June 1, 1926: One of Three Deaths Attributed to Dr. Thomas Ney

Thomas Ney

On June 1, 1926, Willie Pearl Walker, an 18-year-old Black homemaker born in Eaton, Georgia, died at her Chicago home from complications of a criminal abortion performed that day. A white doctor, Thomas J. New, (most likely transcription error for Dr. Thomas J. Ney) was held by the coroner in Willie Pearl's death.

A little over two years later Ney was implicated in the November 14, 1928, death of 21-year-old Eunice McElroy. He was later implicated in the April 25, 1931 abortion death of Elma Bromps. There was abundant press coverage of the deaths of these two white women, but I have been unable to find any news coverage at all of Willie's death.

Watch "An Early Black-Lives-Don't-Seem-to-Matter Moment" on YouTube.

Sources: 

• Homicide in Chicago Interactive Database
• Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths Index