The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-31
THE MORGUE.

Inmates OF the MOrgue-shadows ON
ths WaL-Ths Unknown Dead.
On the upper side of Twenty-slxth street. and
very near the edge OF East river, is an unpre-
tending apartment, situated on the ground
floor of the Bellevue Hospital, bearing in severe
gilt letters over the door name which instantlv
gives rise to many mournful reflections, but
which irresietibly attracts the attention of the
passer-by. IL is "THE MoRGUE." The room
devoted to this use IS small-Bcarcely 30 feet
Immediately upon entering, you are struck
by the general appropriateness Of the Interior
The floor Is made of small bricks, the alternate
ing red and white of which form a curious
in the air, but it is cool and pleasant Tine room
Is divided into two compartments of about
equal size, the separation being glass partl-
ming the length of the apartment. The right
hand side of this partition is utterly devoid of
furniture, The only object upon the bare
white wall is walnut framed copy OF the
printed rules and regulations of the Morgue.
They are simple and few. They describe the
disposition made of the unknown dead bodies
which are brought to the institution, and the
time they are preserved for Identification The
glass. room, as the other compartment may be
called, is devoted TO the exposure Of the bodies;
II contains four tables, with iron frames and
Upon these tables the bodies. after being
stripped naked, with the exception of q cover
ing about the loins, are laid on their backs,
Indta-rubber tubes are suspended from the CELL
ing. and from these constant dripping Of water
fresh and cool until Identification shall have
taken place, or the time expires for the expo
usual time If the remains are identified they
are given into the hands of friends, together
with whatever clothing and other property
may have been found upon the body; If no iden-
uhcation takes place, the corpse after the usual
effects which came with 1t are kept number
Of months for whomsoever mayHcau for and
This dead-house Of the metropolis is not so
thickly and necessarily peopled as the Partisan
institution from which 1T borrows its name.
Certainly, In all conscience, we have victims
enough Of crime and self-murder, but the ephe-
neral temperament which gives to the Seine
an additional number of suicides In cloudy
weather is seldom a characteristic of our popu-
lation, and the found drowned" as general
those wretched unknowns who are brought to
the glass exhibition of the Bellevue dollhouse
Frequently the tables are found entirely
empty. At such times the visitors are few,
being mostly confined to philanthropc old
gentlemen strangers in the city, who move OBJ
| ously study the rules and regulations, with
| chins supported meditatively by their gold
headed canes. But scarcely week passes with
out the marble tables of the Morgue showing
one or more sad candidates for recognition
They all give rise to thousands of suggestions;
and 1t would appear that the dark mysteries of
the Morgue are sufficient to supply.romancers
with inspiration for their elaborated dctions
for any length of time. The result of all
| crimes, all phases of sudden DEATH are to be
found here You are inspired by the atmo-
sphere of the place with visionary idea of
hundreds of blood-red hands raised against the
blank wall The long splinter of summer sun
shine which pierces the easement in the
rear is transformed into the glittering dagger
of the midnight assassin.
Perchance the spirit which was once the ami
nation of that poor stabbed clay upon the tres
ties saw but once the deadly glitter ere the steel
silent now. The ghost Of the murdered one
may Shrek avengingly in the unknown VIII
ear O9G Sne es fsae are is O
turned as II pleading with dumb eloquence for
the plying tear OF some dd friend VINO comes not,
death-grip, is flung against the wall by the
strange upperwork of the wlndoW-frame Those
hnn nd
| the thin neck of that poor woman corpse lying
| on the second table; for there are the marks of
| eyeballs seem bursting through the concealing
| lids, and a shrek of horror is frozen on the
| pain-wreathed, parted lips.
There is more and yet moro to be seen and
| fancied The bowed shutters OF one OF the win
the awakening wind without, a furry of light
darts across the walls, and for one instant there
Is a changing picture of murder before the eyes,
| spectrally distinct. Now you see the reeking,
| lightless bylane; the lonely passenger approach
| ing; the sinister eyes awaiting him in the
| shadow of the stoop; the stealthy, encompass
! ing, single startled exclamation, and the swift
| garrote of the serpent-like arm encireling tue
| neck from behind; the sure, sudden stab
between the shoulder blades, or the whIrring
.plummet of the slung-shot falling upon uncon.
scious temples; the rapid ritiing of the pockets;
| the hasty, sinking, guilty retreaG and corpse
| left motionless on the sidewalk, dimly revealed
1 in the scant moonshine that struggles through
Then, according to the surroundings, the fly
Ing phantom changes on the wall: You see
/
door of the rum-hole where he has been
drugged and robbed; you see him totter reeling
| from the high Btoop fall upon his head and be
| silent-"found dead in the street: name un-
| known; supposed to have come TO his death
! from o fall while intoxicated" Then the dark
| edge OF the river, the strange sailor peering
| through the darkness Of the outline of his ship,
| the cat.like advance OF the loathsome wharf
| rat" from behind, the cowardly blow with stick
| or stone the push into the water, and the float
| ing body of the stranger, supposed TO be sea-
| farinR man from his dress; no Valuables found
| upon the person." Or you catch broader view
| of the sweeping stream, with tho dim silhouette
of a lone friendless woman frantically rushing
| along the pier for the fatal plunge:-
"MAd from lifes history,
Glad TO deaths mystery
Swift to be hurled
| . Anywhere, anywhere,
Out Of the world"
And with the rapid evanescence of the fancy,
the shadoWy outlines form and reform them
selves into every conceivable shape OF guilty
| darkness and crime, with only the cold, nude
Wickedness done, until the sunshine slowly
broadens over the blank walls, and the tell-tale
| shadoWs disappear before the fresh, healthful
breeze that blows through the casemate, and
seems to know naught OF anything Lhat Is not
life-giVing and beautiful.
| II iS hardly worth while giving any statistics
| of the Morgue. Our daily police reports supply
| information of all bodies taken there, and the
| and from year to year. But the sights TO be
| seen there are manifold and interesting. The
| victims OF every crime, from assassination TO
| self.murder, people the dead-holse On one
| in the streets number of people are looking
| through the glass panes to see The corpse. IL
lies white and tranquil; the face, perchance, Is
| finely chiselIed and handsome, and money or
| revenge may have been the motive OF the deed.
| croxv2 of gazers around you becomes