Four of today's anniversaries involve somewhat mysterious perpetrators.
On April 26, 1908, 32-year-old Cora Johnson died in Chicago from complications of a criminal abortion.
Mrs. Dietrich, whose profession was only given as "abortion provider", was arrested, but acquitted for reasons not given in the source document.
On April 26, 1920, 26-year-old Katherine Casper died in her Chicago home from an abortion. Rose Preib, whose profession is listed only as "abortion provider," was arrested and charged in the death. She was acquitted on February 29, 1924.
Exactly one year later, 25-year-old cashier Dorothy Freedland died at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Chicago after an abortion performed by an unknown perpetrator.
On April 26, 1926 abortion death of Fern Strecker, age 26, who died at West Suburban Hospital in Chicago from an abortion perpetrated that day by Elizabeth Schade. Schade, whose profession I've been unable to determine, and who was already responsible for the 1917 death of Helen Skoza, ran an illegal abortion business.
More typically for criminal abortions, 18-year-old Florence Lindquist died at the hands of a doctor, Arthur Schulz, at his home. She died on April 26, 1914.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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