January 13

Chicago, 1911, Midwife

On January 13, 1911, 27-year-old homemaker Rauha Wilen died at Chicago's Augusta Hospital of peritonitis caused by an abortion. Midwife Mary Rominel was arrested and indicted by a grand jury.

Chicago, 1915, Physician


On January 13, 1915, 23-year-old motion picture actress Beulah Rehm died at Wesley Hospital after an abortion perpetrated at Dr. Arthur L. Blunt's Chicago practice.

Dr. Arthur L. Blunt

Beulah had been at the Plymouth Hotel when she took ill on Christmas Eve. Her doctor, Dr. Andre Stapler, sent her to the hospital. Stapler and other staff were suspicious and questioned Beulah about the cause of her problems. She admitted to Springer, and then to police, that she had gone to Blunt's West Harrison Street practice three times during the week of December 13 for abortion attempts.
Blunt was brought to the hospital, where he was identified by Beulah as her abortionist. blunt denied ever having seen Beulah before.
Beulah's husband, Arthur Rehm, said that he and Beulah had been married about a year and a half, and Beulah had seemed happy. They'd recently moved to Chicago and had taken up residence at the hotel.
Blunt was held by the Coroner but the case never went to trial.
Blunt had committed the abortion on Beulah while still out on bail for the 1913 abortion death of Frances Odochowski.
.
Aged 61 at the time of Beulah's death, Blunt had also been arrested at least twice for drug trafficking.