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by
Tom Conners
(Editors
note: This story appeared in the August 16, 1972 edition of the
Hyde Park Herald.) It refers to the 7 Jane members
arrested for performing illegal abortions earlier that year.)
A
Cook County criminal court judge has sent to the grand jury a
case involving seven women accused of operating an abortion service
in Hyde Park and South Shore.
Judge
John F. Hechinger ruled last week that the state's evidence warrants
a grand jury hearing on charges of conspiracy to commit abortion
against all seven defendants and on charges of abortion against
five of them.
At
the same time, Judge Hechinger dismissed charges of abortion that
had been made against two of the defendants. Susan G.; 21, 5342
Harper, and Judith P.; 29, 2216 N. Geneva.
The
other defendants are Martha S.; 30, 5213 Kenwood, Sheila S.; 22
5459 Hyde Park. Diane S.; 23, 820 Agatite, Abby G.; 27, 47 W.
59th and Madeleine S.; 30, 6933 Bennett.
Hechinger
made the rulings after a preliminary hearing in which testimony
was taken from two Chicago policemen and from two women who said
that they went to the defendants for abortions.
One
of the policemen, homicide investigator Harold Huffman testified
about a police stakeout that led to the arrest of six of the defendants
on May 3 at Shore Dr., where the abortions are alleged to have
been performed.
Huffman
said that on May 3 he sat for several hours in an unmarked police
car in the 5500 block of South Everett after receiving a tip that
an abortion service was being run in a building on that block.
Huffman
testified that during his stakeout he saw numerous women enter
the apartment building at 553 Everett.
At
various intervals, Huffman, alleged, some of these women would
come out of the building, get in a car and drive to South Shore.
Huffman
said that he followed the women on three different trips from
Hyde Park to South Shore and finally identified the 72 South Shore
Dr. building as their destination. The identification of the South
Shore address was made with the help of another policeman who
was dressed in civilian clothes and was posing as a salesman in
South Shore.
Huffman
testified that gave a description of the car the women were riding
in the plainclothesman, who spotted the vehicle when arrived in
South Shore.
The
plainclothesman watched the elevator dial and determined that
the women had ridden the elevator to the eleventh floor, testimony
continued.
He
then summoned Huffman and other officers, who quickly went to
the eleventh floor.
Huffman
said that when they arrived at the floor, they met a woman who,
after being told that they were policemen, admitted that she had
just had an abortion in apartment IIF.
The
officers then went to that apartment. Huffman said there was a
group of women sitting around the apartment. All occupants of
the apartment were placed under arrest, including six of the defendants.
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