Evening star., 1948-01-24
Counsel 10 Call
DR.. Peckhanl 10
Stand Monday
LouehIin Also Moy
Testify; Trial in
Weekend Recess

The District Court trial OF At
torney James J. Iaughlin, and DR..
Henry L. Peckham, jr, was in re-
cess today, with part Of Mr.. Laugh
Inns defense and about half Of DR..
Peckham's submitted.
The trial of the two men on
charges that DR.. Peckham per-
formed two Illegal operations on
Mrs. Esther Hobbs and that Mr..
Laughlin was an accessory, enters
its third week Monday. 1t is being
held before jury Of 10 men and
two women in Chief Justice Bolitha
j. Laws court.
Witnesses for DR.. Peckham yes
terday testified on his actions on
March 19 and March 20. H. Mason
Welch, counsel for DR.. Peckham,
said two more witnesses, in addition
to DR.. Peckham himself, would be
called on Monday.
He said DR.. Peckham would take
the stand after Mr. Laughlin, or
after Mr. Laughlin announces he
will not testify. Mr.. Laughlin said
a decision on whether he would be
a witness in his own defense would
be reached over the week end.
Disagreement on Dates.
Both March 10 and March 20 has
been mentioned variously in the in
dictment and by witnesses as, dates
when the first of two alleged illegal
operations took place. Mrs. Hobbs,
who was Miss Esther Pickard until
her marriage on Mey 2, testified she
underwent an operation in the phy-
sician's Office at 428 Eighth street
Sc. on March 10. The Indictment
puts it as ION or about" March 20.
Government witnesses have said
the visit to the Office was sometime
between 7:30 and $50 pm. and that
Mrs. Hobbs was in the office about
half an hour or As minutes.
Mrs. Thelma Norton White, 722
Fifteenth street Sc, testified she
visited DR.. Peckhams Office as pa
tient March 10, arriving at tbs pm
and remaining until $50. She was
shown a picture of Mrs. Hobbs and
said Mrs. Hobbs was not there
during that period.
A description of Hubert L. Stottle-
myer was given by Mr.. WEIGH and
she said she had not seen man OF
that description. Mr. Stottlemyer
had testified he drove Mrs. Hobbs to
the doctors Office, went in and gave
DR.. Peckham an envelope, left and
then Mrs. Hobbs went in.
Diary Fixes Date.
Mrs. White testified she fixed the
date by means of a diary she re-
ferred to as my log" part of the
entry for that day being written
while she was in the physicians
waiting room. She was married the
following May, she testified. The
diary entry included mention of
clothes for her trousseau and of the
fact her mother, referred to as
Shorts" and who had come with
her, left to see about the wedding
cake.
Mrs. White said she was the last
patient to see DR.. Peckham and that
as she left DR.. Peckham was put
ting on his coat and remarked he
had a sick call to make.
Charles P. Quade, of 726 Fifteenth
street, testified he was sick on
March 10 and that DR.. Peckham
called at his home at pm.
Russell John Slant, 1899 C street
Sc, also testified concerning the
night of March 10. He said he went
to the doctors Office at about 7 pm.
and was there about IS minutes. He
was shown Mrs. Hobbs picture and
said he had not seen her and he
said also he had not seen a man of
Mr.. Stottlemyer's description.
Dated DIR. Peckham.
T. Veronica Fischetti, a former
WAVE, now employed at the Du
Mont Ielevision Laboratories, testi-
fled that, during March and until
August, she had steady dates with
DR.. Peckham every Thursday and
Saturday. On Thursday nights, she
said, the doctor did not have office
hours.
She testified that, on March 20, at
pm, DR.. Peckham called for her
and that they went to theater and
later to a restaurant. She said he
took her home at about Ills pm.