New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-11


ipr or natural aptitude for their functions. Tois
certainly can be amended and II should be re-
formed altogether. A totally different order Of
men should be called to these duties and, in order
To this their en- ouments and the dignity Of the
Office should be raised to point which should
make il On object to higher class of candidates.
In England Of late years. COroners have generally
been taken from the class of surgeons, and il has
made great improvement upon the old absurdihes
of Growers Quest Law there. Yet medical
men. though persons who should and must be
consulted in such cases, do not necessarily
or usually have the experience or talent for ex-
trscting evidence from willing or unwilling wit
nesses, and drawing just aud probable conclu.
sion from what they tell. Lawyers, Of at least the
standing at the bar of Police Justices would seem
to be the filter material out Of which to make our
Coroners Tee experience OF the courts, and long
practice il the manipulation OF witnesses, and IN
eItrsctine truth from the reluctant and IN max
ing the due allowances for the swift, would do
much toward making these preliminary perquisi-
tcns respectable and useful lfcondGcted as they
too often have BEEN ard are. il would be quite as
well 10 do without them altogether, as Is the case
in Scotland. The Office, If properly exercised
should be CREST assistance to justice by setting
the character of the homicide and the party i'm
plicated at the very earliest moment after II has
occurred. Blu. if not so conducted it is only Il
binderaree TO justice, and may be defeat OF IT.
We think it very likely that We expressed
these opinions or some like them, st the time that
the egregous Conrery brought the subject oil Cor
onership before the public mind 1t is not super
auous. however, TO repeat them now, when We are
daily exposed to sudden destruction in multitude
of forms. through the criminal neglect OF persons
who should be held responsible for the mischief 1t
may occasion. We can be in some measure on our
guard against the street assassin the gaIroter the
midnight murderer bursting the faithless bar. Or,
if overcome and dispatched BY them, there is a
reasonable probability of some posthumcuS salts
faction if more than usually f,tuous Coroner
does not interpose in their behalf But We are
forced to deliver Ourselves up, bound hand and
foot, To the ferry.boats, the railways, and the
steamboats, which enter into the necessities OF our
lives The degree of precauton which we can
take against criminal negligence in these directions
ia very limited So it is as to the dangers We daily
incur from the castles in the air which our builders
.di'y to the skies, thnly masked with stone or
marble which every now and then come murder
ously to the ground. The liturgy will have to be
enlarged to include these peris among the subjects
of special prayers. When railway bridges break
down, when steamboats, blow up, when ferry boats
founder,
when falling houses thunder on your head
the strong lance Of justice generally falls hurtless,
if il be even so much as raised. To prevent these
miscarriaaes it is the business of wise legislation,
and il would be promoted if not secured BY making
exposure and punishment more certain IN such
cates And We think a reorganization OF the
Growers Quest should be the first step taken in
this wholesome direction.