RealChoice

Clara Bell Duvall

According to the National Organization for Women web site, Clara Bell Duvall was a 32-year-old married mother of five, aged 6 months to 12 years. She and her family were living with her parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania due to financial problems. NOW says that Clara attempted a self-induced abortion with a knitting needle. Though she was seriously ill and severe pain, NOW says, Clara's doctor delayed hospitalizing her for several weeks. Her death, at a Catholic hospital on March 27, 1929, was attributed to pneumonia.

I'd welcome any verifying information on Mrs. Duvall's death. After all, NOW also claims that Becky Bell died from complications of an illegal abortion, when in fact she died of pneumonia concurrent with a miscarriage. (There was no evidence that Becky's pregnancy had been tampered with in any way.) But if people who think abortion is a good idea want to blame Clara's death on abortion, I'll let them claim her as somebody their ideology killed.

Clara Duvall seems to be the woman described in the chapter, "Marilyn," in The Worst of Times by Patricia G. Miller. Marilyn was Clara's daughter. There are differences in Marilyn's story and in the story NOW relates, but I was able to find enough information matching "Claudia" with the real Clara Bell Duval to conclude that they are the same woman.

Differences in the Stories

NOW's story differs from Marilyn's in many aspects, however. Aside from the different age and name, the following aspects do not match:

• NOW has the family living with the woman's parents; Marilyn said that they were living in a large house owned by her mother's parents.
  
• NOW indicates that the family were too poor to afford a home of their own. Marilyn said that they lived in a large house, and that her father was an editor of one of Pittsburgh's daily newspapers, and that he did freelance public relations for sports events. Marilyn also said that one of her mother's friends was the wife of a well-known Pittsburgh industrialist. This is not a likely friendship for a destitute woman forced to move her family of seven into her parents' home. Marilyn also said that her mother was laid to rest in a magnificent mahogany casket with a satin lining, hardly the sort of burial a poverty-crushed widower could afford for his dead wife. Marilyn also said that the casket lay in the parlor, not a room that poor people were likely to have. In fact, Marilyn describes how shocking it was, after her mother's death, to go live with poor relatives. Poverty was a new experience for the child. In fact, Marilyn describes a riverboat outing the family took before her mother's death. She described how the girls were dressed in matching navy blue coats with red satin linings, and her brother had a jacket and tie.
  

Reconciling the Stories

Census data from 1920 indicates that Clara Duvall was the wife of Grafton Duvall. Grafton was a newspaper editor. In 1920 the couple had two children, Grafton Jr., age 4, and Elinor Jane, age 20 months. The couple and their children lived at 1616 Westfield Avenue, the same address at Clara's parents, Joseph and Sadie Bell and their two sons, Harry, age 31, and Joseph Jr., age 30. Joseph Sr. was an engineer. Harry was listed as "invalid," meaning incapacitated and unable to work. Joseph Jr. was listed as a fireman on the railroad. 

The Duvall family were still at the 1616 Westfield Avenue address at the time of Clara's death. 

The December 3, 1914 Pittsburgh Post notes: "Miss Bell's Betrothal: An interesting engagement announced yesterday was that of Miss Clara Jane Bell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Bell, of Aspinwall, to Grafton O. Duvall, son of Dr. and Mrs. Wirt Duvall of Baltimore. Mr. Duvall is a student in the University of Maryland, where he is in the law department."

Grafton and Clara married in 1915 in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania when he was 24 years old and she was 20. Grafton Jr. was born February 28, 1916 in Baltimore; Eleanor Jane was born June 28, 1918 in Baltimore. The couple moved to Pittsburgh in 1926, where their daughter Claire was born on September 10, 1927. The other children, Roxanna Bell and Mildred Linn, were mentioned in Clara's obituary, "Death Claims Church Singer," in the March 28, 1929 Pittsburgh Press. 

The January 9, 1922 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes for the night's KDKA radio program that Mrs. Grafton Duvall would sing soprano solos, "Summer Wind," "Mighty Lak a Rose," "My Shadows," and "The World is Waiting." In fact, Clara shows up frequently in the society pages as a soloist at various events in the city.

So there are three possibilities:

1. Clara Bell Duvall and Claudia are two different women, both with five children, both of whom lived in homes owned by their parents, who both performed knitting-needle abortions in the same city in the same month, and who both died in hospitals and both had their deaths wrongly attributed to pneumonia.
   
