The Republican journal., 1876-05-18
Gotham Sketches. No. III.
Written for the journal.

rusty Drlck building, MO which persons We're
continually dropping in and then popping OUT
as they do at the post-ofiice. 4 bcvy of very
small girls gathered at the outside of one OF the
large windows near the pavement. and then
suddenly drew back as il frightened, and ran
en- masSc up the street. Coming opposite we
too peered through the window. (Which was
large and with six panes, like that of an ord-
nary shop and there quite near the glass, ~
ing on marble slab, aud exposed rs if for
sale, was the corpse Of a man. We knew then
where we were, and did not need the sign,
THE MoHGUE,
over the door TO tell us further. Here, then.
was that dreadful charnel house, where the I'M
known dead are exposed for recognition. 1t is
located at Twenty-sxth street and East River,
near the Bellevue Hospital. A large room is
divided by a glass and sash partitions; in one
half of the apartment there is a range of four
stone slabs, on which the dead are laid open
to view from the other side of the room through
the glass. Ghastly and revolving are the scenes
in this place, On the wall opposite the range
of corpses, are pasted the photographs of I'M
fortunaes who have occupied for time this
awful resting-place before they have been sent
to an unknown grave, OF to the dissecting table
Of the Bellevue Hospital Medical College near
BIZ. These pictures in their varieties of horror
and in their great number are really quite Is
startling as the inaninate forms near by. Here
are the victims of foul murder, of suicide, OF Sc
duction and of accident. The remorscless wa
ters round about the great city almost daily give
up some unknown dead being, that is brought
here to be exposed for time. Here the bodies
are displayed In the dress they had on when
found better system b. far than thar in La
Morgne at Paris, where the dead are exhibited
in q nude state. Many mistakes occur; and rs
an example we will relate the following anec-
doe: A poor mountebank, in passing the Nor
que, following the example Of many OF the gen
tlefolks who had walked before him, strolIed
into it for lounge. On one of the inclined
planes he beheld, lying between the corpse3 Of
two men, his own "aull respected mther."
10 redeem her from such Il neghhorhood aud
from such neighbors, lie determined to spend,
if necessary, all he had; and accordingly with
praisewoEthy affection he followed her to & re-
spectacle grave. He was however SO haunted
by the horrid picture he had witnessed, thai to
relieve his mind, and also to console his only
surviving sister, he determined to return to his
distant motherlesS home, and on his arrival at
its door he was, as he well deserved, most attec
tionately embraced by-hs mother. Il need
not be said that the body lie had followed 50
respectfully 10 the grave was not hers.
Familiarity with the horrd scenes tt the
1lorgnc make the coroner> brutal and inditr-
ent. There have Il dreadful Slang MI their
own, and they treat the dead with As ittr re-
spect us they dare under the law. \ body
found drowned, in their vocabulary is called Il
float" while one found on land they term a
''stitl." Sometimes the negligence of the per-
SONS who ought to care for the dead is repre-
hensibie in the extreme. The following is Il
true account Of a very narrowing case. \ few
weeks ago poor woman named Rose Dung
came over from Brooklyn to do some shopping
At night, in the darkness and storm. she missed
her way, and stepped off Of the ferry Slip into
the water and was drowned. Her body was
found next day and was noored to the pier,
awaiting the action of the coroner. Her ago
nized husband soon after heard by chance that
q woman's body had been discovered lie has
tened to the pier and recognized bis wife, but
the officers would not let him have his own, nor
even take her out Of the water. by some red
tape delay She was not taken from tie shiny
river, (letiled as it is by two great eites) until
tWentv-four hours had elapsed after her liscoy
cry. The husband was nearly frantic. Far
into night he kept his watch over the form of
his poor Wife, as it surged below the pier in
the dismal water, until at last the thought of
his terrified family Of small children compelled
him to 20 to them. Early next morning poor
Mr.. Young WAS back in the city trying 10 get
the written ''permit" to take his dear wif-'s
body home. He did not succeed until noon
and then only after his feelings had been har-
rowed up anew by being compelled to sit in
jury Of inquest on the mutlated remains If
child that had been burned to DEATH Mr.
Young was advised by his friends to prosecute
the authorities for this series of outrages; but
he replied iii q hopeless tone that it would do
no good, for there was one law for the rich
man and another for the poor. And 50 it does
certainly appear.
TIE BELLEVUE HOSPITAL
stands near the Morgue. 1t is public institu-
tion-an outgrowth Of necessity-and the most
interesting OF the siXty-siX asy huns and hospi-
tails of New York. Within its rough grey stone
walls there has been suffered more agony than
one human heart can conceive. At the top
story of the building i situated an amphithea-
tire, lighted from above by dome seats lre
arranged in sem-clrcle one above the other
around central space, where there il an oper-
ating table. When clinical operation is heIdthe
seats are filled with medical students from the
college connected with the hospital. On the
table the quivering victim is laid sometimes
bound or held there, for it is not always possible
to administer an anIsthetc-and the surgeons
perform their fearful tasks, while the students
look on. Many new scholars faint on first wit
Messing an operation here, but they are 50
: chatt'ed'' for their weakness by their fellow
students, that they manage aterward to dis
play more stodity. All this is necessary for
the good of science, no doubt. Some Of the
college boys tell, over their pipes, that tile out
side world hears little about the poor creatures
who die here under the kntte--it is the story of
the marvellous cures that is no7ed abroad
From this theatre Of surgery it will be & relief
to turn to brief consideration Of The brighter
class of
THEATRES.
There are twenty-five theatres i'll New York
and two opera houses, not counting the numer-
Gus variety halls. But among the TWENTY-FIVE
there are many theatres ch0ntnats for min
strel performances So the city and the stran-
ger that is within her gates both have means of
amusement enough. The patronage of ~fran-
gers is greatly relied on, and this accounts for
the long runs" Of the same play at the prnci-
pal theatres. This protracted repetition Of the
same piece is to the native New Yorker
''As tedious as a twice told tale
NeXng the dull ear OF a drowsy man"
For splendid representations of ShakeSpeare's
plays. with grand and historical scenic effects,
Booths Theatre stands at the head. 1t is 4 Sig
niicant fact that the Emperor Dom Pedro III of
Brazil visited this place of amusement first of
all others, and after he had been on North
American shores barely three hours. This wise
monarch, whom all Join in praisne is an inter-