Tuesday, March 24, 2026

March 24, 1941: Body Dumped on Country Road

Summary: Addie Wilson, age 48, was indicted for manslaughter and abortion conspiracy in connection with the death of 25-year-old Marie Swift, whose body was found on a country road on March 25, 1941.

At 6:45 on the morning of Tuesday, March 26, 1941, truck driver Clifford Taylor was riding his bicycle to work outside of Crisfield, Maryland, when he spotted something disturbing just inside the woods alongside the road. At first he thought it was a bundle of clothing. Looking more closely, he saw that it was the body of a young women.

Clifford immediately went to his employer, Clarence Cristy, who also owned the patch of woods where the body lay. The two men went to Deputy Sheriff Harold Sterling, who accompanied them back to the site, along with the medical examiner, Dr. William H. Coulbourne.

The woman's body was face down, with severe bruises on her face and body, including bruises around her neck indicating possible strangulation. Her clothing was tattered. Authorities said she looked like she had been thrown from a passing vehicle. Likely one or more of the men knew the young women, since they were able to identify her on sight. She was 25-year-old Marie Swift, who had lived nearby with her parents and 13 younger siblings. Marie had left Crisfield High School during her junior year to start working in a local garment factory.

Deputy Sterling summoned Sheriff Fred Phoebus. Marie's body was taken to her home.

I can't even imagine the horror of that scene.

Marie Swift

The police asked Marie's family and neighbors what they knew about her recent activities and  whereabouts. Her mother told police that Marie was engaged to be married to 36-year-old truck driver Herman Ward, with the wedding scheduled for Saturday, March 29. She had come home from work on the 24th, eaten supper, then dressed to go out in a flowered silk dress, sweater, and reversible coat. She left home at around 7:00 on the evening of the 24th to attend a dance at Paradise Hall on Main Street in Crisfield. She had been seen there at around 7:30 pm.

Meanwhile search of the area where Marie's body had been dumped led to her purse -- along with something unusual. Though Marie's hair was black, there was medium-length blonde hair tangled in the handle.

Marie had last been reported seen by a taxi driver who recalled seeing her walking alone down a side street at around 9:00 the evening of the 24th.

An autopsy performed locally revealed that she had been pregnant but did not disclose a cause of death. A second autopsy was sought, and the state Medical Examiner said that Marie's lungs had collapsed and she had died of shock. 

Owners of the garment factory offered a $250 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for Marie's death. The reward went unclaimed, so the owners gave it to Marie's family. 

Clarence Wilson, Addie's 16-year-old son, was somehow the first break in the case. He confessed to helping his mother dump Marie's body. The Crisfield High School 9th-grader was not charged as an accomplice but was held as a material witness. He told police that he had been at the high school on the evening of March 24 when his mother drove over to get him at around 9:15. She told him, "Marie passed out before I could get a doctor." He arrived at the house with his mother to find Marie lying dead on the living room floor. His mother told him to carry the body out to the car, but he found it too heavy to lift on his own. Mother and son turned off the lights and lugged the corpse out to their car, sitting it up in the middle of the front seat.

At first, Clarence said, the plan was to take Marie's body to a relative's home, but his mother changed her mind and decided to just dump the body.

Clarence said that as they neared the area where his mother planned to dump Marie's body, they saw the headlights of another vehicle behind them so they kept going until the other vehicle pulled off onto a side road and turned off its lights. They then turned around and drove back to the chosen dump site. The two of them dragged Marie's body a few feet into the woods, but saw the lights of the other car some on so they hurried back to their car and drove home. The driver of the other vehicle never came forward.

After getting the story out of Clarence, the police questioned his mother, who after seven hours broke down and admitted to perpetrating an abortion. She said that Marie had come to her home at about 8:30 on the evening of March 24 and died about half an hour later during the abortion attempt. 

Upon returning home, they cleaned up the room where Marie had died an burned all the evidence of the abortion. 

Wilson testified that she knew Ward as "Motometer." On March 5, she said, Marie stopped by at the house of her daughter, Beatrice, and told her, "Motometer wants to talk to you." Wilson went outside with Marie and got in the back seat while Marie got into the front passenger seat. The car was eventually identified as belonging to one of Ward's brothers. 