2. Clara and Claudia are the same woman, and but NOW turned her from a prosperous matron and opera singer into a wretched slum mother in order to make her situation seem more desperate.
3. The story, third-hand and based on a deathbed conversation between a mother and her 10-year-old daughter, reflects a frightened child's misunderstanding of something her mother was trying to convey.

If what NOW and Marilyn describe is accurate, then Clara/Claudia's abortion was unusual in that it was self-induced, rather than performed by a doctor, as was the case with perhaps 90% of criminal abortions.

Clara's death certificate indicates pneumonia as a contributing factor in Clara's death due to nephritis. 

For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

Up until recently, this was all I knew about the abortion death of 29-year-old Gail Wright: She was 29 years old and 20 weeks pregnant when she underwent a legal abortion. After her abortion, she developed sepsis.  She died of adult respiratory distress syndrome on March 26, 1986, in Maplewood, Essex County, New Jersey, leaving behind a husband.

Dr. E. Wyman Garrett

I've since found a news article that revealed a surprise: the abortionist was E. Wyman Garrett, who two years earlier had sent a 14-year-old patient home to die of a massive infection.

Garrett had performed Gail's abortion at University Hospital in Newark some time shortly before March 21, when he was suspended from privileges at the hospital. He had been suspended for botching four abortions -- the one that killed the teenage girl, one where he left the fetal head in the patient's uterus, and one in which he caused "massive" uterine lacerations, and another whose abortion was performed at 32 weeks, far past the hospital's cut-off for gestational age. 

Those weren't the only cases Garrett was in trouble for. He pleaded "no contest" with the medical board for 31 instances of "gross malpractice," mostly related to abortion cases. (More on his unsavory career is covered here.)

Gail died on March 26 in Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey. It's unclear if she had been transferred there from University Hospital or if she had been discharged from University and then had gone to Overlook later.

Garrett's excuse for botching abortions was "burnout." He had been performing 12 to 14 second-trimester abortions daily at University Hospital. That means roughly one abortion every 30 to 35 minutes, assuming an 8-hour work day with an hour for lunch and no bathroom breaks. When you consider that the procedure itself typically takes 15 to 30 minute according to UCLA Health, That's not allowing much time to speak to the patient or even wash his hands between procedures. 

Garrett was paid $250 to $300 by the hospital for each abortion, so his daily income could range from $3,000 to $4,200 ($8,700 to a little over $12,000 in 2025). 

Watch Slow Action Means Death for Another Patient on YouTube.
Watch Slow Action Means Death for Another Patient on Rumble.

Sources: 

• New Jersey Certificate of Death #18231
• "UMDNJ chief backs suspension of physician," (Newark, NJ) Star-Ledger, November 21, 1986
• "UMDNJ, doctor face abortion death suit," (Newark, NJ) Star-Ledger, January 29, 1987

Summary: 22-year-old Maria Rodriguez was one of well over a dozen deaths after abortions at Family Planning Associates Medical Group, the largest chain of for-profit abortion facilities in the world.

Albany Medical Surgical aka FPA Washington Blvd.

On March 25, 2000, 22-year-old Maria Rodriguez went to Lichtenberg's Albany Medical Surgical Center, a National Abortion Federation member clinic in Chicago, for a late second trimester abortion. 

Lichtenberg estimated her pregnancy at 18 weeks and went ahead with the what a later expert consultant called "a seemingly uncomplicated (albeit short) procedure." 

At about 9:00 a.m., Maria was showing signs of shock from hemorrhage. The expert consultant pointed out that Lichtenberg had failed to notice that he had ruptured Maria's uterus. Lichtenburg flushed out her uterus with a dilute solution of Vasopressin, a hormone used sometimes to control bleeding. He also had pressure applied to her uterus. But, the consultant noted," At no time were further attempts made to ascertain the cause of the bleeding or to explain the discrepancy between the marked decrease of hematocrit and the seemingly moderate blood loss."

Lichtenberg diagnosed DIC, a clotting disorder caused by triggers such as amniotic fluid in the blood stream. He started treating Maria with Fresh Frozen Plasma (FPP) at 9:34. Her hematocrit continued to fall, and she was showing abnormal EKG readings. Her heart was racing and she was continuing to bleed. She wasn't given a transfusion, or transported quickly to a hospital so that a transfusion could be administered there. Lichtenberg also didn't administer any additional medications to help control Maria's bleeding.

