COUNTRYSIDE YARNS
Tall Tale Or Truth? You Decide!
The Sparling Murders, Part 1

Small town life in Michigan proved to be quiet for most good Christians in Michigan’s Thumb. Or at least it was until Dr. Robert A. MacGregor established his practice in the Ubly area in 1905. Following is a tale both bizarre and intriguing and, before the final word in this yarn is read, it’s likely you’ll be scratching your head just as some folks in Ubly still are.

Most folks knew Ubly to be a sleepy little hamlet nestled in Michigan’s Thumb and it was for the most part, that is, until Dr. Robert A. MacGregor rolled into town in 1905, purchasing the practice of Dr. Wesley A. Griffen. Doc McGregor haled from London, Ontario, where he was born and raised, and never did the community see a doctor more able.

Doc MacGregor’s handsome, athletic build and tall stature caused more than one housewife to blush during an examination. All of Dr. MacGregor’s exams were very thorough, but his confident bedside manner reassured many an ailing patient. The good doctor treated everything from ringworm to rickets in the small farming community, developing a reputation of a man of good character and enjoying the elite status of physician.

Dr. MacGregor played the role of country doctor well, never badgering his patients about overdue bills and accepting in kind the occasional bartered chicken. Well liked, Dr. MacGregor traveled within all the societal classes, sipping a cold drink with the boys at the local pool hall one day and delivering Ubly’s newest baby the next.

Some still wonder if the ensuing scandal would have come to light had Mrs. Carrie Sparling not developed a problematic eye affliction in January of 1909. Traveling by horse and carriage, Carrie Sparling made the hour-long trek to Ubly to seek the help of Dr. MacGregor.

Though only her eyes were ailing her, the doctor examined her completely, as was his nature. Dr. MacGregor proclaimed Mrs. Sparling’s trouble was not serious, though he did put in eye drops before she left for home. Ever the caretaker, the doctor called to her as she left that he would drop by the farm in a week or so to take a second look.

True to his word, barely a week had passed when Dr. MacGregor hitched his horse and headed southward over the Huron County line en route to the Sparling family dairy farm located in Austin Township, Sanilac County. John Wesley Sparling greeted him upon his arrival, the doctor indicating he had come to look after Mrs. Sparling troubling eyes.

After a thorough examination behind a closed bedroom door, Dr. MacGregor administered more eye drops and bid Mrs. Sparling a good day. As he climbed in his buggy, Mr. Sparling caught up with him, inquiring after his wife. Not quite sure of the cause or the solution, the doctor said he would gladly stop by every time he traveled the neighborhood. As it turned out, the doctor just happened to be traveling in Sparling territory a good deal over the next several months, or so the neighbors said.

John Wesley Sparling and his wife, Carrie, reared five children, four boys and a girl. A righteous man, John Wesley frowned upon alcohol and tobacco, and ensured his family observed the Sabbath, crowding the whole family into the buggy to attend the Sunday church service in Ubly. At the age of 53, John Wesley’s long black beard and blue eyes commanded attention.

Eating Sunday dinner at the Sparling home proved a treat to any who passed through their door. More and more, that someone proved to be Dr. MacGregor. Carrie Sparling spared nothing; she dressed her table with mounds of mashed potatoes, a small roasted pig, an abundance of vegetables, loaf after loaf of homemade bread and such a spread of pies some thought they’d attended the county fair. To wash it all down, the boys drank milk by the gallon.

Daughter May had since married and moved away, and the Sparling boys really weren’t boys at all. Peter, the oldest at 25, and Albert, aged 23, proved their worthiness on the farm as did Ray, 21, and Scyrel, 19. No stranger to work, like John, the boys toiled in the fields all day. So great was their energy at night, the Sparling sons retreated to the barn where they converted a portion into a makeshift gymnasium. Lifting weights, doing chin-ups and working on the exercise rings burned up some of their energy. Physically fit, the boys never tired. When John’s presence was missing, some said the boys enjoyed several swigs of drugstore tonics, which contained a high percentage of alcohol.

As spring gave way to the warmer days of June, John Wesley worked hard making hay. Strong as an ox and healthy as his sons, John Wesley at first tried to ignore his rebellious stomach. He had never quit work mid-day, but that’s exactly what John Wesley did this day, clutching his stomach as he made his way to the house.

