Delphine Walsh
Encyclopedia
Delphine Walsh was a Hollywood dancer who died at age 22 following an operation, likely an illegal abortion
. She succumbed in a Glendale, California
hospital two days after her surgery was performed on April 25, 1929.
Walsh was from Brewery Gulch in Bisbee, Arizona
. Her father was a copper
miner
there.
Walsh's given name was Delphine Dougherty. Walsh's parents were too poor to support her, and when she was six years of age
she was taken into the home of Mrs. Mae Walsh. The girl was given dancing lessons from the time she came to live with Mae Walsh. When she
came to Los Angeles, California
she was immediately popular with booking agencies and began to establish herself in the theatrical world.
Her demise led to a manhunt for two Los Angeles physicians by the Los Angeles Police Department
.
On her deathbed Walsh implicated Dr. R.S. Lanterman and Dr. P.S. Traxler.
The California
State Medical Examiners presided over the Walsh investigation. The doctors were implicated in a prior manslaughter
complaint and were free on $15,000 bond each.
Actresses Natalie Joyce
and Mildred Harris
were interviewed by authorities. Joyce offered valuable information but the nature of her
disclosure was kept confidential by Glendale officials. Harris confided that Walsh was a member of a troupe in which Harris played a leading part. However Harris did not know Walsh closely. Film director Mickey Moran was a key informant during the inquest
, and he was a state
witness in the subsequent trial.
Authorities revealed that Walsh received a letter from a man from Vancouver, British Columbia approximately one week before she died.
The letter contained a substantial sum of money which was believed to
have been used to fund the operation.
The physicians were represented by attorney Jerry Giesler
. Both contended that Walsh caused her own death by performing an operation on
herself before requesting their assistance. Traxler's medical license was
revoked by the California State Board of Medical Examiners on October 24, 1929. The medical board dismissed for lack of evidence the case against Lanterman. He was a former Los Angeles coroner
.
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. She succumbed in a Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
hospital two days after her surgery was performed on April 25, 1929.
Walsh was from Brewery Gulch in Bisbee, Arizona
Bisbee, Arizona
Bisbee is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, 82 miles southeast of Tucson. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 6,177...
. Her father was a copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
there.
Walsh's given name was Delphine Dougherty. Walsh's parents were too poor to support her, and when she was six years of age
she was taken into the home of Mrs. Mae Walsh. The girl was given dancing lessons from the time she came to live with Mae Walsh. When she
came to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
she was immediately popular with booking agencies and began to establish herself in the theatrical world.
Her demise led to a manhunt for two Los Angeles physicians by the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
.
On her deathbed Walsh implicated Dr. R.S. Lanterman and Dr. P.S. Traxler.
The California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
State Medical Examiners presided over the Walsh investigation. The doctors were implicated in a prior manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
complaint and were free on $15,000 bond each.
Actresses Natalie Joyce
Natalie Joyce
Natalie Joyce was an American movie actress from Norfolk, Virginia.Joyce began her motion picture career in a series of two-reel comedies produced by the Christie Film Company. She was named one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1925. In 1927 she co-starred with Tom Mix in The Circus Ace for Fox Pictures...
and Mildred Harris
Mildred Harris
Mildred Harris was an American film actress. Harris began her career in the film industry as a popular child actress at age eleven. At the age of fifteen, she was cast as a harem girl in D. W. Griffith's Intolerance . She appeared as a leading lady through the 1920s but her career slowed with...
were interviewed by authorities. Joyce offered valuable information but the nature of her
disclosure was kept confidential by Glendale officials. Harris confided that Walsh was a member of a troupe in which Harris played a leading part. However Harris did not know Walsh closely. Film director Mickey Moran was a key informant during the inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
, and he was a state
witness in the subsequent trial.
Authorities revealed that Walsh received a letter from a man from Vancouver, British Columbia approximately one week before she died.
The letter contained a substantial sum of money which was believed to
have been used to fund the operation.
The physicians were represented by attorney Jerry Giesler
Jerry Giesler
Jerry Giesler was an American criminal defense lawyer.For more than half a century, Jerry Giesler was a household name across the United States. He was the first president of the Criminal Courts Bar Association in Los Angeles.-Early career:Giesler was born in Iowa...
. Both contended that Walsh caused her own death by performing an operation on
herself before requesting their assistance. Traxler's medical license was
revoked by the California State Board of Medical Examiners on October 24, 1929. The medical board dismissed for lack of evidence the case against Lanterman. He was a former Los Angeles coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
.