Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 274, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 November 1916 — DR. NELLIE GREEN IS EXONERATED [ARTICLE]

DR. NELLIE GREEN IS EXONERATED

State Dismisses Case Against Lady / Charged With Having Performed Criminal Operation.

In the Benton circuit coqrt last Saturday, Judge Berry, on motion of Carl A. Mehaffey, prosecuting attorney, dismissed the criminal case pending aginst Dr. Nellie Green, of Fowler, charging her with having committed a criminal operation on Dora Jones, a lady living near Fowler, which caused her death in June, 1916. It will be remembered that the Benton county grand jury returned an indictment against Dr. Green for this alleged offense, just before the Benton circuit court adjourned for the summer. The doctor declared that the charge was wholly unfounded. The local sentiment was strongly in her favor, as she had been a successful practitioner in Benton county for over 25 years and had many friends and adherents.

The doctor admitted that'she had examined Mrs. Jones at her office about the first of June, but she claimed that Mrs. Jones was merely threatened with typhoid fever. Mrs. Jones returned to her home after consulting Dr. Green and became much worse. She sent for Dr. Green, but owing to an unfortunate accident the doctor was at the time too seriously injured to leave her office. The family of Mrs. Jones then called another physician, who treated her. On the Bth of June Mrs. Jones died and the attending physician refused to issue a burial certificate. The coroner was called and an autopsy held. The state expected the examination by Dr. Hurty, at Indianapolis, would furnish convincing evidence that a criminal operation had been performed. Contrary to the expectation of the prosecuting attorney this examination revealed the contrary and the doctor was completly exonerated. The husband, mother and sister of Mrs. Jones*never believed that any criminal operation had been performed and had been subpoenaed by the doctor as her most important witnesses. The prosecuting attorney stated in open court that there was no evidence whatever of the corpus delecti, and that he believed it was his duty to publicly state that this examination by Dr. Hurty had fully exonerated the defendant.