Peter rode atop his horse to Ubly to fetch Dr. MacGregor, prodding the beast along at breakneck speeds. Morning and night, the physician dutifully ministered to John Wesley, who couldn’t keep an ounce of food in his stomach. The doctor diagnosed him with Bright’s disease, a fatal kidney ailment. John Wesley needed more care than the doctor could provide, so Dr. MacGregor made arrangements for John Wesley to seek treatment in an Ontario hospital.

John Wesley died a few days later on July 8, 1909. Well liked by all, the whole community traveled to the Tyre Cemetery, where John Wesley was laid to rest next to an infant son who had died in January of 1894.

John Wesley had an uncle named John. Uncle John worked as a veterinarian, was a well-known auctioneer and had previously served as a state senator. Uncle John could be a bit loud and, at the graveside of his beloved nephew, he spouted that somehow things didn’t quite add up. John Wesley lived a good life and was as strong and active as ever a man in Ubly was. It plain didn’t make sense. Unfortunately, Uncle John was a bit outspoken more often than not and folks sort of got in the habit of tuning him out. No one paid any mind to Uncle John’s ramblings at all.

Carrie Sparling mourned the death of John Wesley for he had been a good, strong man. She felt fortunate to have four healthy sons; the many labors involved in the farming operation fell into their capable hands.

Dr. MacGregor contributed to the Sparling household, too, consulting and guiding Carrie in pertinent decisions, for the widow had little skill in handling the family finances. Mrs. Sparling’s eyes, too, required him to make numerous trips out to the Sparling farm, her eyes never improving but getting no worse either – as far as the neighbors could see. As the ever faithful doctor spent more and more time with Carrie, tongues in Ubly began to wag.

The doctor advised Mrs. Sparling to consider buying insurance for each of the boys. Without question, Carrie agreed, for she had come to depend on Dr. MacGregor for his stellar advice. The boys, though, didn’t think insurance was necessary for they were known far and wide for their athleticism. So, too, the doctor reminded, had John Wesley been.

Residing in Canada, Alexander MacGregor, the doctor’s father, sold life insurance policies through the Sun Life Association, and he was more than happy to accommodate the Sparling tribe. Dr. MacGregor examined each of the boys in his meticulous way, proclaiming a clean bill of health for all. To his credit, Alexander MacGregor indicated each should appoint a separate personal representative; perhaps because they were bachelors the suggestion was nixed – Carrie Sparling was named the sole beneficiary on all four policies.

When Dr. MacGregor wasn’t busy tending to his patients, he and his wife, Ida, who he’d married in Nebraska before coming to Ubly, enjoyed visiting and playing cards with their good friends, Mr. Xenophon A. Boomhower and his wife. Xen, a young attorney working in Bad Axe, proved to be an able prosecutor with a promising career ahead. After sharing a delightful dinner, the men often retired to the sitting room to discuss their work.

This night, Xen asked after the Sparling family, and the doctor confided his concerns about Peter. At 25, Peter stood six feet tall and weighed 200 pounds. Peter worked like a horse, but he had slowed down a bit as of late. No longer did he throw 100-pound feed bags around with ease, and his brothers noted Peter no longer exercised in the barn at night with his usual fervor. Before the ladies joined them for dessert, the good doctor whispered to Xen he suspected Peter had acute pancreatitis.

In two months time, Peter’s conditioned worsened. Like his father, Peter had never quit work mid-day, but so sick was he, he stumbled into the house clutching his stomach, while another of the Sparling’s rode to fetch the doctor.

In a few short days, Peter joined his father in the Tyre Cemetery. The Sparling family plot was growing.

Folks in the neighborhood speculated just how two men, a father and son, no less - who had attained their strength by working hard and living clean, could have died within such a short span of time. To think the obvious was unthinkable.

Talk at Ubly’s General Store always seemed to come around to Doc MacGregor and Mrs. Sparling. Uncle John didn’t want to believe his ears, but he could see with his own eyes and that he couldn’t ignore. Life at the Sparling farm had run amuck. And he vowed to get to the bottom of it. Uncle John would not be silenced.

Be sure to look for the continuation next month as Carrie Sparling follows the advice of the good doctor, purchasing a new farm closer to Ubly – and his practice.

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