Show r Life Story of Woman Doctor Accused of Murder Is Recounted for First Time by Her Daughter i r rii IL t J I I 4 I I EL Pictured in 1923 Dr Alee Alce L. L as she appears today Pictured in 1915 FOREWORD I hesitate to place before the public th the intimate stor story of my family which I have considered sacred But Dut so much has been written that is both bolh unfair and untrue since my mother was indicted for the murder of her law in in the operating room of her Chicago home in November that I have decided to accept this opportunity of telling the facts of my mothers mother's life lUe as they are Mother always has been a kindly and understanding person one to whom her children and friends could turn when In trouble and for those who have not had the privilege of knowing her as she really is I have attempted to picture her life Dr Catherine Lindsay Dr Alice Took Up Study of Medicine Medicine Medicine Medi Medi- cine as Young Girl Because of Repeated Illness During Youth By DR CATHERINE Copyright 1933 for The Telegram CHAPTER ONE my mother talks about her childhood it is to toW toY WHENEVER W Y tell of something that happened on her fathers father's farm The farm was near Onarga Ill HI and mother was born there February 1 1871 Grandfather was a well do farm farm- farmer er chiefly of Scotch extraction grandmother W was of Scotch and English En glish gUsh ancestry It was the ill health mother suffered suffered suf suf- suf- suf as a child that made her decide dedde decide de de- de- de cide to become a jM doctor As a little l girl irl she was a afflicted af much of the theT T time with malaria During the these s e eyears years she became so 50 anemic that she was forced to stay in bed for days at ata a time While other hildren children were at chool school or outdoors playing mot mother her learned to read Dr C. C G Grandmother ran d mot her would tell her the words and their meanings Because e of or her ill health mother did not go to school until she w was 9 years old She had an unusual knowledge knowl edge of reading but was unable to spell write or do number work Defied Cold on Dare A story I have ha heard her tell of that first winter at school is about the day a group of boys bos dared her to take off oft her shoes and stockings and walk barefooted along the rails between between be- be tween the hitching posts surrounding the school yard It was bitter cold but undaunted mother stripped off her shoes and stockings and successfully ully walked on the Icy rails Because she was ill so much my mothers mother's attendance at school was very Irregular until she was 14 Then she entered the Grand Prairie seminary seminary semi semi- nary and commercial college at Onarga Onar ga as a special student Four years later at graduation she represented her class in the thc commencement commencement com corn exercises and delivered an address In German Enjoyed Life to Utmost The summer mother was 15 grandmother grandmother grand grand- mother found it necessary ary to be away for or several weeks taking care of a ack asick asick sick ck relative It was during harvest time une and mother was left with the entire responsibility of the household She he managed It all nIl too too too-as as well vell as taking care of her year old broth brother r In spite of all this mother had a I good time No party was complete unless Alice was there She was a beautiful slim girl with auburn hair and nd she had a happy disposition and remarkable enthusiasm Pr life li The spring of her senior year ear at the seminary mother was very ill with a ruptured appendix and peritonitis It i was as during this sickness which came near car to costing her life that she made up her mind to become a doctor if her life liCe were spared She was wa 18 years old then She would have begun studying medicine medicines as s soon as she was graduated from the seminary but her father objected He said aid her health would not stand the strain rain This could not stop mother She bought ought a fine line set of books on anatomy which she still has and pored over them every evening Works for Education Some Sometimes imes when something In the books x was not clear to her she would get et help from the family physician n. n Until she was 21 mother respected grandfathers grandfather's decision about her studying medicine Then she came carne cameo cameto to o Chicago and enrolled in Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern North North- western university women's medical medica school chool She was obliged to work because her father still was flatly opposed to her effort to become a doctor In spite of this discouragement mother was graduated with honors in 1895 She was given a post past as instructor at t the university and continued to teach each there until she developed tuber tuber- To overcome this she was sent ent to Denver It was during her senior year car at Northwestern that one day mother was vas sent to obtain some embryology slides lides The slides had been en prepared by Frank Eldridge who also was working his way through medical school chool That day my ray mother and father met metor for Cor or the first time |