Evening star., 1950-02-26
State Says DR.. Sander
Acted 10 Ease Anguish.
OF Husband a., Not Wife
BY the Associated Press

BY the Assoeioted Press
MANCHESTER, N. H., Feb. 25
The prosecution in the mercy
murder trial of DR.. Hermann N
Sander says the physician acteo
more to spare the anguish of a
dying woman's husband than to
end her pain.
Mrs. Abbie Borroto, SO, who, il
is charged, died of air injected
into her veins by DR.. Sander, was
for several days so near death
that she suffered little, the State
says.
This testimony apparently will
be accepted by the defense and
supplemented with the evidence OF
another doctor that Mrs Borroto
was medically dead before the
air injections.
DR.. Sander, 41-year-old coun-
try physician, went on trial last
Monday on first degree murder
charge. Two and a half days
were required to select 13-man
jury, and then the State laid the
foundation for its case.
Sheriff Fills in Details. "
Six witnesses were called before
the trial adjourned yesterday I'm
til II am. Monday.
The State testimony on Reg
inald Borroto's anguish was in
troduced by Sheriff Thomas F.
O'Brien and Miss Josephine Con-
nor, records librarian at the hos
pital where Mrs. Borroto died
December 4. -...
The sheriff said DR.. Sander de-
clared he was begged by Mr.. Bor-
roto to eliminate" his wife's life
If necessary to end her suffering
Mr.. O'Brien and Miss Connor
filled in the alleged details:
Mr.. Borroto drank 18 cups OF
coffee the morning of his wife's
death, according to DR.. Sander.
He had a bad heart and was near
a physical breakdown from worry
and the strain of personally nurs-
ing his wife at home until two
weeks before her death.
Husbands Denial Claimed.
DR.. Sander exclaimed. the pros
.ecution claims, that you would
have felt sorry for him too if you
could have seen him."
The defense asked why the hus-
band hadn't been arrested if he
had asked the doctor to end his
wife's life. The sheriff testified
that Attorney General William l..
Phinney has sworn, signed state
ment from Mr.. Borroto that he
had nothing to do with any agree
ment to end Mrs. Borroto's life.
The defense has indicated two
other angles.
One is to challenge the credi-
bility of some of the State wit
nesses. Those attacks will be made
on the accuracy with which DR..
Sander has been quoted, that he
committed the act to end Mrs.
Borroto's suffering, and also to
end her husbands anguish.
These alleged statements by DR..
Sander virtually are the entire
basis of the States case for mur-
der thus far presented.
The defense also indicated by
cross-examination of State wit
nesses an intent to show that evi-
dence which might have been
favorable to DR.. Sander and which
was know to the State was not
given to the grand jury which
indicted the doctor. y ~
Lawyers First Murder Case.
Defense Attorney Louis E. Wy
man told the court the State
failed to indicate corpus de-
1icti," through which death is
legally established. He has taken
many exceptions based on this
contention
The only evidence of air injec-
tions, which is the States entire
case, has come from notations on
hospital records alleged to have
been dictated by DR.. Sander. His
only written statement, on the
death certificate. mentions no air
and attributes death to cancer
and inanition (starvation).
Mr.. Wyman, II, is one OF New
Hampshire's leading corporation
lawyers. This Is his first murder
case. He has twinkling eyes,
wears a pince-nez with long black
ribbon, and has an easy manner
of speech.
Defense Fund Organized.
When asked what he thinks OF
a murder trial he said, Il like 1t.
I'd like to be in every murder trial
that goes on around here"
Asked what witnesses he would
call, he raised both arms high and
wiggled the fingers of both hands,
saying, they are going to be
angels, dropping in on us from I
don't know where"
A group of the defendants
friends today organized a "Dr.
Hermann N. Sander Fund" to take
charge of "the voluntary contri-
buttons that have come in from
his well-wishers throughout the
country"
The committee, headed by
George Woodbury., former Har-
ward anthropologist. issued a
statement asking "all who feel as
we do to contribute and thus sup
port" the defense of DIR. Sander.
The committee did not say how
much money already had been