The New York herald., 1878-11-12
LOOK AT YOUR MOTHERS ARM

THE EXPRESSION THAT CAUSED THE DOCTORS
RIOT IN NEW YORK CITY NEARLY A CENTURY
AGo-sEAEcHING THE COLUMBIA COLLEGE
MEDICAL SCHOOL POE DEAD BODIES.
The of the body Of A. T. Stewart recalls the
Doctors Riot. which took place in this city in the
year 17ss Previous to that year the system Of body
snatching had prevailed to any great The
graves Of negroes WERE indeed opened, and in e
number Of instances the bodies inferred
therein ruthlessly dragged up. to
be used By medical students in the dissecting
rooms OF their colleges. But at that time nobody
thought much of the poor colored man. and so the
practice continued. During 1887 and 1885, however.
the students to let the bodies Of their col
ored brethren rest, and instead of taking them they
stole the remains Of respectable white people. male
and female, who bad been buried in private grave
yards many of them being Inferred in the old Trinity
burying ground. The medical men Of Columbia Col
lege particularly rapacious in this work Of desc
Grafton. but it done skilfully that outside Of
the college authorities probably no aware Of
the traffic that going in human remains.
HOW THE TROUBLE BEdAs.
At last. however, whispers began to be bruited
about relation TO the practices Of the students but
great the faith of many citizens in the
which has always been attached to dead bodies
that the stories would probably have been be-
Iieved but for q very simple incident. 1t that
in the early part of May 1873. party of boys
playing in the Of tine Columbia College Hospital,
which surrounded on almost every side by grav-
elcd walks and green swards. student IN the col
lege who was looking a the boys called 10 one Of them
70 climb up n ladder that leaning against
the wall When the boy did the surgeon took
up from a table near by stump OF 3 beautifully
rounded arm, and dangling 1t in front OF the young
ster. said in half joking manner. Look at your
mothers arm. sonny. and then closed the window.
The boy, whose mother had but recently been buried
was for moment filled with terror, but when ne had
recovered his presence of mind he Immediately to
where his father was working, which happened to be
by and told him what the student had said and
what he had seen. The father set ont for the grave
Of his deceased wife and had 1t opened. Bat the
body gone. Who could have taken il but
the person who had ruthlessly and remorse-
lessly wounded the feelings of his son? Almost
choking with suppressed rage and Indignation. the
outraged husband gathered a crowd OF workInen to-
gether, and as they marched up to the medical col
ege they rent the air with their onths and nprecs-
tions. Cries OF Death 10 the body snatchcrsl' and
.Out with the doctors! were mingled with shouts Of
Indignation and approval. The noise served 10 draw
ont the authorities of the city; but before any stop
could he put to the proceedings of the mob. which
seemed 10 be fairly boiling with rage the college had
rooms lad been carefully scanned The finding n
one or two apparently freshly dug out bodies
served to incense the mob beyond measure.
and furious onslaught was made on all the valuable
collections contained In the college, At last however
Mayor Duane. Recorder Richard Varick, sheriff Boyd
John JAY. Baron steubef who was then in this city.
and number ~ citizens arrived st the scene ~ the
riot and through their cntreaties the mob was dis
pcrsed such OF the students had fallen into their
hands were placed in jail for safckeepng: This
seemed 70 satisfy the rioters and trouble was
anticipated by the authorities. But all through the
early part OF the night and on the following morning
groups Of excited to be standing around
the corners discussing the situation.
| rHE RIOT CONTINUED.
Later on in the day few OF the apparent leaders of
| the rioters proposed to examine the college more
thoroughly This wn-, csarriy acceicd 70, and the
mob oncc more proceeded ~ the building. but their
efforts could not discover than he'd been
| found the previous evening They ranaackcd tho
houses OF the physicians attached 10 the medical de-
partment OF the college, but without finding any