The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-08-31
ONLY A WOMAN'S HAND.

PATRoI.MAN GILMORE POUND ONE IN AN AsHBox
ON FIRST AvENUE-RooM FOR REFLECTION.
Late on Thursday afternoon as OfAcer John Gilmore
was patrolling his beat Frat he noticed
number Of small children WHO wore profoundly agi-
tatcd about discovery they had made. In raking
up she dirt that lay between q coalbox and ashbox,
both IN oil No 527 Frat avenue they had found
human hand. Tho officer took possession Of Il, and
tried TO find from tho ssarticd children VINO had
Hrsl discovered IT, This hs unable at FIRST 10 do,
ano therefore ho the hand to the station house
Tnirtyu ih street. where the sergeant ordered him 70
take II 10 tho Morgue.
IL was In tho deadhouss yeserd ~ wrapped In
brown paper, whom the writer examined II. A. nrst
sight II appeared only blackened skeleton OF hand
coated and grmod with black mould and dirt, but
n closer could DO readily that the
Aesh, although shrivesd and dried, had not been
moved and that the nails nearly perfect. II
lett hand and iaust have been, ere " became biz
Of refuse cast away unworthy OF Christian burial
n snapely womsn's hand slender aud doubtless iair,
for tho bones were symmetrical and small ana the
nails nuo and had been well kept hand that
may have been pressed tendorly clad daintily, be-
jcwslied spiendtdiy, kAscd fondly-t 10 now only
unclaimed fragment oil oneo bcaatifui lazy, lost
beyond tho possibility oil Identification, mingled
already with tue clements oil decay and stained with
corruptisn. hand that, whether II Was ciaspcd IA
prayer or whether u poised u wiDecur, must have
boon long sought wHxerly-it " now yinB- caro-
iessiy rolled brown paper, sws'tng burial In
Potteris Field.
Deputy Coroner Macwbinnie looked AZ II With
shade oil regret that seemed curious In one 30 used
10 scenes OF ghasty nature.
"Wil you hold an inquest on ~" asked the writer.
The expression ot roget deopcncd. "WeL. however
anxous ~ are to make money" ho said, aud then
paused Al length he concluded. hrmly enough
''No, VIC generally wait Til We get whole BODY"
SOMETHING rnK Az rioRIriks suorLD INVESTIGATE
Tho people 1T the Mcrgue think That tue hand 10
merely a fragment thrown away by some meu,cai
stuacnt Tor the sake Vt joke sufficiently rev ,ting
Tor medical student to vnJoy. rbey say that the
prepared Tor dissection, aud they point To the
main Iigamcnt OF The fourth nuger which nas been
either cut or torn away from the nesh, aud hangs
sIred OF M uscls IRON the knucke. rnis. they say,
done win dissectng knife. But Officer Gnmore
has n different theory.
Aler .akisg tns hand to the Morgue he returned V
his boat and made further inquiries rs 10 The nrst
nnding OF the hand. Af,sr go.tng several confused
stories he at length learned tnat had besn found by
some children piayin IN the yard OF No. 51g First
avenue On thus TACT he constructed a theory winch
he propou ndcd ms foows:-
"No. $40 used TO be q quor saloon which used 70
have 10 watch pretty close. rbs proprietor used to
i've with a woman dsn's know what her name was,
but sue was q toisraby good looking, middle aged
woman. Ibey fought protty near all tue timo AS lar
as can end out Anyway, tho ncighbors used 10 hear
pretty iivcIy music tnere all niaht long worry often.
she disappeared sbout slx months ago, and no said
That she gone back home TO Ensland and IN about
a week he was iiv,ng with another woman" And
Oulcsr Gilmore paused
"rhsn you think" -, began the writer.
IL DOM thnx anything, only that v would be q
good idea search tbs premises. But I'm going
10 do II without orders. II should get caught in
there I'D only be hauled up and nnod."