Wilson said that Marie relayed to her that Ward was refusing to marry her unless she aborted the baby. Some haggling happened and a price of $10 was settled on. That's just short of $220 in 2025. 

It's unclear why Herman or Marie chose Addie Wilson, who had a 2nd-grade education, whose husband and walked out on her, and who worked as an oyster shucker in a seafood processing plant, as an abortionist. 

The jury deliberated for three and a half hours before finding Ward guilty of conspiracy to commit abortion with a known instrument and Watson of manslaughter. Wilson and Ward were each sentenced to 5 years. 

Watch When Men Were Held Accountable on YouTube.
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March 24, 1917: Fatal Abortion in Vermont

According to Vermont death records, Carrie Lena Sturgeon Walbridge of Burlington, Vermont, died March 24, 1917. The young homemaker, who was just over two weeks shy of her 22nd birthday, suffered an air embolism during an attempted abortion.

New Hampshire marriage records indicate that Carrie and her husband, Earl, married when she was 18 and he was 21 in 1913. 

There's no further information that I can find about Carrie's death. 

According to research by both Planned Parenthood and author Nancy Howell-Lee, about 90% of pre-legalization abortions were performed by doctors. Howell-Lee broke down the remaining 10% and found that the bulk of them were perpetrated by somebody with medical training, such as a nurse or dentist. So Carrie most likely found a doctor to abort her baby.

Additional source: New Hampshire Death and Disinterment Records

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March 24, 1947: Fatal Abortion by Dentist

SUMMARY: On March 24, 1947, 24-year-old Ilene Eagen died from an abortion perpetrated in Mankato, MN, by dentist W. A. Groebner.

Grok AI illustration
On March 21, 1947, divorcee Ilene Lorraine Eagen, age 24, was brought from her home in Granada, Minnesota to Mankato, Minnesota, to the dental office of W. A. Groebner, age 25, for an abortion.

Court records indicate that Ilene was pressured into the abortion by her paramour, Raymond Older, who refused to marry her and threatened her with bodily harm if she refused an abortion.

After the abortion, Ilene became violently ill and lost consciousness. Groebner and Older failed to seek or provide proper care for the sick woman. Instead, Older took Ilene to his service station in Granada, Minnesota and kept her there through the remainder of the night, into the morning of March 22. Older allowed Ilene to languish without medical care.

Ilene was finally taken to a hospital in Fairmont, Minnesota. She died there on March 24, leaving a seven-year-old daughter motherless.

Older tried to escape civil liability on the grounds that despite his refusal to marry her, and the threats, Ilene had consented to the abortion and that therefore she was responsible for her own sickness and subsequent death.

Groebner plea bargained and got a suspended sentence of four years provided he abstain from alcohol, avoid places where alcohol was sold, and not practice dentistry until authorized by the courts to do so.

During the 1940s, while abortion was still illegal, there was a massive drop in maternal mortality from abortion. The death toll fell from 1,407 in 1940, to 744 in 1945, to 263 in 1950. Most researches attribute this plunge to the development of blood transfusion techniques and the introduction of antibiotics. Learn more here.

For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

Watch Fatal Abortion by Dentist on YouTube.
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Sources:

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March 24, 1915: Another Unknown Perp in Chicago

On March 24, 1915, 31-year-old Frances Kulczyk died at her Chicago home from an abortion performed by an unknown perpetrator. Most Chicago abortions of that era were perpetrated by either doctors or midwives.

Frances, who kept house and worked as a scrub woman, was the widow of Walter Kulzyk,who had worked as a molder in a foundry. With Frances' death, the three children, all under the age of 10, were left orphans.

Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good.

In fact, due to improvements in addressing these problems, maternal mortality in general (and abortion mortality with it) fell dramatically in the 20th Century, decades before Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion across America.

For more information about early 20th Century abortion mortality, see Abortion Deaths 1910-1919.

external image MaternalMortality.gif

For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion


Sources:

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March 24, 1905: Doctor Implicated in Chicago

Summary: Ida Alice Bloom, age 28, died March 24, 1905 after an abortion perpetrated in Chicago by Dr. Julius Goltz.

On March 24, 1905, 28-year-old Ida Alice Bloom, a Swedish immigrant working as a domestic servant, died suddenly in Chicago from septic peritonitis caused by an apparent criminal abortion perpetrated on or about March 15.

