Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-02-21
For tie Tindi.cnfar


Messrs. Editors My attention was call
ed few days since to communication in
your paper of the 4th inst over the sigma
ture Of b. +. Kibler / hope, Mcssrs Ed
itors, that you, as well as all other right
thinking and intelligent persons in the com
munity, will excuse me for giving my at
tention at all to this bundle OF consumnlate
nonsense and bombast.
The negro woman on whose dead body
the learned Doctor has been making his i'm
portant anatomical investigations was, in
part, my property She died some 6 or 7
weeks ago, and was decently buried. -
The uncle Of the nephew informed his
very promising kinsman Of Spring Hill of
her demise. Immediately on the receipt of
this information, Dr. b. +. KILLER, as |
have been creaibly informed. in company
with two able bodied men Of the village,
started off to the county of Page, where the
negro woman died procured the dead body,
and brought ii to the vicinity of Spring Hill.
The bold and reckless manner in which he
procured the corpse, and the nncivil as well
as unprofessional way in which he conduct
ed the post morton examination, must be
revolving to every moral and intelligent
memoer OF the COMMUNICATIVE and recb-
less, because 1t was q wanton violation Of
sepulture and direct infringement Of law; ,
unclvl as well as uuprofessional because
The examination Of the dead body was car
ried on i'll open day, and in manner 50
public that all who felt the least promptings
OF curiosity or amusement were permitted
to call and see.
The Doctor, by way of iustifying his
course, says, that his uncle solicited him to
Institute an autopsia and report to him the
pathological LESSONS of the ease-ethat he
felt it his duty as web as province to satisfy
the demand, and that he sought u solitary
and secluded spot, &c. Now any one would
infer from DIR. KILLERS card, that his uncle
was a physician. Not So The uncle allal-
ed to is an humble farmer; plain and hon
est, but very illitcrate man Now, in the
name of common sense, what would such n
man care or know about autopsia, and path
illogical LESSONS? The spot alluded to BY
the Doctor was, it is true, a very secluded
place up to the time he occupied it for the
purpose of satisfying the demand Of bis un-
woman In question, dead or alive, than /
have to the skeleton of his verdant nephew.
III case | wished to have it as an article Of
furniture for MY Doctor shop.
The Doctor holds out the idea that tue
post morton examination was conducted in
a very private manner Now could pane
same twelve or fifteen persons, mostly youths
who were present at different times during
the examination. Rumor says that not less
than thirty Or forty visited this very seclud-
ed spot Of the Doctors Yet he would make
the community believe that the post mogteas
WAS conducted privately and professionally.
Shame, Shame, where is thy blush
have given u PLAIN statement of what I
believe to be facts. Post aiotteu exanina-
tons are often very necessary; but they
should be made with the consent of tie
friends and relatives of the deceased. and
previous to burial. This is the course
have pursued since | commenced the prae-
tee Of medicine look upon it as morally,
socially and professionally right.-The OPP
posite OF this--the course pursued by the
Spring Hill Doctor. thai Paragon of litera-
ture and luniaary of the medical profession
j look upon as morally, socially and pro-
lfessicnaly wong. But as the ease In ques-
ton is likely to become one of legal nyes!i-
gatioD, [ have no inclination to say any
thing that may have u tendency to forastali
public opinion.
As the thrusts of this literary squab and
professional pgmy are aimed almost entire
ly at me. l thought at one time of taking
some notice of his communication as n liter
airy production, and see how far it would
harmonic with the stale notions Of Murray
y Ruddiman but my Canphor bottle being
empty, and having no good angispasnodic
at hand, | think it hardly prudent to make
the effort.
The Doctors communication as i whole
reminds HE very much of IL prayer that |
heard some years ago, At what was then
called Candles School House. Il was at
class meeting a large athletic member a
youth Of some twenty summers, was called
on TO pray. The call was readily obeyed
He went on in happy cumulative style,
piling Alps upon Alps, until he got as high
as he thought it prudent for him to go !;
when, by way Of Gaping the climax, he es-
claimed with stentonan voice: % Lord,
if there is anything in US uncompugnant,
radicatc il out t.
1t is hardly necessary for ne to say chat
the walls OF the old School Hoase rang With
shouts of Amen after this sudden outburst
Of devotional bombast,
Il the Doctor has any more Latin in his
Uranium, any more III Ste Poioagos, y
LET me entreat him, for humanity's sake. to