New York Tribune/1868/The Amity-Place Abortion Case

by Anonymous

The Amity-Place Abortion Case. The investigation into the circumstances attendant on the death of Susannah Lattin, in Dr. H. D. Grindle's Lying in Asylum, at No. 6 Amity-place, was concluded yesterday at the Mercer street. Police Station, by Coroner Rollins. In the course of the investigation, Dr. John C. Harrison of No. 177 Bleeker street, testified that Susannah called on him for medical treatment; she mentioned that she had led a young man to believe that she was enceinte by him, and asked witness not to undeceive him, as he would probably marry her; she mentioned that the young man had given her $50 to have an operation performed; Susannah was accompanied by a woman of the town on this occasion; not long after that Mr. Houghton called and paid witness $50; on that occasion witness told him he was not treating Susannah for an abortion; two other men afterward called, one of whom seemed to think she was being treated for on abortion; they seemed anxious to know how she was getting along; witness denied that he was in the habit of procuring abortions. Dr. Henry D. Grindle, the proprietor of the place wherein the unfortunate woman died, testified that be kept a lying in asylum; denied that abortions were procured there; since January there has been 20 or 30 births in the house; a return of each case was made to the Board of Health; this is the second patient that had died since he opened his place: Susannah came to his place on August 5, accompanied by Mr. Powell The remainder of a witness's testimony merely corroborated much of that given heretofore by his assistants. The evidence of Drs. Dorn and Finnel, and the post mortem by Drs. Beach, Fiuneli, and others presented no new features of interest. The case was then submitted to the jury, who, after lengthy debate, and the protest of one of their number, adopted the following as their verdict: "We find that Susannah Lattin came to her death by metro-peritonitis, the result of child birth, at the establishment of Dr. Grindle. No. 6 Amity-place. We further censure Dr. Grindle for the irregular manner of conducting its business, relative to taking in women to confine; and also to his method of adopting the children so delivered, we further recommend the Legislature to so enact a law whereby all such establishments shall be under the supervision and control of the Board of Health, or so other recognized authority; we further condemn the practice of any regular medical college recognizing students connected to such establishments."