Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-08-23
FIRST EDITION.
PHILADELPHIA.
our SAT RpAV LETT Err.

PHILADELPHIA, August ~.
The death OF Mr.. Meredith has occasioned |
more general expression OF respect and esteem |
than has attended the demise of any citizen OF |
recent years. 1t is felt that Philadelphia has |
experienced loss of the kind that may fairly be
called irreparabe. The cessation Of force is
80 different thing from change Of current or
| direction. Fire subdues or money panic works
| momentary destruction, and there il a swift re-
| covely, but the personal losses Of community
AS Of all indivldua-are far different matters
| Other men come forward, but they do not re-
| semble the man who has gone. The Bar of
| Philadelphia, especially, feels the loss OF Mr.
| Meredith almost il it were personal to all it's
/ members. The better class Of lawyers are in
| clined to he an exclusive set OF they are
proud of Phlalelphias legal reputation and OF
the brain work t'at established it. They feel
that in Meredith has gone the last active remin-
der to this age of the line Of great counseliors
| who made onr city famous, aud the phrase "a
| Philadelphia Lawyer,"A synonym for intellectual
activity. Horace Biuney remains. it ID true, and
| was in some respects the greatest OF them al
| but he has long retired from the active pursuit
| of his profession, while Mr.. Meredith was vital
| authority among his fellows to the very end OF
| his days.
known as BODY Snatching" While there IL
| great deal of unreasonable concern in this mat
| ter facts every now and then show that the fear
| full stories of the rtng of graves have at least
| a partial foundation The needs OF the dissect-
| ing rooms of our Colleges are extensive and be-
come yearly more onerous and people are not
80 ignorant but that they give shrewd guesses as
| to how these grim wants are supplied. l know
| people 40 fearful on this head so concerned lest
| their loved ones may not be permitted to rest
where they are laid that they will not bury in
the suburban cemeteries, but select burial
| places in the built up sections where safety is
| assured although the associations and surround
ings may not be as pleasant as at the favorite
| eemeteIies, We have had this week develop
ment which confirms some OF the preJudices OF
the timorous ones while 1t also reflects painfully
upon the management of the Coroners Office,
and of the Morgue-and which is IN all It's details
a most shocking affair.
One day, early in July, the body Of an elderly
man was found in the Schuylkill and was con-
| yeyed to the Morgue. There were papers
| upon the corpse which could easily have
led to it's Identification but no pains
| whatever was taken to that end and the
body after remaining on view a shorter time thau
| the law demands, was buried in the municipal
Hospital grounds on tho Lamb Tavern Road. But
this elderly man proved to be, not " pauper
| whom nobody owns" but person OF conae-
| nuence His name was Thomas Munce, and he
| was-had been-a wealthy farmer FvinB at wash
ngtou, Pa. His family instituted search aud
| finally unravelled a curious chain OF evidence. A
|
Munce carried was furnished the detectives. who
q after some delay discovered the tlmepece az
: pawn brokers shop. The oihcers then walled Ioi
l. some one to appear to reclaim the article snort
s. lv a Young man appeared for that purpose, and
,, was nj once arrested lie prov ed to be the drlve
of the coroner's wagon He had robbed the body
d | found in the river on its way to the morgue
a MIR Munces relatives. being thus far on thu
"a right track next visited the graveyard where II
WAS alleged the remains were laid. There wa'
r no trace Of the elderly gentleman to be found
n Then some one suggested the medical schools
and to make a long story short, the unfortunate
Mr Unnce WAS finally discovered and Recognized
,: AT the dead room of the University OF Penn
"a sylyAnia. soaking in vat, with number
~ | other bodies which we're being preserved IN SOM
nv cheinical composition until such time as the
shonld be required by the students, The morblt
