On August 1, 1922, 27-year-old divorcee Carrie Meehan McDonald died at the county hospital in Denver, Colorado from the effects of an abortion. She had been taken there after her friends realized that the care they were providing to her would not be enough to help her. When she was admitted, Carrie insisted that she'd been suffering from ptomaine poisoning, but an inquest was ordered over the protests of Carrie's parents.
Carrie had been living in a rooming house as Carrie Healy with a chauffeur called Ed Healy, whose real name was Ed Hanley. He reportedly had been planning to marry Carrie as soon as his divorce was finalized. He left the boarding house several weeks before Carrie's death and hadn't been seen since.
Six women were held during the investigation because police believed that they might have information about the abortion. They insisted that Carrie had told them about the abortion, perpetrated on July 7, but had been sworn to secrecy as to the identity of the midwife who had perpetrated it.
Sadie Hines, a beautician who had known Carrie for about a year, said that Carrie had spoken for weeks about arranging an abortion and had asked Sadie to give her the money, but Sadie said she'd refused.
After the abortion, Sadie said, she'd gone for a car ride with Carrie, who then told her that the baby had been born alive and that she'd heard it crying. "They" had asked if she wanted to see it, and she'd said no. After that, Carrie said, she'd known nothing of the baby's whereabouts. Sadie, however, got the impression that the baby had been killed shortly after birth.
Fort Collins police helped Denver police in the search for Mrs. Alma Dittman, age 52, suspected to have something to do with Carrie's death, though Alma denied any knowledge of the fatal abortion. She had been implicated, along with Mrs. Ida Cathcart, by Carrie's friend Margaret Lynch, who later recanted her story and insisted she'd known nothing about an abortion.
Dittman was located at Fort Morgan and brought back for questioning. Dittman said that she'd been called in to care for Carrie after a self-induced abortion. She denied any knowledge of what had happened to Carrie's baby. A search of her home had revealed surgical instruments.
I have been unable to determine the outcome of the case.
Watch "Loyalty to Deadly Abortionists" on YouTube.
Sources:
- “Denver Divorcee’s Death, Supposedly of Ptomaine Poisoning, Ordered Probed," Denver Post, Aug. 3, 1922
- “Police Hunt Mystery Woman and Arrest Six Others as Missing Baby’s Mother Dies,” The Denver Post, Aug. 5, 1922
- "Death Of Woman By Illegal Operation Charge By Jury," Fort Collins Express, August 5, 1922
- “Seventh Woman Arrested in Probe of Girl’s Death,” Rocky Mountain News, Aug. 6, 1922
- “Suspect Denies Performing Fatal Operation on Girl,” The Rocky Mountain News, Aug. 7, 1922
- “Two Women Held on Murder Charge in Death of Girl,” The Rocky Mountain News, Aug. 8, 1922
- “Officers Here Asked to Help Find Woman”, Fort Collins Courier, Aug. 8, 1922
- “Woman Denies Story Told in Death of Mrs. Carrie McDonald,” Rocky Mountain News, Oct. 15, 1922
- “Woman Acquitted of Murder Charge,” The Rocky Mountain News, Dec. 13, 1922
- "Midwife Arrested For Woman's Death," Fort Collins Express Courier, December 31, 1922
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