MAN CHLOROFORMS IMBECILE SON
Tragic Story Of Mercy Killing-
VAIN EFFORTS TO FIND CURE
Bv Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. (Received January 13, 8.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, January 13.
A mercy killing, with details of more than usual pathos and horror, was revealed by the arrest today of Louis Greenfield, aged 42, a prosperous millinery store owner, who, with his wife, had tenderly cared for their 17-year-old son, Jerry, who was physically normal but an incurable imbecile.
They spent a fortune in an ineffective effort to cure him, but, after years of treatment by leading brain specialists, the boy became progressively worse, one particularly distressful aspect of the illness being periodic attacks of paralysis, depriving him the use of his legs. Mr. Greenfield, after trying unsuccessfully for a long time to find a chemist who would sell him chloroform, at last succeeded in making a purchase several months ago and then waited to summon up sufficient courage to end his .son’s life. v.
He sent his wife away from home on a pretext today, and, when Jerry momentarily succumbed to a paralysis attack, put him fully clothed to bed, soaked a . handkerchief in chloroform and covered his son’s face.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19390114.2.56
Bibliographic details
Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 94, 14 January 1939, Page 9
Word Count
197MAN CHLOROFORMS IMBECILE SON Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 94, 14 January 1939, Page 9
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Dominion. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.