The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-07-20

uEdQ uUlECe anu Ocdu OOSo WulCu OuCAO TIC nVn-
trils Of our citizens.
SUPPRESSION OF Police REcoRDs-A CASE FOR
THE CoMMIssIoNERs-On Wednesday Of last
week somewhat singular case of selfmurder
occurred in an up town boarding house. The
vistim was young married woman, the wife of
eeafaring man, and the sole alleged cause for
the act was grief at the idea of being soon sepa-
rated from her husband. Doctors were called
in while the unfortunate woman was suffering
under the effects Of the arsenic, aud to one Of
them, it appears, she revealed as q secret the
act she had committed, without assigning any
motive for it. She was soon beyond the aid Of
medical skill, end she died. Even on this state
ment of the affair the circumstance was sur
rounded with so much of singularity and nys-
terry as to call for very full and searching in
veetigation on the part of the criminal autheri-
ties of our city. But what was done to elaci-
date the matter? We shall see.
The keeper of the boarding house in which
Mrs. Times thus died was an acquaintance, it ap-
pears, Of Mr.. Carpenter, Captain of the Sixteenth
ward police. In her anxiety, more for the repu-
tation of her house than for the fate Of the IN
AoPPy "oAAoA WIZ woo Ii VIC oSOHAcS Vi VthSuS
che sent for her friend Carpenter, with the very
charitable design of having Mrs. Innes removed
to the station house, or anywhere else out Of her
house. But when the Captain arrived 1t was al
ready too late. The poison had done its work.
Still, the Captains friendship could be made use
of in such way as that the facts should not get
publicity. In that respect he appears to have
done all that Mrs. Whittemore could expect from
her best friend He saw Coroner Schirmer.
and arranged for q very quiet matter of course
pro formo inquest, and after that little for
mality was gone through with, the body
of the wretched suicide was placed in hearse,
and, without single accompanying carriage,
conveyed with most indecent haste. to the Gene
terry, recalling the description Of paupers obse.
quies:-
Rattle his bones over the stones;
He's only pauper, whom nobody owns
But Captain Carpenters services did not eud
here 1t was not enough to have this hole ina
corner inquest held. The proceedings must be
entirely suppressed. The newspapers must not
be allowed to get hold of them in any way.
Coroner Schirmer lends himself to the Captains
desire; and, while he hands in the record of tue
inquest to the clerk at the Coroners' Office he
does 80 with instructions to that official to
lay it aside in some out fthe-way corner,
where 1t would be safe from the prying eyes of
reporters. And as for Captain Carpenter himself,
be braves everything for friendships sake, aud
actually declines and refuses to make any repors
of this sudden and mysterious death in bis ward
10 the Deputy Superintendent.
Here is most disgraceful attempt on the part
Of public functionaries to hush up what was GER
tainly very suspicious case. The woman may
have died by her own act, as Mrs. Fanny Deane
Halsey may also have done, and no relatives or
Others may have had any direct or indirect con-
nection with her death; but in the one case, as
in the other, the attendant circumstances were
go singular as to call for the most sitting and
thorough investigation. The one inquest was as
great mockery as the other. Both functiona-
ries in this case should be held to o strict ac.
countability for their acts. Coroner Schirmer
may have kept within the letter of the law by
delivering up the record to the legal depositary;
but Carpenter violated the law not only in
spirit, but in letter. His not making report Of
this transaction was gross and wilful disobedi-
ence of Instructions, for which he should DO
severely punished. If the Police Commission
ers, instead of paying so much attention to. tho
Sabbatarian laws, would take this matsec i'm
hand, 1t would be more to their credit end "a
the public advantage.