At around 10:15 a.m., Maria appeared to have been somewhat stabilized, but "no attempt was made to determine the cause of the bleeding with ultrasound evaluation" or to tie off the bleeding artery. By 10:30, her hematocrit had fallen to 15%, meaning she had less than half the red blood cells needed to carry oxygen to her brain. Finally, an hour and a half after Maria suffered her life-threatening injury, and an hour after Lichtenberg had diagnosed the dangerous clotting disorder, it occurred to somebody to call 911 and have Maria taken to a properly equipped hospital. By the time she arrived there, her hematocrit was 3.5%, less than 10% of what it should have been. Doctors at the hospital tried to save her, to no avail, she died that evening, leaving behind a four-year-old daughter.
Other women to die from abortions at FPA facilities include:

Denise Holmes, age 24, 1970 (at facility run by Allred and later absorbed into FPA)

Natalie Meyers, age 16, 1972 (at facility run by Allred and later absorbed into FPA)

Mary Pena, age 43, 1984

Patricia Chacon, age 16, 1984

Josefina Garcia, age 37, 1985

Laniece Dorsey, age 17, 1986

Joyce Ortenzio, age 32, 1988

Tami Suematsu, age 19, 1988

Susan Levy, age 30, 1992

Deanna Bell, age 13, 1992

Christine Mora, age 18, 1994

Ta Tanisha Wesson, age 24, 1995

Nakia Jorden, 1998

Maria Leho, 1999

Kimberly Neil, age 38, 2000

Emmeko Reed, 2002 (damage to uterus caused fatal rupture in subsequent pregnancy)

"Imelda Laurence," 2003

Chanelle Bryant, age 22, 2004

"Kyla Ellis," age 23, 2014

Watch Livening Up the Day Costs Woman her Life on YouTube.
Watch Livening Up the Day Costs Woman her Life on YouTube.
Sources:

• Joyce v. Lichtenberg

Want an interesting exercise? Google "Dr. Henrie abortion". You'll get sites like these:

Missives from the Grove:

You want to know what the difference between Grove 1956 and Grove 2006 is? In 1956 abortions were illegal, but you could get one from Dr. Henrie and no one thought much of it. .... In 1956 when abortion was illegal, you could count on getting a safe, compassionate one from your local doctor and not necessarily have to pay a dime.

What a swell guy!

What About Jolene?

But they're forgetting someone. There's one name you won't find in these hagiographic articles: Jolene Joyce Griffith. She died on March 25, 1962. According to her widower, Derrell, the kindly Dr. Henrie failed to properly sterilize his instruments, and, even though he knew that Jolene had a potentially life-threatening infection, simply sent her home with no arrangements for aftercare and without warning her family that she was potentially in danger.

On February 18, Jolene and Joan Jones, who worked at Derrell's supper club, contacted Henrie, who ran some sort of private hospital in Grove, OK, to schedule abortions. Either Henrie or his staff told the women to wait until Henrie was done dealing with an active criminal abortion charge. He beat the charge on February 26.

Jolene and Joan called again on Saturday, March 3 and were told to come check in for their abortions. By then, Jolene was 4 or 5 months into her pregnancy.

The following day, Henrie, an osteopath, performed Jolene's abortion at 12:30 pm using his "iodine treatment" method. Joan had her abortion perpetrated at around 1:30  The two women, who had each paid $75 (nearly $800 in 2025*), shared a room as they waited to expel their dead babies. Joan expelled hers after two days. Jolene, however, did not expel her baby but instead developed chills and fever. 

On Friday, March 9, Henrie tried twice more to dislodge the fetus, telling Jolene and Joan that she was "high and hard to get to." 

Henrie sent Jolene home to Tulsa on March 11, still suffering from an infection. She was soon admitted to a hospital, where doctors struggled in vain to save her. She died there on March 25, leaving behind her husband and three minor children. She had told police about the abortion before her death. 

When Police went to arrest Henrie on April 11, he seemed to be expecting them and merely asked if he could get his coat. 

The Aftermath

Derrell supported his family by operating Griff's Supper Club in Tulsa.  He won a $35,936 judgement against Henrie on behalf of the orphaned children. Henrie unsuccessfully appealed the judgement. 

An investigation revealed a widespread abortion practice in which Henrie documented patients by their home towns rather than by name. 

Henrie pleaded guilty to both Jolene's fatal abortion (first degree manslaughter) and for a non-fatal abortion on another woman. In his first bid for parole, in October of 1963, Henrie told the parole board that he had perpetrated more than 5,000 abortions during the 23 years he was practicing. 

"Everybody from the ages of 6 to 90 knew what I was doing," he told the board. He said that state official even knew.

