The Centralia Doctor Who Beat a Murder Charge, Then Died of the Fight

Centralia, April 18.—Special.—Dr. James D. Minkler died at his residence in this city Wednesday morning at 3 o'clock. Dr. Minkler was born in Berlin, Erie county, O., January 26, 1844. He received a common school education, and for a time attended Oberlin college. Removing to Iowa, he engaged in teaching school for a time in Linn county. Later he studied medicine at Indianapolis, Ind., and graduated from the Physico-Medical college of that city. He then went to Nebraska and practiced medicine in Jefferson county. While there he received an appointment as physician at the Skokomish Indian reservation, and came to Washington. Later he received an appointment as health and quarantine officer of the Puget Sound district, and resided at Port Townsend. After the admission of Washington he was appointed by Gov. Ferry as one of the state board of medical examiners, which led to a vigorous protest on the part of a large number of physicians of the regular school, and was the subject of considerable newspaper comment.

In the latter part Minkler was arrested, in company with Dr. U. A. Gille and Mrs. Catherine McCormick, charged with having caused the death of Alfred Wright, an old man 70 years of age, by the performance of a surgical operation and removal of part of the femur bone of the right hip. Gille was tried first and convicted, and is now serving a term at Walla Walla. Minkler was also tried and convicted. He was defended by James Hamilton Lewis, who succeeded in securing for him a new trial, and on the second trial Minkler was acquitted.

The strain on his nervous system caused by his arrest, imprisonment and trial, his physician thinks, brought on diabetes, and later gangrene resulted from a sore on one of his feet, which, combined, caused his death.

Minkler was at one time considered quite well-to-do, but his troubles and the depreciation in real estate left him in straitened circumstances. Through it all, however, he has managed to keep paid up the premium on a $3,000 life insurance policy. He leaves a widow and three children.