imapinatieu of ten cent novelist could scareel'
devise anything more horrible As respectabl
70 and worthy man III any who reads TINS account
lh tn come to such an end The reproach that al
g. taches TO the Coroner's Department, and til
b. morgue and burial officials is clear. How tn
le unhappy MIR. Munce happened to be tounu u
ne the river is still another mystery, which whe
o cleared up VI 1t ever ls) may ueNeioP the 6to"
bit Regarding the vessels of the American steam
X, ship line it is singular thing that no one can te
70 Just what time they have made IN their tIlpi
~ One official has one connt and one has anotne'
- | Irnon aeyeral occasions no lmmedate notice ma
been given Of the time OF arrival or departur
-. ou the other side, and there seems only one wa
Of getting directly az lilb lhSts' VIZ iOi pho
ne ous inquirer to take trip himself. IL woul
gu seem though that the "Onlo, Is something Ia
A., A.. ter than the "Pennsylvanla There mas pee
ny trouble in the administration OF the latter Vesa
~ ne as it was long ago predicted by knowing parle
r- there would be- 1t may not be amiss to state thu
IN CAPTAIN Sumner never had the least thlng 10
hS with the otlicerng OF his ship 1t wonlu seem seem
| be the part of prudence ana WISDOM 10 aloW
captaiu to chose his subordnates but no sue
. | mower WAS gwen Sum'er and there has been Ill
lu | order in consequence on the "PennsylVama ITO
soy the start The ship was IN fact oihcered III IN
eu novel way by the giving OF positions 70 patar
en- who had influence with the Board OF DIRECTOR
llls This was putting the cart directly before u
Ieu horse Trouble inevitable and u croPp'
les ont early in the first voyage When apo
ready Tor her second trip there
fresh disturbance and for 1e
hours il was uncertain whether the ship won
10 sail at all until there had been recohstIue.Io @ ~
", When the "Pennsylvania" got back TO TINS S Pv
the from her last voyage, the storm hnaily pioF
. sumner aid il he was to be commander OF
he- vessel he wanted lieutenants under Din, anu Il
a ship-load of captains and moreover, ne wa, WA
- | ed lieutenants of his own KIND ana VIII wh,
anu he could work harmoniously IN snort, he "
)rn- raadv to resign This would never have DOL
lh6 however, so Sumner was transferred, as
-her order went, to the 'Indlana, now nearly Fes
for her trial trip, and this time, as htchet
ohm stipifed with absolute power. II IL TO
on hoped the Directors Will take THIS suBBestiNe
leau tie affair to heart ..1 ytLot,
her We have an epidemic of suicides. Wheti
hbo | the Wr6tchBu W6htuoI han hlauo PSSPiS
life or whatever else mag be the causelt u
arty tain that this species of outrage has receNe'
,ary shocking impetus of late. And, strange to
'ncie the agency Of self-murder in these cases
tng been out Of the customary run OF pistol, oro'
Ivily ing, or hanging practce; ~ ;,i5ns From /
pot | age There have been hve suicides itoln
rou. cause within four days, one case being thaI :
~ boy scarcely fifteen years of age. 1t Is very
nIa gnar to note how these tragedies run IN
4, ms ~ of "followng leader" fashion. One seems
- IT, suggest another Perhaps in short time
@ pel, bullet or the rope will gain the ascendancy
y r., VI The WALNUT opened the amusement sea
iIo;, no, az usual and with its usual acceptaney'
inns Te,npest has drawn fair houses, CONSIDER
that it has been raining every evening Ior
more best part of fortnight. Altogether the p
, last IL az well done AZ could be expected 1t ID
strictly an acting play at all, thein dsun."' .,.,t
lit in | hights Dream itself being more tangible,
1rne | ing to it's decided comic element. Even
dam | hnmor of the Tempest id 30 bizarre Una
1rted | eyades the player. TrinCulO and Stephdno
trial 30 enveloped IN the mystic atmosphere OF
ulay that to present them as men clowns II
disturb an illusion. 1t is folly to put the ?
20, +, oA npon the stage The setting of it in this
uiiNe stance is something Of disappointment ;
scenery is too gaudy-not delicate and sug
were five enough -still much care has been Ia
kness MIR sheridan is hard and unsatisfactory gen
iy as ProSpero. The "Arch" opens on Mo-
cotton night next with the "Back Crook
tkn