Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-09-02
HUMAN BONES.
What a Skeleton Hanger Says
About the Business.
From the Philadelphia Times.

FROM the Philadelphia Hines.
"You see there are numerous secret
societies that require skeleton as a
partsof their paraphernalia [ don
propose to name them, because I belong
so nearly all of them; but they could
no more initiate novice into their Or
ganizeatiou without these emblems of
human mortality than Cardinal Nc
Closkey could marry a couple without
a ring. Just now times are rather
dull; very few new lodges are being
formed. Working people in the
country haven't means to form new
lodges; and that gentleman (pointing
to a skeleton hanging very comfortably
by his left ear in a neat closet, other
wise full of glass jars, won't go to Car
bon County as soon as I expected.
fixed him and wired him beautifully,
as you see. His price was S35,
though in a general retail way, he is
worth $50 the consequence is that,
for the present, he will hang just
where he is.''
"Outside of the purpose of secret
societies, sir, who wants these emblems
to remind man that this sublunary
world is but feeting show Of what
value are these osseous remains !
"Why, country doctors generally like
to keep a skeleton somewhere in a
dark closet" was the reply. "where
they keep their demijohn of appleiack
or old rye. Their wives, daughters
and servants are sure never to visit it.
1t they take students they must have a
skull any how. No drawing or picture
can give an adequate idea of the head.
and back country doctor will gener-
ally strain a point to procure skeleton
entire. To patients upon whom he
wishes to make an impression that he
is practically erudite, and a dead
shot at mumps or worms he will some
times exhibit this skeleton. Besides
this, no doctors house in which skel-
eton' was kept was ever broken into.
II comes cheaper than keeping bull
dogs, and makes a man a reputation
besides."
''ADd the cost of skeleton is how
much, Mr.. Nash?" ''To lodges [ fur.
nish them for $50 each. They are
not handled there, and are almost i'm
perishable. For doctors, the articu-
lations riquire to be strongly wired,
and $50 is what get for one. Skulls
are OF mere competitive value in pro-
portion than the rest of the anatomy, y
said Mr.. Nash. GIVE often had bodies
with no skulls to match them. I have
furnished skulls and cross-bones to
religious recluses, male and female,
who wanted nothing else. There ars
societies, too, who buy skulls. and
I've sent them to such far and near. 7
had the body Of the murder, Teufel.
who was hanged at Forristown, some
years ago. A physician got his head.
| mounted his frame, screwed the head
of negro upon it and sold it to back
county Lodge of Knights Of Pythias. :"
"What became of the negros body?"
D." Oh, nobody cares; that kind of me-
terial is abundant. By the law Of the
Commonwealth the remains of all who
die in it, unclaimed, are handed over
to colleges to promote the interest of
science.
How about the skeleton of infants,
Mr.. Nash? ?" asked the reporter. "You
have them in the museum of your uni
versity. How is it that preparations so
delicate can be dissected 2" "They all
come from France" said Mr.. Nash.
"All that sort Of things are produced
abroad. They are necessary for us to
have, but not an anatomist would be
encouraged by any college in this coun-
try to prepare them. Skeletons Of
birds and small animals are prepared in
same way. No human hand, even if
working under a microscope, could do
it half so we'll. The bird, or whatever
it may be, is sprinkled with sugar
and placed near by an ant hill. In a
few days nothing but the bone contain
ed in it is left.
care these preparations eztensive?"
you ask. Very much SO. A skull
containing sound teeth, SO dissected and
sawed out as to exhibit the actual ner-
yes and circulation, is worth $500.
All these things are as much articles
Of trade as boots or bonets. They
always will be so. Dali as times now
are, [ cannot keep up" said Mr.. Nash,
with the demand for skulls. The
skulls of murders, somehow or other,
very often very singularly vanish. The
skull Of Probst in the museum of Jetfer-
son College. Nobody there had any
use for his bones. Anyhow, they
wouldn't have kept. They were soft,
almost calcareous, and their carcass went
the way of all such flesh. ''Bone, "
continued Mr.. Nash, sis curious-a
queer thing, indeed, [ may say, is
bone. When [ first began this busi-