Dr. Carter not only was the town doctor, he was also the town coroner, although that was not his official title. He treated everyone in the "love rectangle" for syphilis and also performed the autopsy on Laura Foster. He apparently was the only doctor in town. And served the region for thirty-five years. He was a trustworthy man, as Ann proved when she apparently confessed to him a secret about Laura's murder that she did not share with anyone else. However, after Ann told him this secret, he protested Tom Dula's innocence from that day forward, although he never told anyone what she shared with him.
Dr. Carter testified that Laura's body had been found on its right side with her legs bent so she would fit. He also noted some question about the stab wound.
He treated the group for syphilis: Pauline on March 1, Tom in late March or early April, and Ann and Laura some time after that.

Sources:
West, John Foster. The Ballad of Tom Dula: The Documented Story Behind the Murder of Laura Foster and the Trials and Execution of Tom Dula. Durham, NC: Moore Publishing, 1970.
West, John Foster. Lift Up Your Head, Tom Dooley: The True Story of the Appalachian Murder That Inspired One of America's Most Popular Ballads. Asheboro, NC: Down Home Press, 1993.

Tom Dula - Ann Melton - Pauline Foster - James Melton
Dr. George N. Carter
Laura Foster - Colonel James M. Isbell - Zebulon B. Vance

The Story - Players - The Murder - Who Done It?