Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-08-13
Pictures Of the New York
MOrgue.
New York NlercuTN

having a close resemblance to the great
author, Alexander Dumas. There Is no
appearance of death IN the silent face,
| and through if there beam the charac-
teristics Of man OF ntrong passions and
| indomitabls will. 1t is face that a
| weird painter like Dore would revel in.
| SIR. Mason has many interesting anec-
| dotes to relate concerning his gallery.
| It appears by his statistics that two
| thirds OF the persons who have been
| photographed have been identified, and
| in some instances the result has been
| the recovery Of large sums of money.
RECOGNIZED AFTER THREE YEARS.
On the eighth Of August, 1874, gen.
| tleman came to the wharf at the foot OF
Twenty. sixth street for the purpose If
visiting Blackwell's Island. To his
| chaqrin he was just in time to see the
| boat leaving the pier. To while away
the time he strolled into the morgue,
and was examining the photograph gal
lery, when he was almost struck DUMB
with astonishment II see the portrait of
an intimate friend, who had been mis-
ing ever since the early part OF October,
| 1871. The missing man had been q
wealthy and influential citizen OF Co.
lumbia county, in this State, and, since
he Ddt iSlI hOL1bY al va AlL-1 hRN
been lost Inquiry had been set on foot,
as the settlement OF large estates was in
vol ed in the establishment Of the fact
OF his death, but without avail. Toe
photograph st the morgue established
| the fact Of his death. Toe estates wers
settled up, and the heirs have to thank
| the BIackWel's boat and Mr.. MasoE's
| camera for their fortune.
MIN DOppourD uANOKEPCuTEE
One Of the strangest stories in the
| photographers repertoire Is the follow
ing: Some years ago the body OF a iae-
| loo king, Well-dFessed man was found
floating in the dock, dumping against
the piles, and covered with the oozs and
slime Of the dark river. There WAS no
money in bis pocket, no mark upon his
Clothes, nothing save a handkerchief
upon which a name had been worked.
While the photograph was being taken,
| the druggist OF the hospital standing by,
| happened to look at the handkerchief,
and recognized the name upon it IS that
of a well-known Philadelphia druggist.
| The telegraph " as al once brought into
| reQuisitiOn, and message was sent ask
| ing whether the druggist in question
wa missing. The answer came back
ttNo." Sill the handkerchief in the
possession Of the dead man was uDac-
counted r, and to uuravel the mystery
| further communication was opened with
the Philadelphia druggist Upon inquiry
| he remembered that some time previous
an intimate friend had slept at his house
and, before leaving in the morning, had
| borrowed handkerchief. The handker-
chief and the photograph were shown to
| him, and he recognized his property and
l.. tolI hcH of
his death was never ascertained, but
mourning friends saved him from the
potter's field.
THE LOST BANKER.
About six O'Clock ono morning the
porter at the gate OF the hospital no.
ticed an elderly gentleman walking
| along Twenty-siXth street toward the
river. There was nothing remarkable
in this fact except the evident respecta
bility of the gentleman and the earli-
ness of the hour, for respectable gentle.
| men are not in the habit of walking
along the East river at six o'clock in
| the mcrning. Three hours afterward
| this gentleman was picked up from the
water in the dock, desd, and his photo.
| graph was taken. Before the day passed
| det Gives visited the charnel-house.
Mr.. Bull, well-known banker, at one
time secretary of the American insti-
tute, was missing; had any one bearing
his description been there? The photo
graph of the notwithstanding gentle,
man was shown them. 1t was that Of
the missing banker. It ranspired on
investigation that Mr.. Bull had been
Spending the evening with some friends,
and had left them to take the cars at
Forty second street depot-he lived out
of town. TIE theory advanced was that
he had in some manner become con-
fused, lost his way, and, after walking
the streets in dszed condition, had IN
erringly walked into the water.
THE ORPHANS LOSS.
About year ago gentleman left his
home on Staten Island to come to his
business in the city. 1t was happy
home, for two beautiful and afectionate
daughters consoled him for the less of
the kind mother and loving wife who
had been called away from life. He
was a prosperous merchant, and want
had never entered the doorway into
which the / canning sun stresmed so
brightly. The day passed as merrily as
the others had, but when night came
there was no father there. TIE agon-
lied daughters, nearly frantic with I'm.
defined fear, ran to their neighb1r5, but
no tidings of their missing parent were
to be had. Two long weeks dragged on;
detectives were employed, letters writ
ten, kilograms cent, but still no tidings.
Then, as last resort, they went to the
morgue. There were no bodies On the
cold, specteT-like marble slabs, no pho
tOgraph of their father in the gallery.
Then somebody suggested to the or
nh fh of thoxy ShOnlH nina Mr.
Mason's album. They did SO, and, as
they were turning the leaves, the eldest
daughter gave a long, piteCu5 scream
that chilled the hearts Of the listeners,
and fell in a swoon to the floor. She had
recognized the portrait OF her father.
AFTER ONE YEAR.
1t is not always, however, that the
loved are found in the gallery of death.
There came to the morgue one day the
body of a man, laboreT, who haC been
crushed to death by the falling upon him
OF a heavy box. A photograph was
taken and the body was buried. Some
time afterWard a woman, evidently
drawn thither by curiosity, more than
from any set purpose, wandered into the
mOrgue and looked carelessly at the pic
lures upon the wall. suddenly her eyes
distended, her face psl9i, she clu.ched
nervously ct the thin shawl that was
thrown loosely around her, and buTss
into tears. Somebody sanding by no.
ticed her perturbation and asked the |
cause. She then explained, her voice |
choked with emotion, that the portrait |
of the dead labOrer was that of her hus- |
band. They had been separated for over |
q year, and, during that time, she had |
not seen him once. Now che was |
brought face to face with the picture Of |
his dead body.
TIE WAGES OF SIN.
At almost any hour of the day there |
may be found in the narrow limits of |
the morgUe three or four-snd, when |
there is q "suhiect" on the slabs. lsr-
ger number-lOiteTers drawn thit7er
either through anxiety or morbid curl
osity that draws the idle to such place !
One day there. happened to be among /
the thrOng, a bright, hsndsom e-lookiDg |
young man, with the bloom OF health
upon his cheek, and evidently fresh
from the country, the fact being express.
ed in avery iinpamant Of his o0Uuha- |