This first bid for parole was rejected, leaving Henrie to end up serving 25 months of a 4-year sentence, after first being given a chance to get his affairs in order. After his release, Henrie went into receivership, saying he had only $123 to his name after selling his practice to pay his legal fees. Perhaps due to his financial situation, he went right back to doing abortions, much to the applause of people who don't even care enough about Jolene Griffith to learn her name. But then, to Henrie she was only "Miss Tulsa 1."

He told his welcome-back party when he was released from prison that he's proud of his abortion work because, he told the UPI, "Mankind will drown in our own pollution, suffocate, or starve to death." In other words, he was a population-control zealot. 

He mentioned "a woman" who "died because of an abortion I performed." He blamed her death not on his failures, but on the law, saying, "If I had been allowed the advantage of a hospital for my work the death could have been prevented, but the law barred me from proper facilities." But the law did not bar him from properly sterilizing his instruments, nor did it bar him from admitting his patient once he realized that she had life-threatening complications due to his failure to sterilize his instruments. 

He pointed out that he had two acquittals for abortion charges prior to the death of "a woman," and had beaten the rap both times. Cleary he had connections that could have protected him if he had prioritized Jolene's life above his legal fees. But he didn't, she died, and he blamed everybody but himself.

He was implicated in an abortion ring, which brought in an estimated $500,000 a year (Over $4 million in 2025) in November of 1970. He was only accused of suggesting abortions to women and then referring them to an unspecified practitioner, not of actually doing the abortions himself this time.

When Henrie died in 1972, he was given a hero's sendoff in the obituaries. Jolene's death was mentioned as something that had happened to Henrie and had unfairly tarnished his otherwise exemplary work making sure abortions happened.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion.

*For comparison, an abortion performed in 2025 at 4 or 5 calendar months, or about 17 to 21 weeks as we now calculate pregnancy, could cost anywhere between $500 and $15,000, depending on gestational age and the facility the woman chooses.

Sources:

• HENRIE v. GRIFFITH, 1964 OK 215, 395 P.2d 809
• "Abortion Count Filed," The Oklahoman, March 9, 1961
• "Henrie Accused of Murder In Death of Tulsa Woman," The Tulsa Tribune, April 11, 1962
• "Abortion Murder Charged", The Oklahoman, April 12, 1962
• "Dr. Bryan Henrie Faces Abortion Murder Charges," The Grove (OK) Sun, April 12, 1962
• "Grove Osteopath Denies Abortion, Murder Charges," Tulsa World, April 12, 1962
• "Clinic Patients Listed By Town, Not Name," Tulsa Tribune, April 12, 1962
• "Term in Fatal Abortion," Kansas City Star, April 12, 1962
• "Henrie May Be Faced By Attack on License," Tulsa Tribune, April 14, 1962
• "Move Is Begun to Lift Dr. Henrie's License," Tulsa Tribune, April 17, 1962
• "Henrie Says He's Guilty on 2 Counts,"  Tulsa World, April 17, 1962
• "Henrie Guilty on 2 Counts," Delaware County Journal (Jay, OK), April 19, 1962
• "Dr. Henrie Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter Count," The Grove (OK) Sun, April 19, 1962
• "Henrie Given 30 Days to 'Clear Desk'," Tulsa Tribune, June 12, 1962
• "Abortion Charge Hits Grove Man", The Oklahoman, October 20, 1962
• "Tulsan Wins Suit Against Abortionist," Tulsa Daily World, April 4, 1963
• "Dr. Henrie Tells Parole Board He Performed 5,000 Abortions," Tulsa Tribune, October 21, 1963
• "Dr. Henrie Receivership Hearing Set," Tulsa Daily World, June 9, 1965
• "Former Grove Physician Says He Has Only $123," Tulsa Daily World, June 17, 1965
• "Abortionist says the 'state will thank me'," Henryetta (OK) Daily Free-Lance, April 9, 1969
• "Grove Osteopath Arrested," The Oklahoman, November 17, 1970
• "Henrie Is Charged In Abortion Ring," The Tulsa Daily World," November 17, 1970
• "Abortionist Bryan Henrie Dies At 75," Ssapulpa (OK) Herald, May 12, 1972

Summary: Addie Wilson, age 48, was indicted for manslaughter and abortion conspiracy in connection with the death of 25-year-old Marie Swift, whose body was found on a country road on March 25, 1941.

At 6:45 on the morning of Tuesday, March 26, 1941, truck driver Clifford Taylor was riding his bicycle to work outside of Crisfield, Maryland, when he spotted something disturbing just inside the woods alongside the road. At first he thought it was a bundle of clothing. Looking more closely, he saw that it was the body of a young women.