Dr. Julius N. Goltz as arrested as a principal, and James McDonald as an accessory. Both men were held without bail by a coroner's jury.

Alice's abortion was typical of pre-legalization abortions in that it was performed by a physician.

During the first two thirds of the 20th Century, while abortion was still illegal, there was a massive drop in maternal mortality, including mortality from abortion. Most researches attribute this plunge to improvements in public health and hygiene, the development of blood transfusion techniques, and the introduction of antibiotics. Learn more here.
external image MaternalMortality.gif
Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion.


Sources: 

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Monday, March 23, 2026

March 23, 1907: One of Many Victims of Louise Achtenberg

SUMMARY: Dora Swan, age 24, died on March 23, 1907 in Chicago after an abortion believed to have been perpetrated by Dr. Louise Achtenberg.

In March of 1907, Dora Swan, the 24-year-old wife of railroad worker W. H. Swan, was living with her mother, Mrs. Phillip de Bre, on Marshfield Avenue in Chicago. She had only been married to her husband for a couple of weeks.

Dora told police that on March 16, she had undergone an abortion at the hands of a woman whose name she had forgotten. Dora named the area near the intersection of Dearborn Street and 44th street. Louise Achtenberg, identified as a midwife in news coverage, was located at 4346 Dearborn.

Her family called the family physician, Dr. C. S. Friend to attend to Dora while she was ill. He had her admitted to Englewood Union Hospital in Chicago to be treated. Dora died from post-abortion infection on March 23.

Actenberg, whose profession is listed as doctor, midwife, or unlisted at the Homicide in Chicago Interactive Database, was held responsible by the coroner, but there is no record that charges were filed.

Achtenberg, most likely a doctor identified as a midwife due to her obstetric work, went on to be implicated in the 1909 abortion deaths of Stella Kelly and Florence Wright. She was also implicated in the 1921 abortion death of Violet McCormick. Later, in 1924, it was Dr. Louise Achtenberg who was held responsible for the death of Madelyn Anderson. In spite of all of these deaths, I can find no record that Achtenberg was ever incarcerated.

Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see Abortion Deaths 1900-1909.

For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion


Sources:




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March 23, 1867: Many Witnesses Point Fingers

 Summary: Mary Noble, age 38, died from a botched abortion on March 19, 1867

Grok AI illustration

Mary Noble, age 38, lay dying at her home at No. 54 Dominick Street in New York's 28th Precinct on March 23, 1867.  A police superintendent telegraphed coroner John Wildey to notify him so that he could hurry to the home and get a deathbed statement. Sadly, Wildey arrived to learn that Mary had died at 2:20 p.m. The chance to get a statement was passed.

The coroner spoke to the witnesses and learned that Mrs. Noble, a native of New Jersey, had been living at the home with George Wait Carson and her son, Wallace, who was about 18 years old.

While a physician performed an autopsy, the police arrested Carson. He told them that he had known Mary for about three years, first meeting her at

her home in Jersey City. He moved in with Mary and her two children. When Ayers had returned from the war, Carson had moved out, but after a few months Ayers and Mary were unable to reconcile so Ayers moved out and Carson moved back in.

When Mary got pregnant, she and Carson had moved to the home on Dominick Street with her son, Wallace, who was about 18 years old. Carson said that the move had been to hide the pregnancy and arrange an abortion. 

Some time in February, about two weeks after the trio had settled in, Mary told Carson that she had been to a "Dr. Dubois," whose wife arranged an abortion for a $25 fee, (about $450 in 2021) with the first $10 paid in advance. 

Two or three days later Mary kept her appointment with "Dr. Dubois," who made an abortion attempt, done by attaching a battery to her body with leads and using some sort of instrument internally. When this failed to have its desired effect, Mary returned to "Dr. Dubois." A second attempt was made using some sort of internal injection of water. 

On February 21, Mary was suffering chills. Carson said that he fetched the doctor, who looked in on her for about five minutes.

On February 24, Mary expelled the fetus, which Carson put in a jar. He kept the fetus for about a week before he "boxed it up and threw it in the water-closet."

Mary had chest pain on the 29th. Carson again went looking for the doctor, but couldn't find him. He left a note indicating that Mrs. Noble needed him. 


