The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-03-27
OUR CORONERS.
Officials Who Should Have Prevented
the Young Outrage.
WHAT THEIR SERVICE COSTS
How Coroner Earns $4,000
Year.

The recent outrage by which the body OF Mrs Rose
Young was permitted in the water at pier is
East River for iweniyfour hours, while the husband
md merchants on South street, who annoyed by
The disgracelu spectacle securing tho city in
vearch of a Coroner has drawn attention 10 depart
ment OF the city government in which gross abuses
have often been reported This department Ia tho
Board o6Coroners Of the City and County OF New York
Serious charges have time and again been made to
the displayed by these OH cals but this last
outrage is of the fragrant that has been
iilated for years While the police and Charity Com
mssioners culpable, the Coroners cannot in tho
OF the facts throw all the responsibility from their
shoulders upon the other branches OF city having
vcgnizance OF the case II Is no excuse that
coRosER CROKER WAS TOO busy
10 attend TO this particular There four Coro
ners two always duty. Each of these men has
deputy. who assumes II the law does not give him, all
The powers of his chief, far as permitting the re-
mova Of body. There were, then, on duty on Tues
day afternoon and Wednesday morning four officers
of whom certainly, should be always at the Coro-
ners' Office attend OF this kind The Office
should, indeed be open all night and one OF these Of
nccrs should be In attendance Instead OF this being
The case the Office in Houston opened at nine
A. NJ and closed halt past four although the clerk,
Mr. J. l.. Toal, remains until FIVE T. NJ. Persons who
therefore, eight hours of the twenty-four in
which TO do the office. Ifthcy seek permit for
removal between four r. 81 and nine A. NJ OF the next
day they must all over the city in search OF well
paid Official whom 1t may difficult TO find. But the
ruth is, the Coroncrs intent upon
PEEs
hat they hold hundreds OF nquests that not
luired The law allows them the following fecs--For
rcwing each body and holding nquests, $40; for
nonng and swearing jury, So for making and fling
zach Inquest So; making maximum OF 500 These
tho fees fixed by cap 565, Laws of 1868, which
abolishcs all previous sta;atcs the subject This
chapter clearly defines when nquests shall be held
'Whcn any person shall dis from criminal violence,
by casualty, suddenly when in apparent health, or
where unattended by physician, or in prison, in
any suspicious or unusual manner" The law pro-
vides that ply stefan shall be called to the body
externally or make autopsy theron, may DO
CURED. For each external examination he is to re-
ceve SO and for each autopsy $40 The testimony of
such PHI ysician tho law says and that OF any other
witnesses that the Coroner may find necessary shall
constitute an inquest Under this law the Corcncrs
have each appointed ply stefan rs deputy,
and the reader VIII see that there is
great incentive for these gentlemen, as well
as their chiefs, to hold inqlests. There
necessity Tor the summonng oil jury in many
cases; but the Coroncrs would lose So were they TO
lures The deputy would not be apt TO stop
external examination at So when, by little cutting
hours work. Hence II is safe 10 say that many
BODIES SEEDLEssLY DisFIGURED
by the knife and saw TO crafty the greed Of some OF the
deputies
Comptroller Green, in letter addressed the Coro.
on May 20 1875. declining TO pay their bills as
rendered put the matter very strongly. He shows
that the nques,s held IN he first quarter OF 1875
$40, and s2l,49l was claimed for fees examinations
instance in the SO reported by you you have
charged for jury, making total charge OF 81, 100,
notwtnstandng the fact that large number Of The in.
re- %
Of stubborn children, &c, IN which the cause OF death
must have been evident, and the tcstlmon. Of the
physician and witnesses quite sufficient Tor the deter
nnation thereof"
now JuRIys ARE MADE rr
The method of obtaining jures is very singular
che Coroners havo attached to their olice
political friends, who sent out to secure men 10
Jurors. When the Office was in tho basement OF
The City Hail. the Jurcs were generally made up of
The oitcrers who nlled the cry Hall Park benches.
Coroners took the trouble find whether they
mere residents OF the cy even naiurazcd citizens,
Notwithstanding that the law declares that they shall
exercise the in selecting corcners jurors
exercised in the selection OF Jures IN civil or crmi-
nal proceedings courts Of law But the worst Is TO
rome. large number OF the cases that Coroners
called upon 10 investigate from the killing Of
children by trucks, cars and other vehicles The rail-
road companies know the value OF courteous coroncrs,
and besides furnishing them with yearly free passes
bppoipt employees on the recommendation oi these
officials. What return does tho Coroner gve2 the
reader VIII ASK when the inquest is 10 he held II is
very easy the Coroner 10 accept any j1rors offered
and inquire too closely into their characters 1t IS
said that not unfrequenIy the agent OF the railway
hired Iramps and loungcrs to collect about
tho door leading to the Coroners Office
aud wien the Corvners' officer out
strange say. h. almost invariably summoned these
loaiers as Jurors. Such n practice year
81 two ago and better class OF Jurors be got
about the ncighborhOod OF "Murdercrs Block, IN
which the Office rs situated Comptroller Green
IN the letter above quoted clearly shows the reckless
manner IN which these jurors are chosen He says
"a careful examination OF your inquisitions shows
that In large number Of the same individuals
repeatedly form your Juries. Thus the following may
Dc quoted tustrative.-
In 30 Juries =. }. Hawks appears as a iuryman
In - lures w r. Sninen appears MS a iuryman
In 10 Juries T. g. Schwcig appears as luryman
In AZ Juries John Hcaly appears as Iuryman,
In G5 lurics X Cook appears as juryman.
In III Jurics o. 4. Reilly appears MS Iuryman.
In ia juries II. Jcnncss appcarsas Juryman.
Ia lis iuries J. J. Mcdonald appears a jurymau
In l75 lures Ed Burke appears as juryman.
In 1856 jurics James fogariy appears as juryman.
In los juries A. \. White appears ms jury man.
'Six OF these persons. y continues the Comptroller,
@undcr Coroner Croker constituted 10 jurcs out or
the 300 Jures charged for by him Tor the three
months"
This tells It's own story. John Hcay, mentioned rs
. Juror In lorty-two CAGES, is OF the messengers
who summons jurors He is paid 81, 500 per annum
BY the county. A. n. White, the champion Juror OF
the city, who three months sat 20S jures, the
keeper Of the Morguc He'is paid $500 per annum by
The county Another Juror who served very Frequently
was an attacho OF the Dead House, who months
ago guilty OF mOnstrous outrage at the Morguo
for which he was sentenced 10 inc Island No rcmun-
Grafton is gwen the jurors yet the professional Juror
bctrays great anxiety to get on all railroad cases"
II safe TO say that itching palm the incen-
live
VIII Interest the taxpayers perhaps to learn what
u costs them support these four coroners, their
deputies and rela'ners Here are the ngurcs Tor tour
curriers', from Uoioocr 1874, to September 80, 1915:
". End'g Qr gnd9 Or End'g q. End'g Total
Dec 81, 1eh II, June 80, sept 80, one
Croker. 81, 40 5000 1910 si.ego sls ESQ
Wotman :, lao aIUO 500 $500 1850
Eickhon alp 1l+O 4.l20 500 rs 400
Rcsslcr. 2.2GO 1900 ava 1855 1850
Grand total four corchcrs. one year. seo ooo
Total for cach coroner one year............ 1875