New-York daily tribune., 1858-09-17
THE QUARANTINE TROUBLES.
OF THE INVESTIGATION.


Thc examination Of John c. Thompson and Ray
Toupkin- before Judge Metealfs on charge OF ar-on,
was resumed yesterday al 10 O'Clock. a; TcmPsiGs
Lyceum.
Mr.. Tompkus arrived =; o'cic,k, from Syracuse,
ard delivered himself into the custody Of tho orfc,r.
Tbs first witness examined was Dr. Theodore Wal
ser. who sworn.
NJ, Dean said he wished 70 bring point before the
Cont. Il was rot until 4 ate hour Wednc.iay
,h,, n. had sn,. II the Court. H. wss surprised
when h. heard OF the arrest OF the prisoner and Mr.
rpukins Will. h. understood that the county
nr6sr martial law and occupied by a regiment from
fr.i0p couuty He saw white tents erected az soon
q. be arrived and they were stl there. lie believed
that martial laN had the effect ~ snspendnC All clvu
Corrt. vat 70 his .siorshmsni h. found Court 10
s.se;on If this was an inquisi,ion in ed OF Court
Martial "a be hereafter organized, ne Hshed I" oe
known and whether the citizens Of kchm"nd N"Nh'y
W., ebl 10 protect themselves in time oi peace, or II
thew were 20 b. under the control of these invaders
H. called 90 the gentlemen who represented me STATE
N TIN. investigation 70 announce under Whch luisuc-
ton civil or military, Richmond County now was.
Mr.. Peckham knew nothing about the nhtar!.
Judge Metcalfe believed he had perfect autu"II,.
10 20 on The question OF the military beng essiy
-eut here might come up another time. When the NH
i,ary nisrrred ~iih him would be- time enough ior
him TO act
Mr.. Authon then asked, if this were the case, had
fFt
military had occupied the grounds Of his client without
authority. Tie should ask, martial .aw suspended
Civil Courts whether this Court was legally eonsu-
tursd
The Judge substantially replied a. before.
Mr. Dean said be was then TO understand hat mar
tial law not proclaimed
Mr. Peckham-I know nothing about 1t.
Mr.. Dean said that II the military were m tue clNh
Courts were out-ihat certain, both Jurisdictions
could not exist al the same time. .
Dr. Walser gave the following testimony l reside
al Quarantine: have been there five wears. and am
assistant physician AZ the Marine Hospital; | was
present on the nights Of the Ist and I'd OF September
saw the prisoner there on the first night only he
, was one of the very first men | saw walking up and
down in the rsar Of the burning shanties; tins mnst
have been about 81 clock; at the time other parties
Engaged setting -hanties on nre or rather ped
ding | saw him carrying some straw beds to the rear
of the shanties and ID; they were not ON hre then
but shanv was fired in few minutes after The car
rving of the beds; | saw Ray Tompklns, Richard
Smith, Matthew Carol. I. 4. Burns, and others on
the second night Ray Tompkns VI. Is. Brien, Js-
cob Wood, and others. and many more also, Capt.
Rich and Ar. Bennett the firing both nights was
done by crowd of people; they did not act as nre
mrn, a. not drop Of water Was split by them
Witness cross-examined by Mr. Anthon-I am tive
years assistant physcian during all that time have
had IN my charge large number of cases oi mice
tons and contagious Diseases the largest NUMBER az
one time Was $50; the lst instant had about ~,
which il below the average number IN the hospital
Al least 10 of them could leave the place and Walk
about the building; the patients who coudn Walk
were all brought down and placed in the lower build
ing except four; in the inst shanty ired there were
three small po1 patients taken 20 the rear of the
building; two were perfectly well, was discharged
next dsy detained for scabs on her face. aud
the third had sore knee and was carried out witness
ordered persons carry the patients out; does not
know if his orders obeyed by his own men, but
knew that the patients carried out; doesn know
il Ray Tompkins and these men took them out; was
at the lower hospital after they got there, and pre-
hon, frDu tetv rfalp he first
he said 10 Dr. Anderson that those patients should
not be removed their removal was the begin
ming OF the burning of the hospital; but did not
say If the hospital se; fire to, that they should
7 b. burned in il; when he saw DIR. Ander-
-on the first night the building not ON fire.
refused to allow the patients to be moved ont OF the
hospital before there any danger ut the building
being fire: the sparks from the other bull ngs
wer. not falling on the hospital; DIR. Tbompsons
house only tire, and the sparks flew in diff
erent drection nothing was set on fire the first night
IN the Hospital except straw tick, and one OF the
nurse. Inan leaving the room but a few minutes
before about thirty of those sick persons were sent
from Staten Island the next day. and away that
there about 80 left the second night these
sick with noncontagious diseases; were convaiescent
and might have been discharged properly; there were
no more than twenty at most unable to walk about
DIR. Thompson's boatmen bring the sick ashore by
turns and soon as they ashore the wagons of
the Marine Hospital sent for them, 10 bring them
Ia the different hospitals; only witnessed this being
done once or twice: there are ladders the side of
the vessel the boatmen stand behind the sick and lay
them carefully blankets in the boat below; all pa
tents brought in the way those from the
Lower Bay brought up in the Cinderella all
yellow fever vessels obliged TO anchor below now
there uficer goes board ard brings up the pa
tients 70 Quarantine; the exceptional cases those
taken Ill above the grounds; the Cinderella has
been employed this way about four months doesn't
know how often che goes up to the city; the Health
Officers boatmen resided with their families in
n row of brick houses fronting on the main
~. l,,.x-
witness knows of to prevent them mixing with the
people Of the village except the occasional restrc
rions of the Health Officer they had Ia pas outside
OF the wall to 10 their place of business those who
died of Infectious diseases since 1919 have been buried
in n cemetery - miles away, an injunction Of the
Grand jury having at that time prevented bnrals in
side the Quarantine walls, was done prior TO that
time and the dead passed through the village; the
nurses and orderies lay them out, them with
shrouds end put them in collins; these nurses and
derles arr allowed TO go ont and To New-York, per-
haps d week, perhaps once month; they do
not often 90 out without pernissOD-scarce that
witness knows of cOuld not positively say any had
done so they couldn't pass the gate without pass
from Dr. Bissel witness; great part Of the steve
dores who worked in the holds Of the vessels were
lodged in the old wash-house, or in shanty r. which
was northeast OF the 81. Nicholas has read Of their
attending political meetings, but has personal
knowledge thereof; the infected articles Of smallpox
patients from the ships kept IN little shanty close
by the smallpox hospital and washed up there by
women. who employed to attend 10 the sick; be-
tween the two yeloweyer shantes there is g. smaller
building sprinked with the chloride of lime, where the
clothes Of yellow-fe patients kept snd if tt to
be- returned, they returned when the patients
well; nothing j. taken from the ships bat the
clothes the patients wear; the iron scow has
nection with the hospital bat is used Ia the best of
witnesses knowledge for clothes, Ac., from infected
vess'.s; thu burning generally takes place in front OF
the hospital either lower down higher up; UNDER
stands haoDavid McLyman had charge OF this
previous TO the ls Of September he lived in the third
boatman- house on the brick row; believes Kramer
his assistant; Kramer died about the 18th 18th
July Of yellow fever in the hospital; believes he pre-
viously resided in kag Pckers Row, witness took
him rum tlrre The hospital whore he dled in ten