"Dr. Dubois" attended to Mary several more times, but after a while refused any further care. It was at that point that Mary summoned Dr. McClelland, who was given all the facts and who in turn summoned Dr. Wood.

"Dr. Dubois" was actually William. F.J. Thiers. Police Captain John F. Dickson went to Thiers' premises at 627 Third-avenue with the coroner. The home was "sumptuously and comfortably fitted up."  Dickson found abortion instruments in a bureau drawer there. He also found "an immense collection of letters ... in relation to malpractices." Thiers also kept a receipt book indicating his patients, all of which police hoped would prove criminal intent in performing the abortion on Mary. 

Four women who were present there admitted that they were there for abortions. One woman, Maria Jones, later signed an affidavit before a judge stating that Thiers had perpetrated an abortion upon her on March 23.

Three different death certificates arrived at the registrar's office in the ensuing hours, each one incomplete. One of those was actually presented four times, at odd times, each time by a different person. The registrar stuck to procedures. He would not issue a burial permit unless the death certificate was complete. It must especially note the cause of death and be signed by either a physician or coroner.

Finally coroner John Wildey took charge of the situation. He preformed a post-mortem examination. "There is no doubt but that there has been foul play," he wrote to the registrar. Wildey noted that he had issued a burial permit and would notify the registrar of the outcome of the inquest.

The registrar protested but was outranked. Mary's family got their burial permit even though the law had not been followed and no legally completed death certificate had been filed.

Ayers, for a year or two. He testified that the split had been due to her being  He was notified that she was sick with neuralgia -- which she was prone to -- and that he'd headed to the city to see to her, only to arrive too late. He said he learned of the real cause of her death -- an abortion -- from the coroner."

He testified that he'd not known about the pregnancy until his mother took ill. His mother had asked him not to tell any relatives she was sick. It's not clear then, who told his father and uncle of Mary's illness. Wallace testified that he first learned of the abortion when he read about it in the newspaper.

Leander See, who was married to Mary's sister Emma, had received a telegram on Thursday that Mary was ill. He went to her, and she "told him she could not live, and that she had had an abortion produced."

Dr. John McClelland testified that he'd been called to care for Mary in her final sickness. He testified that Mary told him "that a miscarriage had been brought on by an eclectic physician, and that he had used instruments."

The coroner's jury concluded that Mary had died from pyemia, "resulting from an abortion produced by the prisoner, Wm. F.J. Thiers, alias Dr. Dubois. They further hold Amelia Armstrong, alias Madame Dubois, as accessory before the fact." Carson was tracked to New Jersey and arrested as well.

daughter, Josephine,


Newly added sources:
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March 23, 1979: Antiquated Abortion Kills Mother

SUMMARY: Lynn McNair, age 23, died March 23, 1979 after an abortion performed by Edward Rubin at Jewish Memorial Hospital in New York, NY.

Lynn Yvonne McNair, age 24, was 23 weeks pregnant when she went to Jewish Memorial Hospital in New York for an abortion in March of 1979.

Her doctor, Edward Rubin, chose the saline abortion method, in which amniotic fluid is removed with a large syringe and then replaced with a sterile salt solution strong enough to be toxic. Because of risks to the mother, Japan, Sweden, and the Soviet Union all banned the saline abortion method before abortion was even legalized in the United States.

The first injection of saline failed to kill the fetus, so Rubin injected a second dose of saline. Lynn went into convulsions and slipped into a coma. Amniotic fluid, tainted with the strong salt solution, got into her blood stream and damaged her lungs.

She died on March 23, leaving two children motherless.

Rubin continued to perform abortions, performing a fatal abortion on 28-year-old Dawn Mendoza at Women's Medical Pavilion in Dobbs Ferry, NY in 1988. Dawn also died from getting abortion material in her lungs, though in her case the abortion was done by dismembering the 22-week fetus, allowing both amniotic fluid and bits of the placenta to travel to the mother's lungs.

As you can see from the graph below, abortion deaths were falling dramatically before legalization. This steep fall had been in place for decades. To argue that legalization lowered abortion mortality simply isn't supported by the data.


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external image Abortion+Deaths+Since+1960.jpg

LDI Sources: "Fatal Pulmonary Embolism During Legal Induced Abortion in the United States from 1972-1985, Lawson, Herschel W., MD, Atrash, Hani K., MD, MPH, Franks, Adele L., MD, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol. 162, No. 4, April 1990, p. 986-990; New York County (NY) Supreme Court Docket No. 4492-81
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March 23, 1905: Doctor or Midwife?

