The New York herald., 1879-07-30
STEALING DEAD BODIES.

THE PHILADELPHIA CoRoNERs CHARGED WITH
SELLING OR PERMITTING THE SALE OF THE
UNCLAIMED DEAD.
PHILADELPHIA, July 90 1879.
The detective newspaper reporter is his travels.
His latest work the way of unearthing crimes and
criminals is the discovery. as alleged. that since
Dr. W. Kert Gilbert has been Coroner of this city
he into Office on the first of last January-ex-
actly 100 bodies of the unclaimed dead have
been stolen from the Morgue and sold to
the medical colleges. 1t is the Philadelphia
Record which makes this disclosure this morning.
and as the of the paper of the same po-
litical faith the Coroner. and the accusation
to be supported by transcript of the official
books of the city giving full list of the missing
bodies. tho charge is apparently worthy Of atten-
tion.
second count in the indictment. of graver ma
ture even than the frst. is the allegation that for
these 100 missing bodies tho Coroner has
charged and been paid by the city over
$4,000 for the burial of corpses that never
were inferred. The newspaper article states that
the reporter while visiting the Potter's Field was
struck by the irregularty in the numbers the
little boards over the trenches The bodies num-
bered at the Morgue but they did not run in order
at the graves, and many were missing The reporter
interviewed the superintendent of the Potters
Field with the following result;-"In 1878 COM
menced with 21O" the superintendent said. pointing
''Where the other bodes-21l, 212 and the
others up to 224?' the reporter asked.
We'll they didn't come to me" he replied Ny
books are always OPEN / make my return to the
Commissioner of City Property of every body that
is sent here and if they amt sent sent here. Why
I've nothing to do with it.
OF course he hadn't.
81 am willing to let anybody look at my books -
the superintendent continued 'and see If they ain t
right. There is book down at the Office of the De-
partment of City Property that is just like mine
am under the Commissioner of City Property and
So the reporter took trip to the Office Of the
Commissioner Of City Properly, and an exact tran
script OF the superintendents books was produced.
"How many bodies were sent from the Morgue?"
The chief clerk hauled down a bundle of reports,
because the Morgue being also city properly ana IN
the returns OF all such bodies made to that de-
partment.
"Now, what are the totals? was asked by the re-
..Two hundred and one" he answered. after laying
out the reports month by month.
"How many reached thereT
"Eighty-one. SO the superintendent returned"
What became of the other 1902" the reporter in
quired.
1.-The Coroner has charge of that. The keeper OF
the Morgue delivers the bodies to the Coroner for
burial, and the Coroner is expected to do it,. This
the chief clerks explanation.
The Morgue was visited. The figures at the De-
partment Of City Property tailed with the keepers
Then the City Comptroller was called upon. He
brought out the Coroners fee book. where were set
out the charges for jurors witnesses, burials, &C.,
in separate columns
The item of burials was counted up. The Coroner
is allowed by law So for burying an adult, $5 for
burying child The superintendent of the Potter's
Field does not number the 'snkers, as he de-
scrbed the babes found on LOTS it was found too
tedious job to follow up each child. Over two
hundred of these had beer charged for. The Coro-
ners returns and charges fees showed POI bIrals
work the city of Philadelphia has, since the 1st OF
January, 1875 credited HIM with fees for burial to
the amount of s2665. or this 81. 900 were for the
burial of adults yet according to the showing at
the Potter's Field he entitled to but $643.