COUNTRYSIDE YARNS
Tall Tale or Truth? You Decide!
The Sparling Murders, Part 4
by Janis Stein

Join in the continuation as jury selection begins for the trial of Dr. Robert A. MacGregor who faces a murder charge for the death of Scyrel Sparling. Though circumstantial evidence would be allowed for consideration regarding the death of Albert Sparling, testimony would not be admitted (yet) for the deaths of John Wesley Sparling and Peter Sparling. Will the good doctor be found guilty? Just what did go on in Ubly during the early 1900s?

On January 12, 1912, Dr. Robert A. MacGregor was charged with the murder of Scyrel Sparling.

In Huron County, officials ordered Albert Sparling’s body exhumed and his organs sent for analysis - the results: arsenical poisoning. In Sanilac County, shovels dug into the Sparling plot in the Tyre Cemetery. The bodies of John Wesley and Peter Sparling required further inspection. Portions of their organs were shipped off for testing, too. John Wesley and Peter had been poisoned with strychnine.

** The Trial **

On April 2, 1912, Bad Axe flooded with locals, visitors and reporters, all hoping to witness Huron County’s trial of the century. Anticipation for great crowds combined with a dilapidated courthouse building prompted officials to move the trial to the second floor of the building housing The Huron County Tribune.

Jury selection began. This alone proved a cumbersome process, for everyone in the county, it seemed, had heard of the Sparling case and either adamantly defended the reputation of Dr. MacGregor or were ready to see him hanged. Two full weeks passed before 12 men, who had not formed an opinion, were selected.

Prosecuter Xenophon Boomhower prepared his case and, while all of his evidence was circumstantial – after all, no eyewitnesses could attest to seeing Dr. MacGregor poison any of the Sparling’s – the young prosecutor with a promising career weaved the evidence string by string. Attorney E.A. Snow of Saginaw acted as special counsel, assisting Prosecuter Boomhower in the case.

Meanwhile, attorney for the defense, George M. Clark, prepared for the trial that would make his career, with Paul Woodworth, a prominent local attorney at the ready to assist. The defendant, Dr. MacGregor, pronounced his plea of “not guilty.” The defense ran into problems early on when in mid-April Mr. Clark could no longer function: He had been stricken with typhoid fever. The trial was adjourned for a week, while a new Defense Attorney, Joseph Walsh of Port Huron, stepped up to fill Clark’s vacancy.

Judge Watson Beach presided. He informed the court that Dr. MacGregor was being tried solely for the death of Scyrel Sparling, though circumstantial evidence regarding Albert could be taken into consideration. Testimony regarding the deaths of John Wesley and Peter Sparling would not be admitted at this point. The jurymen would be residing at the Steadman Hotel during the course of the trial. No contact with members outside of the jury would be permitted.

Defense Attorney Walsh reminded the jury they would first need to decide if Scyrel Sparling died of arsenical poisoning and, secondly, the decision would need to be made whether Dr. MacGregor had been involved. It was not the duty of the defense to prove his client was innocent. It was the duty of the people, though, to prove these points beyond a reasonable doubt.

Link by link, the prosecuting team created a chain against the defense. Dr. Conboy testified that Dr. MacGregor had placed the blame directly on Carrie Sparling. Dr. Holdship testified he, in fact, did perform Scyrel’s autopsy, but it had been under the guiding hand of Dr. MacGregor. Furthermore, Dr. Holdship testified that Dr. MacGregor had specifically told him not to cut open Scyrel’s stomach during the post-mortem, while Dr. MacGregor not 24 hours later had told the prosecutor MacGregor himself had slit open the stomach. Another link in the chain.

Annie Pieruski, the domestic hired to help Mrs. Sparling in the home, testified to the many visits by Dr. MacGregor. It wasn’t uncommon for Dr. MacGregor and Mrs. Sparling to go behind a locked bedroom door to conduct their 30-minute business. Oddly enough, on the rare occasions when Mrs. MacGregor accompanied her husband to the Sparling farm, the doctor had no need to go into the bedroom with Mrs. Sparling.