Clifford immediately went to his employer, Clarence Cristy, who also owned the patch of woods where the body lay. The two men went to Deputy Sheriff Harold Sterling, who accompanied them back to the site, along with the medical examiner, Dr. William H. Coulbourne.

The woman's body was face down, with severe bruises on her face and body, including bruises around her neck indicating possible strangulation. Her clothing was tattered. Authorities said she looked like she had been thrown from a passing vehicle. Likely one or more of the men knew the young women, since they were able to identify her on sight. She was 25-year-old Marie Swift, who had lived nearby with her parents and 13 younger siblings. Marie had left Crisfield High School during her junior year to start working in a local garment factory.

Deputy Sterling summoned Sheriff Fred Phoebus. Marie's body was taken to her home.

I can't even imagine the horror of that scene.

Marie Swift

The police asked Marie's family and neighbors what they knew about her recent activities and  whereabouts. Her mother told police that Marie was engaged to be married to 36-year-old truck driver Herman Ward, with the wedding scheduled for Saturday, March 29. She had come home from work on the 24th, eaten supper, then dressed to go out in a flowered silk dress, sweater, and reversible coat. She left home at around 7:00 on the evening of the 24th to attend a dance at Paradise Hall on Main Street in Crisfield. She had been seen there at around 7:30 pm.

Meanwhile search of the area where Marie's body had been dumped led to her purse -- along with something unusual. Though Marie's hair was black, there was medium-length blonde hair tangled in the handle.

Marie had last been reported seen by a taxi driver who recalled seeing her walking alone down a side street at around 9:00 the evening of the 24th.

An autopsy performed locally revealed that she had been pregnant but did not disclose a cause of death. A second autopsy was sought, and the state Medical Examiner said that Marie's lungs had collapsed and she had died of shock. 

According to Vermont death records, Carrie Lena Sturgeon Walbridge of Burlington, Vermont, died March 24, 1917. The young homemaker, who was just over two weeks shy of her 22nd birthday, suffered an air embolism during an attempted abortion.

New Hampshire marriage records indicate that Carrie and her husband, Earl, married when she was 18 and he was 21 in 1913. 

There's no further information that I can find about Carrie's death. 

According to research by both Planned Parenthood and author Nancy Howell-Lee, about 90% of pre-legalization abortions were performed by doctors. Howell-Lee broke down the remaining 10% and found that the bulk of them were perpetrated by somebody with medical training, such as a nurse or dentist. So Carrie most likely found a doctor to abort her baby.

Additional source: New Hampshire Death and Disinterment Records

SUMMARY: On March 24, 1947, 24-year-old Ilene Eagen died from an abortion perpetrated in Mankato, MN, by dentist W. A. Groebner.

Grok AI illustration

Watch Fatal Abortion by Dentist on YouTube.
Watch Fatal Abortion by Dentist on Rumble.

Sources:

• 227 Minn. 154, 34 N.W.2d 700; Supreme Court of Minnesota. True v. Older et al.No. 34682.Nov. 19, 1948. Action by Helen J. True, special administratix of the estate of Ilene Eagen, deceased, against Raymond Older and another for wrongful death
• "Abortionist Gets Suspended Sentence," Huron (SD) Daily Plainsman, May 25, 1947
• "Pleads Guilty to Abortion Charge," Algonal Upper Des Moines, July 5, 1947

On March 24, 1915, 31-year-old Frances Kulczyk died at her Chicago home from an abortion performed by an unknown perpetrator. Most Chicago abortions of that era were perpetrated by either doctors or midwives.

Frances, who kept house and worked as a scrub woman, was the widow of Walter Kulzyk,who had worked as a molder in a foundry. With Frances' death, the three children, all under the age of 10, were left orphans.

Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good.

In fact, due to improvements in addressing these problems, maternal mortality in general (and abortion mortality with it) fell dramatically in the 20th Century, decades before Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion across America.

For more information about early 20th Century abortion mortality, see Abortion Deaths 1910-1919.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion


Sources:

• Homicide in Chicago Interactive Database
• Cook county death index
• "Just Five Month's Abortion Toll," Chicago Daily Tribune, May 29, 1915

Summary: Ida Alice Bloom, age 28, died March 24, 1905 after an abortion perpetrated in Chicago by Dr. Julius Goltz.

