On June 13, 1882,
Ruth Phillips delivered stillborn twins. She was near death herself. A
few days later she made a shocking deathbed statement to her sisters:
she said that their father was the father of the twins, and that he had
used instruments on her to cause the abortion that killed the twins and
was soon to take her own life. Ruth died on June
25, and was buried on the 25th. An autopsy was performed, which
evidently corroborated the girl's deathbed statement, since her father,
James T. Phillips, was arrested. There was such outrage in the community that Phillips was in danger of being lynched.
On June 25, 1911, 20-year-old Mrs. Anna L. Mueller died from a criminal abortion performed by Dr. George Lotz. Lotz was arrested July 5. He was indicted for felony murder. There is
no record that he served time for the crime, but Leslie Reagan indicates
that he was expelled from the Chicago Medical Society after admitting
guilt in Anna's death.
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