Evening star., 1948-02-06
|Laugh|in Freed
With Peckhann
After 4 Hours
Jury Aequits Pair
Of Illegal Operations;
Letters Stressed

James ]. Laughlin, attorney, and
DR.. Henry L. Peckham, jr., South
east Washington physician, today
were free of charges involving illegal
operations on Mrs. Esther Hobbs,
% former fiancee of Mr.. Laughlin.
The Government accused DR.. Pack
ham Of performing the operations
and Mr.. Laughlin of arranging and
paying for them.
A jury of two women and ten men,
before whom the two defendants
had been on trial in District Court
since January IL, brought in ver-
dict last night acquitting both de-
PENDANTS. The Jurors had deliber-
ated for about four hours.
The 47-year-old Mr.. Laughlin,
who had directed his own defense,
chatted with friends or paced the
corridor outside the courtroom as
he awaited the verdict. Waiting
also were his two daughters, Betty,
23, and Mary, 81, who had testified
for their father.
With Mr.. Laughlin also were T.
Emmett Mckenzie and Maurice A.
Guervitz, attorneys associated with
Mr.. Laughlin in his defense, and his
office assistant, Charles Flasphaler.
DIR. Peckham Waits Calmly.
DR.. Peckham, 40-year -old general
practitioner, awaited the return Of
the jury impassively. During the
almost four weeks of trial he had
sat alone and almost inconspicuously
behind his attorneys, H. Mason
WEIGH and Dorsey K. Offutt.
The Government charged he had
performed two operations on Mrs.
Hobbs, former Government girl.
She was Miss Esther Pickard before
her marriage on May 2, less than a
month and a half after she said
she underwent the operations.
After the verdict was announced
and the jury dismissed, Mr.. Laugh
Inns daughters kissed him and he
was congratulated by his friends.
The jurors retired after charge
by Chief Justice Bolitha j. Laws
which consumed almost two hours.
Speaking evenly and quietly, Chief
Justice Laws summarized the evi-
dence and instructed the jury in
the law.
He gave particular attention to
the disputed letters of March 20
and May 16, signed Esther" which
the Government contended were
forgeries. Four handwriting ex-
perts, however, testified the sigma
lures were those of Mrs. Hobbs.
The letter of May 16, which alb
solved Mr.. Laughlin of any con-
nection with an abortion, Chief
Justice Laws described as "a per-
feet defense in this case" The let
ter of March 20, in which the writer
said she was leaving Washington,
cour1tered Government testimony
Mrs. Hobbs had undergone an il
legal operation that night or the
night before, Chief Justice Laws
said.
If the letters were forgeries de-
signed to deceive the jury, they in
dicated the guilt of Mr.. Laughlin,
he said. But he made it clear the
burden of proof that the letters
were false was on the Government.
Clarifies Remark From Bench.
The justice also adverted to the
incident of the day before when
Government counsel in final argu-
ments attacked the testimony of
Mr.. Laughlin's daughters. Mr..
Laughlin objected and asked Chief
Justice Laws, How would you like
that said about your daughters
In his reply, the justice remarked,
II do not know I would bring my
daughters here to testify" He told
the jury yesterday that his state
ment did not in any degree reflect
on Mr.. Laughlin and his daughters
and was not so intended.
He also upheld the right of the
Government to point out the
temptation of daughter to testify
favorably in behalf of her father.