On March 24, 1905, 28-year-old Ida Alice Bloom, a Swedish immigrant working as a domestic servant, died suddenly in Chicago from septic peritonitis caused by an apparent criminal abortion perpetrated on or about March 15.

Dr. Julius N. Goltz as arrested as a principal, and James McDonald as an accessory. Both men were held without bail by a coroner's jury.

Alice's abortion was typical of pre-legalization abortions in that it was performed by a physician.

During the first two thirds of the 20th Century, while abortion was still illegal, there was a massive drop in maternal mortality, including mortality from abortion. Most researches attribute this plunge to improvements in public health and hygiene, the development of blood transfusion techniques, and the introduction of antibiotics. Learn more here.

Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion.

Sources: 

SUMMARY: Dora Swan, age 24, died on March 23, 1907 in Chicago after an abortion believed to have been perpetrated by Dr. Louise Achtenberg.

In March of 1907, Dora Swan, the 24-year-old wife of railroad worker W. H. Swan, was living with her mother, Mrs. Phillip de Bre, on Marshfield Avenue in Chicago. She had only been married to her husband for a couple of weeks.

Dora told police that on March 16, she had undergone an abortion at the hands of a woman whose name she had forgotten. Dora named the area near the intersection of Dearborn Street and 44th street. Louise Achtenberg, identified as a midwife in news coverage, was located at 4346 Dearborn.

Her family called the family physician, Dr. C. S. Friend to attend to Dora while she was ill. He had her admitted to Englewood Union Hospital in Chicago to be treated. Dora died from post-abortion infection on March 23.

Actenberg, whose profession is listed as doctor, midwife, or unlisted at the Homicide in Chicago Interactive Database, was held responsible by the coroner, but there is no record that charges were filed.

Achtenberg, most likely a doctor identified as a midwife due to her obstetric work, went on to be implicated in the 1909 abortion deaths of Stella Kelly and Florence Wright. She was also implicated in the 1921 abortion death of Violet McCormick. Later, in 1924, it was Dr. Louise Achtenberg who was held responsible for the death of Madelyn Anderson. In spite of all of these deaths, I can find no record that Achtenberg was ever incarcerated.

Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see Abortion Deaths 1900-1909.

For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

Sources:

• Homicide in Chicago Interactive Database
• Death certificate
• "Midwife Is Under Arrest," Chicago Tribune, March 25, 1907
• "Woman Dies; Coroner Called," Chicago Inter-Ocean, March 25, 1907
• "Investigates Death of Fraud," Chicago Daily Tribune, March 26, 1907

 Summary: Mary Noble, age 38, died from a botched abortion on March 19, 1867

Grok AI illustration

Mary Noble, age 38, lay dying at her home at No. 54 Dominick Street in New York's 28th Precinct on March 23, 1867.  A police superintendent telegraphed coroner John Wildey to notify him so that he could hurry to the home and get a deathbed statement. Sadly, Wildey arrived to learn that Mary had died at 2:20 p.m. The chance to get a statement was passed.

The coroner spoke to the witnesses and learned that Mrs. Noble, a native of New Jersey, had been living at the home with George Wait Carson and her son, Wallace, who was about 18 years old.

While a physician performed an autopsy, the police arrested Carson. He told them that he had known Mary for about three years, first meeting her at

her home in Jersey City. He moved in with Mary and her two children. When Ayers had returned from the war, Carson had moved out, but after a few months Ayers and Mary were unable to reconcile so Ayers moved out and Carson moved back in.

When Mary got pregnant, she and Carson had moved to the home on Dominick Street with her son, Wallace, who was about 18 years old. Carson said that the move had been to hide the pregnancy and arrange an abortion. 

Some time in February, about two weeks after the trio had settled in, Mary told Carson that she had been to a "Dr. Dubois," whose wife arranged an abortion for a $25 fee, (about $450 in 2021) with the first $10 paid in advance. 

Two or three days later Mary kept her appointment with "Dr. Dubois," who made an abortion attempt, done by attaching a battery to her body with leads and using some sort of instrument internally. When this failed to have its desired effect, Mary returned to "Dr. Dubois." A second attempt was made using some sort of internal injection of water. 

On February 21, Mary was suffering chills. Carson said that he fetched the doctor, who looked in on her for about five minutes.

On February 24, Mary expelled the fetus, which Carson put in a jar. He kept the fetus for about a week before he "boxed it up and threw it in the water-closet."

Mary had chest pain on the 29th. Carson again went looking for the doctor, but couldn't find him. He left a note indicating that Mrs. Noble needed him.