The New York herald., 1878-12-31
RED TAPE TORTURES.

THE CHASE WHICH BUNGLINa OFFICIALS LED
DISTRACTED HUsDAND-TRyINa IN VAIN TO
OBTAIN POSSESSION OF HIS DEAD wIFE's
BODY.
Mrs. Cathsrine Rooney buried her eldest child.
girl fifteen years Of age. last May. Tho long vigil by
the sick bed and the subsequent shock to her syste
caused by the death Of her daughter. impaired the
mothers health, 80 that she herself. in turn
prostra.od sick bed. her complaint
developing into consumption. Her husband. an in
dustrious man. employed in gas house. and at
the beginning Of his wife's illness he met with
serious accident which placed him on bed Of pain
for six weeks. His shoulder was disocated, he was
suffering from concusston, and 1t was feared that his
injuries Sould prove fatal. To bury his daughter
and nurse heT through her iiness mao deprivea mm
condition OF affairs starvation and death stared him
In the face by the kind minstrstion OF friends he
recovered from the effects Of his injuries. and when
conyalescent agaiu sought employment but found
that no was incapable OF performing tho laborious
duties exactcd of him In the gas house. He tried to
obtain employment elsewhere, but without success-
MrsPonTUyl.s ACCUMULATE.
rnrnr 81 Fas9 Rroor,v1 bnnn~ 70 leave II az leo.
acy TO his children but he had to sell II at great
sacrifice in order to procure food for his starving
children and sick wife, In time this money gave out
Also and he then Obliged to place his dying wife
in Bellevue Hospital as be could no longer pay for
nurse and medical attendance. Tho woman was adj
mittcd to the hospital one month ago. and as her
disease pronounced incurablc she transferred
to HArts Island She died there last tuesday, ana
Mr.. Rooney was notified Of her death the following
Thursday.
RED TAPE.
Ho st repaired to the hospital and there made
arrangements to obtain the body for interment. He
notified m undertaken to be in readiness, thinking
that he could get possession OF the remains tha even
ing. Finding this to be impossible. he went to the
island ON Friday to ascertain the of the delay,
and was there told TO see Mr. White. the keeper Of
the Morgue. who would adjust the difficulty. MT.
White affected to know nothing Of the circumstance.
and Mr.. Rooney returned In an evening boat 70 tho
that the body had been sent TO the
Morgue. Mr. Itooney returned to the latter
place and told the contrary, Mr..
not been transferred to his keeping. Not satisfied
with this explanation Mr.. Rooney made personal
inspection Of the Morgue, and In an unlettercd pine
coffin he saw tho wasted corpse OF his wife. There
was label other record to state who sho was or
whence she lie was told he could not get the
body until the arrival Of the permit The following
morning Saturday he called again at the morgue
and told to see Mr. Blake. superintendent OF
Outdoor Poor. ut tho Office OF the Commissioners OK
Chafites and Correction in East Eleventh street.
MORE DrsAPPorNTMEHTs.
Mr. Blake In turn referred him to the warden OF
Harts Island and that functionary handed him over
70 the keeper Of the Morguc. After going all these
rounds he ut last succecdcd late In the evening, in
obtaining the permit ne again no.lhed the nndar-
Sunday afternoon. for the funeral He hurried to In
form his friends most Ut whom live in Brooklyn and
Jersey City, and at the hour named number
| the vicinity of the Morgue. Mr. Rooney made an APP
pcation for tho body and presented his permit but
met by refusal on the ground that there an
informaity in the paper The funeral therefore. had
/ TO be postponed. Mr.. Rooney sought out Mr. Blake
yesterday and that official, becoming annoyed at the
| distracted husbands importantly. remarked that it
to the hospital the island Mr.. Blake told Rooney
to return to-day and perhaps he could adjust the DIM
guilty and surrender the remains.