The Lewis/Van Guilder Case, Part 2

The very day after Charity Lewis's death on August 25, 1883, the newspapers were full of her secrets. In the New York Times, and in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, all was told: the troubles that led her to Dr. Doty and Mrs. Furlong, the name of the man responsible, the agony in which she died. And from this point on, events moved quickly.

Captain Dunn of Brooklyn's 9th Sub-Precinct arrested Mrs. Furlong, and Elias Clayton arrested Dr. Doty. Dr. Doty said that he had only given Charity cold medicine and that he had not sent her to Mrs. Furlong. He had known her for 15 years. She was related to him. But that was all. Mrs. Furlong said that yes, she had performed a certain operation, but she had done this hundreds of times. Charity had died of "blood poisoning,” she said.

Matilda Hawthorne was also arrested, as an accomplice to Mrs. Furlong. Her bail was set at $2000. Her sister, Rebecca Clayton was in a panic - "enraged," the papers said. She ordered Elias to go to George C. Bennett, the ex-Brooklyn Works Commissioner, for help. Why Mr. Bennett? Elias wanted to know. Because (replied Rebecca) his son was the cause of all the trouble! Not only was Wally the cause of Charity's initial problem, but he sent her to Dr. Doty, too. (Walter Bennett testified later that he didn't want Charity to do anything, but she insisted, so he gave her Doty's name.)

The original death certificate was made out in the name of Charity Van Guilder. Her brother-in-law from Hoboken, Charles Gove, informed the Coroner that the young lady's true name was Charity Lewis. he said that Van Guilder was the name of Charity's mother's first husband [see Genealogical Note below].

On August 26th the inquest was held at 841 Monroe Avenue, the Clayton residence. Several doctors were on the jury but no one thought to invite them to witness Dr. Joseph Creamer perform the autopsy. The doctor-jurors were very angry and it took some time to placate them. Creamer concluded that the cause of death was peritonitis; the doctors who cared for Charity in the week before her death, Drs. Samuel Childs and Nelson Sizer, agreed with this. Dr. Childs said that she died of "metro peritonitis" caused by "suspected malpractice."

Peritonitis is the medical term for inflammation of the peritoneum (the lining of he abdominal cavity); metro peritonitis refers to the inflammation of the lining of the uterus. Both conditions (the terms were sometimes used interchangeably at this time) were associated with puerperal (childbed) fever and oter complications of childbirth.

The Coroner's inquest was held on the evening of August 28th, in Justice Massey's court-room. Dr. Doty, Matilda, Walter and Mrs. Furlong were there as prisoners. None of them testified.

Dr. Sizer and Dr. Childs testified that Doty gave Charity "a liquid...believed to be the strongest agent used in such cases." The police had found the bottle at the Claytons, from Levi Sheets' pharmacy. This pharmacy was literally a stone's throw from Dr. Doty's office, at 504 Myrtle Avenue (at Ryerson - Doty's office was at 130 Ryerson, a few steps north of Myrtle). The bottle is dated July 30, 1883. The prescription was also found, calling for 2 ounces of cotton root, and was signed by Dr. Doty.

Dr. Nelson Sizer and Dr. Arthur Jarrett told the Coroner's jury about another woman who had gone to Mrs. Furlong; she was alive but her life and health were in ruins: "her life is completely wretched." Mrs. Furlong said that she had performed this operation for the women in some of Brooklyn's wealthiest and most prominent families, and that "a great many people in Brooklyn [are] indebted to me for preventing them exposure." She had never had any trouble before this, she said.

The Coroner's jury ruled that Charlotte Furlong was guilty of manslaughter and responsible for Charity's death through malpractice. Matilda Hawthorne, Walter Bennett, and Dr. Doty were released at once. Mrs. Furlong was transferred to the notorious Raymond Street Jail.

On September 18th, Elias P. Clayton was charged with violating departmental rules which require a police officer to report suspicious illnesses and deaths. He managed to prove that he had been kept in the dark by the women in his household. The charges were dropped.

In October 1883, Judge Moore and a jury at the Brooklyn Court of Sessions found Charlotte Furlong guilty of manslaughter. The witnesses from the inquest testified again: Matilda, Dr. Creamer, Dr. Childs, Dr. Sizer. Dr. Doty and Walter Bennett do not seem to have attended the trial.

Charlotte Furlong was sentenced on November 2, 1883 to six years in the penitentiary. This was most likely the one at Blackwell's Island, which is pictured here (and worth a post of its own at a later date). She said that she was innocent: Charity lived for 2 weeks after the operation, and therefore "[she] did not think [she] injured her."

Jack Finney, in his wonderful book Forgotten News, says that he liked to know what happened to people after the newspapers were done with their stories. I do, too, always. I have tried to find out what happened to the survivors of this tragic story, as follows:

Matilda Hawthorne married Albert H. Anderson in Brooklyn on January 18, 1897 when she was 38 years old. I have not located her precisely in the 1900 census.

