July 21, 1907: Grieving Husband Implicates Midwife

On July 21, 1907, 21-year-old homemaker Madeline Paffrath died at German American Hospital in Chicago. Before her death she took an oath with her hand on the Bible, vowing never to divulge the names of the two women who had perpetrated an abortion on her. 

Madeline's husband, John W. Paffrath, did not have so charitable a view of the women who had brought about his wife's death. He named 47-year-old Agnes Schustzner (Harcone Scheutner, according to the Homicide in Chicago Interactive Database) as the perpetrator. 

Schustzner admitted that she had perpetrated an abortion, but was just following up on a failed abortion perpetrated by Alice Gustafson.

Madeline had reported put her hand on the Bible and sworn that she would carry the secret of the abortion to her grave. However, Pauline Baum, who was Madeline's aunt, said that her niece had told her that Gustafson had been drunk when perpetrating the first attempted abortion. So clearly Madeline had told at least one person her secret.

The coroner's jury held the two above-named midwives, along with midwife Alice Rastone.

Source:

• "Two Midwives in Trouble," Chicago Daily Tribune, July 23, 1907