On March 23, 1905, Mrs. Ida Pomering, a 30-year-old German immigrant, died in Chicago from an abortion performed earlier that day. Apollonia Heinle was held by the coroner's jury for Ida's death.

Heinle was identified in a death record as a doctor, but is elsewhere identified as a midwife. This does not rule out her being a doctor, since female obstetricians were, at that time, typically called midwives.

Heinle suffered no long-term ill effects from Ida's death. She was still a practicing midwife-abortionist in 1909, when the Illinois State's Attorney declared "war on midwives" as an approach to stamping out abortion in the state. Doctors, however, were also quite commonly identified as the guilty parties after abortion deaths in Chicago in that era.


Note, please, that with issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see Abortion Deaths 1900-1909.

Sources: 
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March 23, 1950: Dumped on a Mountainside

On March 23, 1950, someone strolling on the mountain close to Route 460 near Blacksburg, Virginia, found a young woman's body. The dead woman was identified as Alice Marie Taylor, age 24, a clerk for the Veterans Administration in Roanoke.

A note written in green on her death certificate says, "Will not know any more details until the alleged murderer is tried. It is alleged that an attempted abortion was done -- died in the attempt."

Dartha Louise Fulton, a 42-year-old former taxi driver, was arrested at a tourist camp and charged with murder. Police believed that Fulton had perpetrated the abortion. Woodson Tuck, age 20, was arrested as an accessory. Christine Jones, age 28, was held as a material witness.

Sources:

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Sunday, March 22, 2026

March 22, 1926: Attempted Self-Induced Abortion Results in Poisoning

Ida Bosen, age 35, died in Chicago March 22, 1926. The mother of six had accidentally poisoned herself while trying to induce an abortion.

According to public records, Ida was a Russian immigrant and a homemaker. 

Watch Mother of 6 Dies From Abortifacient on YouTube.
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Sources:
  • "Poison Killed Mother, Verdict," Chicago Daily Tribune, Apr. 22, 1926
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Saturday, March 21, 2026

March 21, 1916: Midwife Implicated in Chicago

On March 21, 1916, 30-year-old Mrs. Anna Krauz died at her home on Union Avenue in Chicago from infection caused by a perforated uterus. An abortion had been perpetrated by midwife Anna Vidicas, who was held by the Coroner but acquitted on trial.

Anna, a native of Russia, worked in a rag shop.

Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. 

Sources:

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March 21, 2008: Malpractice Kills Georgia Woman

SUMARY: Sherika Mayo, age 23, died March 21, 2008 after an abortion by Tyrone Malloy at Summit Medical Associates in Atlanta, GA.

On March 21, 2008, 23 year old Sherika Mayo went to Summit Medical Associates in Atlanta, Georgia for the elective abortion of her 25 week unborn child.

Sherika had sickle cell trait along with low levels of hemoglobin in her blood -- only 7.3 gms when a normal range for an adult woman is between 12 and 16. Abortionist Tyrone Malloy proceeded with the abortion anyway.

While in the recovery room, Sherika went into cardiac arrest and was transferred to Atlanta Medical Center while EMS workers continued CPR. Upon arrival, Sherika had a distended abdomen and vaginal bleeding, so ER workers called for a gynecology consult.

Emergency surgery was performed to remove Sherika's damaged uterus and repair an injured bowel. Malloy holds that her bowel was injured during this surgery, not during the abortion.

After surgery, Sherika showed symptoms of DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, a life-threatening clotting disorder sometimes caused by trauma or infection). She was treated with blood products but died in the I.C.U.

Dr. Tyrone Malloy
The Georgia State Medical Board reviewed the case and determined that abortionist, Tyrone Malloy, “failed to conform to minimal standards of acceptable and prevailing medical practice.” He failed to follow proper standards of care in the following ways:

1. Sherika's blood count was low; since this was an elective procedure, she should have been provided with a transfusion to bring her blood hemoglobin level up to at least 9 gm.

2. Blood clotting tests should have been performed prior to the abortion.

3. Malloy should have more accurately determined the gestational age of Sherika's pregnancy because the risk of amniotic fluid embolism (which can cause the clotting disorder that ultimately killed Sherika) increases with increased gestational age and additional "intrauterine manipulation."

