February 1: The Last of FIVE Deaths of Dr. Justin Mitchell

On February 1, 1936, 20-year-old homemaker and mother-of-two Alice Haggin died in Chicago from abortion complications. 

Dr. Justin L. Mitchell, age 57, of Palos Park, was charged by the Grand Jury on March 10 in Alice's death. Just 11 days after Alice's death, Mitchell was convicted of manslaughter in the 1935 abortion death of 32-year-old Mary Nowalowski. 

Mary wasn't the first abortion death attributed to Mitchell, either. As I was looking for more information about Alice's death I learned that Harold Vaughan signed a complaint against Mitchell in December of 1931 stating that Mitchell had perpetrated a fatal abortion on Harold's wife, Ethel.

I also learned Mitchell had also been arrested in 1933 after the abortion death of Florence Jordan. Mitchell was then implicated in the 1934 abortion death of Mary Schwartz. 

Thus we have Ethel, Florence, Mary S., and Mary N. before the unfortunate Alice entrusted her life to Mitchell.

And stay tuned: I found other dirt on the illustrious Dr. Mitchell, including allegations that he killed live-born infants, groped a student nurse, and ran a slipshod facility. I'll write it all up for you when I get the chance.

• "Vote to Indict Physician in 2d Abortion Death," Chicago Tribune, March 11, 1936