Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-01-30
Jury Expected
To Get Laughlin
Case tuesday
Testimony in Illegal
Operation Trial
Is Nearing End

Is Nearing End
Testimony in the District Court
trial of Attorney James J. Laughlin
and DR.. Henry L. Peckhana, r..
Southeast Washington physician,
moved toward a close today.
It is expected the case in which
the defendants are charged with
illegal operations on Mrs. Esther
Hobbs, 23-year-old former Agricul-
ture Department employee, will go to
the jury next Tuesday or Wednes-
day. There will be no court session
Monday.
The case is being heard by a jury
of 2 women and 10 men in Chief
Justice Bolitha j. Laws court. DR..
Peckham has denied he performed
the operations, and Mr.. Laughlin
has denied he was an accessory.
Battle Over Letters.
Mr.. Laughlin and Government at
torneys battled yesterday over the
Esther letters" which Justice Laws
has described as very powerful"
testimony for the defendants.
Mrs. Hobbs, the former Miss
Esther Packard, who was once en-
gagged to Mr.. Laughlin, testified as
q Government rebuttal witness and
denied she had written the letter Of
May Is which abSolved Mr.. Laughlin
of any connection with an illegal
operation.
The letter of May Is and one Of
March 20 had been introduced by
Mr.. Laughlin and are signed
Esther" Mrs. Hobbs had testified
earlier she believed the signatures
were hers. She had not. at that
time, been shown the body Of the
May is letter, but only the signature.
She already had denied she wrote
the March 20 letter. That letter
says the writer was sorry to have
missed Mr.. Laughlin to tell him
good-by, since she was going home.
Mrs. Hobbs parents lived in Pitts
boro. N. c.
The Government charges that.
ION or about" March 20, Mrs. Hobbs
underwent the first of two illegal
operations.
Tells of Settling Suit.
Under questioning by Assistant
United States Attorney Charles B.
Murray and by Mr.. Laughlin in
cross-examination. she testified she
and her husband, William G. Hobbs,
to whom she was married on May ..
and Luke G.. Mckenzie, a former
business associate of her husband.
went to Mr.. Laughlin's office at
about II pm. May Is,
She said they were there to settis
a suit filed by Mr.. Laughlin against
her husband. The suit was for
legal fee Of $3.50. She said she
signed one or two papers in connec-
ton with the settlement Of the suit.
Mr.. Murray showed her the May
is letter.
did you write that letter." he
asked.
II did not" was the reply.
She said she and her husband.
Mr.. Mckenzie and Mr.. Laughlin
all left the office together at 5 am.
on May is.
At 9 o'clock that morning. she
testified, she and her husband met
Mr.. Laughlin at the Greyhound Bus
Station and obtained a suitcase
which was turned over to Mr..
Laughlin. They went to the Mu-
nicipal Court, she said, and filed
papers settling the suit.
Wen to Office.
At 7 pm, she testified. she went
to Mr.. Laughlin's Office to get the
suitcase. 1t had contained articles
of clothing and other things Mr..
Laughlin had given her, the return
of which figured in the settlement
of the suit, she testified.
Mr.. Laughlin asked her If 1t
wasn't a fact that, on that occa-
sion, she sat at the typewriter
and wrote that note" referring to
the May Is letter. She denied 1t.
H. Mason WEIGH, attorney for
Dr.. Peckham, asked whether she
was certain the alleged abortion
was on the night of March 10. She
replied in the affirmative. Witnesses
for DR.. Peckham have testified they
we're in his Office that night and
did not see Mrs. Hobbs.
The Government presented
Weather Bureau certificate describ-
ing the Washington weather on
March 20.
DR.. James P. Lyons, eye specialist
of 1908 East Capitol street, had
testified that on a night in March
he had seen Mr.. Laughlin and his
two daughters at the Episcopal
Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital.
He said they all left the hospital
at about 9 pm. Noticing 1t was
raining, he testified. he offered Mr..
Laughlin and his daughters lift
in his car and drove them 10 Wear
ley's restaurant.
Other testimony offered by Mr..
Laughlin put this incident on March
20. The Weather Bureau certificate
was admitted in evidence. and Gov
eminent attorneys said it stated
there was no rain March 20.
Reserve Training Porley
A conference of National Guard,
Organized Reserve Corps and Army
officers is being held at Fort Meade,