Dr. Linda Laura Burfield was born 18 Dec 1867 in CArver County, MN, to Montgomery Burfield (1828-1896) & Susannah Neill (1840-1921).
Inmate: #7113 Washington State Prison
Rec: 1913
Crime: Manslaughter
The Tacoma Times
Tacoma, Washington
Wed, Dec 24, 1913 · Page 8
The Tacoma Times
Tacoma, Washington
Wed, Dec 24, 1913 · Page 8
Star Tribune
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Thu, Dec 17, 1914 · Page 7
She had no medical degree, but was licensed to practice medicine in Washington through a loophole that grandfathered in some practitioners of alternative medicine without degrees. According to her book The Science of Fasting, she studied under Edward Hooker Dewey, M.D., a champion of fasting.
She created a "sanitarium", Wilderness Heights, in Olalla, Washington, where inpatients fasted for days, weeks, or months on a diet of small amounts of tomato and asparagus juice and occasionally a small teaspoon of orange juice. While some patients survived and publicly sang her praises, more than 40 patients died under her care. Hazzard claimed that they all died of undisclosed or hitherto undiagnosed illnesses such as cancer or cirrhosis of the liver. Her opponents claimed that they all died of starvation. Local residents referred to the place as "Starvation Heights". She assured people that her method was a panacea for all manner of ills, because she was able to rid the body of toxins that caused imbalances in the body.
In 1912, she was convicted of manslaughter for the death of Claire Williamson, a wealthy British woman, who weighed less than 50 pounds at the time of her death. At the trial it was proven that Hazzard had forged Williamson's will and stolen most of her valuables. Williamson's sister, Dorothea, also took the treatment, and, it is alleged, only survived because a family friend showed up in time to remove her from the compound. It is suggested that one of them managed to smuggle a telegram to alert the family; however, by the time of arrival, Claire had already died. Dorothea was too weak to leave on her own, weighing less than 60 pounds. She later testified against Hazzard at trial.
Hazzard was sentenced to 2 to 20 years in prison, which she served in the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. She was released on parole on December 26, 1915, after serving two years, and the following year Governor Ernest Lister gave her a full pardon.
The Princeton Union
Princeton, Minnesota
Thu, Dec 23, 1915 · Page 7
She was first married to Erwin Alonzo Perry (1853-1928) They married 17 Feb 1886. They divorced. They had 2 children.
Rollin Burfield Perry 1888-1939
Nina Floy Perry 1890-1973
Nina was a Botanist, I found so much interesting information on her. Her some of it.
Mrs. Kate E. Phelps, Alice Eastwood, J. T. Howell, Mrs. Nina Floy Bracelin, Mr. Lewis Rose, June 1941; Courtesy of California Academy of Sciences Archives
On March 28, 1910, Earl Edward Erdman, a City of Seattle Civil Engineer, died of starvation in the Seattle General Hospital. He had kept a diary which detailed Hazzard's treatment during the preceding weeks that provides an insight into the treatment Hazzard prescribed to her patients.[10] The following are excerpts from his diary:
February 1- Saw Dr. Hazzard and began treatment this date. No breakfast. Mashed soup dinner. Mashed soup supper.
February 5 through 7- One orange breakfast. Mashed soup dinner. Mashed soup supper.
February 8- One orange breakfast. Mashed soup dinner. Mashed soup supper.
February 9 through 11- One orange breakfast. Strained soup dinner. Strained soup supper.
February 12- One orange breakfast. One orange dinner. One orange supper.
February 13- Two orange breakfast. No dinner. No supper.
February 14- One cup of strained tomato broth at 6 p.m.
February 15- One cup hot strained tomato soup night and morning.
February 16- One cup hot strained tomato soup a.m. and p.m. Slept better last night. Head quite dizzy. Eyes yellow streaked and red.
February 17- Ate three oranges today.
February 19- Called on Dr. (Dawson) today at his home. Slept well Saturday night.
February 20- Ate strained juice of two small oranges at 10 a.m. Dizzy all day. Ate strained juice of two small oranges at 5 p.m.
February 21- Ate one cup settled and strained tomato broth. Backache today just below ribs.
February 22- Ate juice of two small oranges at 10 a.m. Backache today in right side just below ribs.
February 23- Slept but little last night. Ate two small oranges at 9 a.m. Went after milk and felt very bad. Ate two small oranges 6 p.m.
February 24- Slept better Wednesday night. Kind of frontal headache in a.m. Ate two small oranges 10 a.m. Ate one and a half cups hot tomato soup at 6 p.m. Heart hit up to ninety-five minute and sweat considerable.
February 25- Slept pretty well Thursday night. Ate one and a half cups tomato broth 11 a.m. Ate one and a half cups tomato broth 6 p.m. Pain in right below ribs.
February 26- Did not sleep so very well Friday night. Pain in right side just below ribs in back. Pain quit in night. Ate 1 and a half cups tomato broth at 10:45 a.m. Ate two and a half pump small oranges at 4:30 p.m. Felt better afternoon than for the last week....
This diet continued more or less unchanged until his hospitalization on March 28. He died that afternoon, just before his coworker was to transfuse blood.
She got methods from this book:
Here's a photo of the Doctor who wrote the book.
She was in and out of trouble throughout her life. Here are some newspaper clippings.
She married again to a Samuel Chrisman Hazzard (1869-1946) on 11 nov 1903 in Hennepin, MN.
He was as bad she was.
Samuel was in jail for bigamy but he was busy in West Virginia also here are some newspaper articles.
Believe it or not he was at West Point
So in 1916 they left America, moved to New Zealand, where she practiced as a dietitian and osteopath until 1920. In 1917 a Whanganui newspaper reported that she held a practicing certificate from the Medical Board of the state of Washington. Because she used the title Doctor she was charged in Auckland under the Medical Practitioners Act for practicing medicine while not registered to do so, found guilty and fined ₤5 plus costs (approximately NZ$600 plus costs or US$462.13 plus costs in 2014).
Below is there passport photo.
In 1920, she returned to Olalla, Washington, and opened a new sanitarium, known publicly as a "school of health" since her medical license had been revoked, and continued to supervise fasts until it burned to the ground in 1935; it was never rebuilt.
A newspaper article about her shenanigans in New Zealand.
In 1936 she was again in the papers:
The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington
08 May 1936, Fri • Page 3
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66174317/linda-hazzard/
Below are photos of Linda throughout her life. She was a very handsome women.
Linda Died 24 Jun 1938 in Olalla, WA
There are so many more newspaper articles and online stories of her crimes. She was no dummy, she was very smart, and she was not the only one practicing this type of starvation method, there were many of them.
Here's a wonderful video of her life and crimes, by the Brief Case. I watch to his Youtube videos often, love the accent...Enjoy and the next time your at the doctor's office read the certificates on the wall.
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