A Doctor Returns to Jail After Bail Trouble
Dr. W. St. John Downey finds himself back in custody after his bondsman withdraws his support.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Dr. W. St. John Downey, held under $5000 bond upon the charge of performing a criminal operation upon Alice E. Cady, resulting in the death of her unborn child, was out of jail part of a day upon bail furnished by Thomas H. Clancy and A. L. Jaffe, but was returned to custody by the withdrawal of Jaffe, who announced that his father objected to his signing a bond for anybody. As soon as Mr. Jaffe notified Dr. Downey of his intention to withdraw, the physician voluntarily proceeded to the county jail and surrendered himself. An effort will be made to secure another surety on the bond, and it is believed by Dr. Downey’s attorney that he will have but little trouble in finding one. The case against Dr. Downey is said at the prosecuting attorney’s office to be peculiar in one particular: no such case is reported in the supreme court, and consequently there is no construction of the statute in this state.
“The case against Dr. Downey is said at the prosecuting attorney's office to be peculiar in one particular.”
This case highlights the legal precariousness surrounding reproductive rights at the turn of the century. While the terminology and specific statutes have evolved, the historical intersection of medicine, criminal law, and social morality remains a significant and recurring theme in Washington’s civic history.
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