Malloy was reprimanded. He was ordered to pay a $10,000.00 fine and to take continuing education classes. He was allowed to continue to practice medicine in general and abortions in particular. However, he was eventually sent to prison for Medicaid fraud. 

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March 21, 1911: Another Lethal Chicago Midwife

On March 21, 1911, 33-year-old homemaker Katherine "Kate" Kammer died of septic peritonitis at German Hospital in Chicago from an abortion perpetrated by a "midwife" around 5 days earlier.

For reasons not given in the source document, there was never any prosecution for Kate's death.

Kate, who had immigrated from Hungary in1904, was the daughter of Mike Tomaski and the wife of Dammick Kammer, who worked as a bricklayer. She had two sons, an 8-year-old and a toddler.
.
Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. 

Sources: 

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March 21, 1927: Doctor and Midwife Implicated Together

On March 21, 1927, 25-year-old Nancy Dawson, an immigrant from England, died on-site from a criminal abortion performed that day. Dr. J.F. Peck and midwife Christine Sedwig were indicted for felony murder on April 1.

The fact that both a doctor and a midwife were involved suggests that the abortion, as was common in Chicago in that era, was perpetrated by a midwife who called in a physician when her patient became ill.

Nancy worked in a factory, and was the wife of George Dawson and daughter of Joseph Smith of Leeds, England.

Nancy's abortion was typical of illegal abortions in that it was performed by a physician.

Source: Homicide in Chicago Interactive

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Friday, March 20, 2026

March 20, 1906: Lover Commits Fatal Abortion

SUMMARY: Anna Gosch died on March 20, 1906 from an abortion perpetrated by her lover in a Kearney, Nebraska hotel.

Nebraska in 1906 wasn't like it is today. It wasn't a time and place where sexual activity was a right, with contraceptives expected to be provided for free by the government. Women and girls were expected to be chaste, if not until marriage, at least until they were engaged to a man who would marry them and provide a home for any child they conceived.

It was that world that Anna Gosch lived in.

Anna's boyfriend, Mr. Edwards, admitted that he knew Anna, that they'd had a sexual relationship, and that she had called him to tell him that her period was late. He admitted that he went to the town of Kearney, and got a hotel room with the intent of perpetrating an abortion.

Such were the morals of the day that a bellboy objected to the presence of a young woman in the man's hotel room.

Edwards wouldn't say what happened in the hotel room. He did say that the next day he took her to her home, and using a speculum he tried to insert a catheter into her uterus, which at the time was a method often used by doctors to cause an abortion. Edwards, however, couldn't get the catheter inserted.

He said that Anna went upstairs and returned with a catheter with a wire in it, which would stiffen it for insertion. He said that the wire did its job in allowing him to get the catheter inserted. He then bent the wire and threw it away.

A witness in the later trial, however, said that Edwards denied having done the abortion himself. He said that Anna had gone upstairs, then come down and told him that she thought "she had done it." Physical evidence suggested otherwise: a speculum and three catheters were in Edwards' valise when he was arrested.

A physician, Dr. Cameron, was called on Thursday, March 15, to care for Anna. He saw her twice a day until the Monday before her death. During that time he consulted with another physician and concluded that Anna was going to die.

Dr. Cameron testified, "I asked her what had been done to make her sick, and she said there had been a man had passed an instrument into her with a wire in it, rubber with a wire in it. I asked her when that had been done, and she said Monday; she thought it was Monday night." When asked about who the man was, "She said he was a man who traveled for rubber goods or instruments of some kind, said he was a traveling man."

Anna Gosch died on Tuesday, March 20, 1906, at 6:10 PM.

Edwards was convicted of homicide.

Anna's death is similar to the death of "Daisy" Roe, a systems analyst who died in 1990 after allowing her boyfriend to attempt to perform an abortion on her with a piece of aquarium tubing.

It was also unusual in that it was performed by an amateur, rather than by a doctor, as was the case with perhaps 90% of criminal abortions.

Note, please, that with issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see Abortion Deaths 1900-1909.

For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

Source: 79 Neb. 251, 112 N.W. 611; Supreme Court of Nebraska. EDWARDS v. STATE. No. 14, 988. June 7, 1907.

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