Elias and Rebecca (Hawthorne) Clayton moved to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn by 1900. Elias was still a police officer. They had three sons who were all small children during the terrible summer of 1883. All three were living with their parents in 1900.

Charlotte R. Furlong died sometime before 1900. Her eldest son, William E. Furlong, was married and living in his mother's birthplace, Brookhaven, Suffolk County (on Long Island) in 1900. He named one of his daughters Charlotte R. Furlong in honor of his mother.

Walter Bennett was 40 years old and single in 1900, living with his mother Sarah and brother Charles at 1090 Gates Avenue, Brooklyn. He was a lawyer and Charles was "Secretary to US Senate," according to the census.

Dr. Stephen Doty died in 1898. His widow Catharine, age 60, and several of their children were still living at 130 Ryerson Avenue in 1900.

Charles and Mary Gove, Charity's Hoboken family, were still living there in 1900. Charles was 53 and still a railroad ticket agent. Mary was 46. They had four daughters ranging in age from 20 to 5.

[Genealogical Note: Charity was the daughter of James and Mary Lewis of Hoboken, New Jersey. By 1860 they had 10 children raging in age from 2 to 23. According to the 1860 census, and Mary (Lewis) Gove's 1900 census record, James was born in the Netherlands. It is possible that his original surname was Van Guilder. Charity probably used the alias in order to maintain secrecy. There had been a Van Guilder/Van Gilder family in New Jersey since the late 17th century, however.]

Images both from NYPL Digital Gallery, of a Greenwood monument and of the Penitentiary at Blackwell's Island.

SOURCES

From the New York Times:

"Charity Van Guilder's Death," Aug. 26, 1883, p. 2.
"The Victim of Malpractice," Aug. 27, 1883, p. 8.
"Mrs. Furlongh's Crime," Aug. 29, 1883, p. 5.

From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

"Police," Apr. 19, 1860, p. 2.
"Court of Sessions," May 16, 1860, p. 2.
"County Court," Jun. 4, 1860, p. 2.
"The Sad End of a Girl," Aug. 23, 1883, p. 1.
"A Cruel Fate," Aug. 25, 1883, p. 4.
"Divulged," Aug. 27, 1883, p. 4.
"Nettled," Aug. 27, 1883, p. 2.
"A Scape Goat," Aug. 28, 1883, p. 4.
"Set Free," Aug. 29, 1883,
"The Death of Charity Lewis," Sept. 13, 1883, p. 2.
"The Trials of Delinquent Policemen," Sept. 18, 1883, p.4.
"Events in Brooklyn," Sept. 30, 1883, p. 7.
"Found Guilty," Oct. 25, 1883, p. 6.
"Six Years: The Sentencing of Mrs. Furlong," Nov. 2, 1883, p. 4.

Census Records:


1850 US Census, Roxana Furlong household, New York City Ward 13, New York, NY; p. 465, #975/2899, Roll M432_550.

1860 US Census, James Lewis household, Jersey City Ward 2, Hudson, NJ; p. 977, #704/1007, Roll M653_693.

1860 US Census, Charlotte Furlong household, New York City Ward 13 District 1, New York, NY; p. 691, #36/135, Roll M563_803.

1870 US Census, Charlotte Furlong household, Brooklyn Ward 20, Kings, NY; p. 65, #309/577, Roll M593_960.

1870 US Census, Emily Shimer household, Jersey City Ward 5, Hudson, NJ; p. 374, #436/651, Roll M593_866 [Charity Lewis, 16y, b NY, Works in Glass Works, boarding here].

1880 US Census, Charles H. Gove household, Hoboken Ward 1 District 1, Hudson, NJ; FHL # 1254786, T9-0786. [Charity Lewis, SIL, 24y, b NJ, parents b NY, works at Bank Note Co.]

1880 US Census, Charlott[e] R. Furlong household, Brooklyn, Kings, NY; p. 369A, FHL #1254854, T9-0854.

1880 US Census, George C. Bennett household, Brooklyn Ward 18, Kings, NY; p. 231A, FHL #1254852, T9-0852 [Walter Bennett, 21y, b NY, Bookkeeper]

1900 US Census, Charles H. Gove household, Hoboken Ward 5, Hudson, NJ; ED 46, p. 34B, #234/746, Roll T623_974.

1900 US Census, Catharine Doty household, Brooklyn, Kings, NY; ED 0069, p. 11B, #130/248, GSU Film #1241046. [Still at 130 Ryerson; Stephen died in 1898].

1900 US Census, Elias P. Clayton household, Brooklyn Ward 30, Kings, NY; p. 15B, #228/290, Ref. # 66, GSU Film #1241069.

1900 US Census, Sarah A. Bennett household, Brooklyn Ward 28, Kings, NY; p. 6B, #74/125, Ref. #66, GSU #1241067.

Other Resources

Italian Genealogy Group - Brides' and Grooms' Indices for New York City [for marriage of Matilda Hawthorne]

International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch [for marriage of Stephen and Catharine (McGuery/McGee) Doty]