Henry Bacon took the stand on behalf of the defense. He worked as a farm hand under the guidance of John Wesley, back when he’d been alive. Bacon claimed he, too, saw Dr. MacGregor and Mrs. Sparling go into the bedroom together a week before John Wesley died. Dr. MacGregor locked the door behind him and the pair remained in the bedroom for a period of 20 minutes.

The combined testimony of Pieruski and Bacon, no doubt, caused more tongues in Ubly to wag.

The most compelling testimony in the circumstantial chain of evidence came in the form of Assistant Professor of Hygiene, Richard Pryor, and Professor of Pathology, Alfred Scott Warthin, the University of Michigan pathologists who analyzed Scyrel’s organs. The level of arsenic found could not be explained away by the consumption of patent tonics. In their combined expert opinion, Scyrel Sparling had been poisoned.

A good number of people came in support of Dr. MacGregor. His father attended court each day it was in session, and Carrie Sparling, too, who had also been charged in the conspiracy, still believed in the goodness of her family doctor. Carrie Sparling stated she sprayed plants with arsenic, explaining the box of poison found in her house. The doctor was not responsible for her loved one’s deaths.

Ray Sparling, Carrie’s last surviving son, defended the good doctor, stating the brothers changing the representative to Carrie Sparling on each of their life insurance policies had been their own idea – to ensure their mother would be properly cared for in the event that they passed away before she did. When Prosecutor Boomhower asked the surly young man how many times Dr. MacGregor frequented the Sparling farm, he smartly stated, “more than a half-dozen and less than 3,000.”

The doctor’s wife, Ida MacGregor, took the stand on behalf of the defense and proved to be a valuable witness, testifying with righteous honesty. Though she couldn’t change the facts, Ida MacGregor did testify to the relationship in question between the Sparling’s and the MacGregor’s. The families exchanged Christmas gifts and took turns entertaining in each other’s homes. The Sparling boys made themselves at home when visiting the MacGregor’s, and Ida helped Carrie in any way she could during the Sparling’s harvest season. If anything improper had been going on between Dr. MacGregor and Mrs. Sparling, it became evident to the jury that Ida MacGregor had been clueless.

When Dr. MacGregor took the stand, he faced a grueling five days of questioning with an answer for everything, though his statements directly contradicted the testimony of Drs. Conboy, Herrington and Holdship as well as the county coroner and the sheriff.

Dr. MacGregor explained that Mrs. Sparling’s eye ailments required multiple visits to the farm. The endorsement by Mrs. Sparling on Albert’s insurance proceeds merely paid off the Sparling debt owed to the doctor. All eyes in the court were on his wife, Ida, when the doctor testified nothing improper had been going on between him and Mrs. Sparling. Ida, noticeably relieved, sat a little straighter.

If only Carrie Sparling hadn’t had such a baffling eye ailment.

The jury sat with rapt attention when Prosecutor Boomhower called Nick Prezinski to the stand. Prezinski, a neighbor, testified the bottle Dr. MacGregor drew drops from to administer to Carrie Sparling’s eyes contained atropin. The drug dilated the pupils and could cause temporary blindness. Had Dr. MacGregor purposely impaired the vision of Mrs. Sparling’s eyes?

In all, over 100 witnesses on behalf of either side took the stand to tell their story. Jury selection had begun on April 2, with testimony given between May 1 and June 6. On June 6, 1912, the opposing attorneys completed their closing arguments. It was 6 p.m., and the case was now in the hands of the jury. At that point, the Sparling murder trial had been the longest criminal case in the state of Michigan.

Midnight came and went as the jurors deliberated. At 12:15 Thursday morning, the jury sent word to the judge; they had arrived at a unanimous vote.

Be sure to look for the continuation next month as I describe the aftermath of the trial.

Have a yarn you’d like to share? We’d be happy to spin it. You may write to Janis in care of The Lakeshore Guardian, P.O. Box 6, Harbor Beach, MI 48441, or give us a call at 989-479-3448 to share your story.

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