Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1900 — The Circuit Court. [ARTICLE]

The Circuit Court.

The case cf Dr. Frank Abendroth. of Indianapolis, formerly of Monticello, against Mrs. Henry O. Harris, was one of the most interesting civil cases yet tried. It illustrates once more the serious mistake people make in going away from reputable regular physicians and trusting to the promises of unknown and irresponsible so,.called, “specialists.” The defendant was under the treatment of the plaintiff from Sept. 1899 to Feb'. 1900, a period of about 5 months. During that time she paid him over S7OO and he sued for SSOO more, but the defendant testified that she had derived no benefit from his treatment. Her testimony in that particular received strong presumptive confirmation, from the plaintiff’s own exhibition of medical and anatomical ignorance. Thus he testified that he treated the patient for “inflamation of the prostate gland,” an organ which is exclusively confined to the male sex. Some other breaks he made were just about as bad. The jury brought in a verdict for the plaintiff for $5.65, or about one per cent, of what he sued for. This Small verdict will throw the costs upon the plaintiff. The three cases of M. F. Chilcote, as administrator of the estate of Ruth L. Chipman vs Harry Adamson, Eunice Adamson and Myrtle Chipman, respectively, were tried by the court. The Adamsons were brother and sister and Myrtle Chipman the daughter of the decedent. They cared for her in her last sickness, and stated that it was her wish, verbally expressed, that they should have certain personal belongings of hers. The administrator claimed that the properly should be turned over to him as part of the estate.’ The court decided in favor of the defendant in the Harry Adamson case, taxing the costs to the administrator. In the case against Myrtle Chipman it was decided that she should pay S2O to the administrator, for a watch given to her brother. In the Eunice Adamson case, she is ordered to to turn over S4O worth of property, but is given uermission to file her claim against the estate for caring for her sister. The evidence showed that all the defendants were acting in entire good faith, and from proper motives in all that they did in regard to the property. The will case of Moosemiller et al vs Putts has been on trial two days, and was not completed when we went to press.