms
are Mary Francis Turner, Is, and
Martha Turner, 9, Mrs. Turner's
children by former husband, who
died in North Carolina and whose
name also was Turner; Dolores
Stevens, IL, a niece of Mrs. Turner,
and Mrs. Elizabeth Mason, 50, a
friend.
Mrs. Turner'S sister said she could
remember only one set of twins
among relatives but that all her
relatives were members of large
families. Mr.. Turner, one of three
children, said he had never heard
OF triplets or twins among his
relatives.
l7inniefe Prniea Work