The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1879-09-17
HEARTIEsSNE SS.
4 student who Wears SHOES Made of
Human Skin.

A few days ago we reproduced from
the Lafayette Courier an article that
seemed to us to be the silly bOasting of
some Hedging sawbOnes. In order to
ascertain whether or not there was "a
substratum of truth i'm the story, we
telegraphed our Lafayette correspond
ent, and instructed him to furnish us
with the facts of the ease. Last night
we received the following letter from
him:
LAFAYETTE, IND, Aug. 5th, 1879
Several days since the Erening Courier,
of this city, published IA somewhat
lengthy account of u young doctor of
this city having worn pair of shoes
made from the skin of Cincinnati
belle. The story as told by the Courier,
your correspondent is assured was sub
stantially as reported by well anthem
ticated rumOr to the city editor of that
paper. In the account it il stated that
"the young student said he was one
night sought out by ressurrectionist
famous among the medical men, who
offered to sell him a subject Just snatch
ed from city cemetery. How the
corpse, that of beautiful young girl,
whose white flesh and the costly ring
on her smoothe, soft hand showed her
to he of no poor family, was bought by
several of the students, and how, when
the body, slashed by the knife of the
dissector, lay upon the table, he crept
i'm and cut the skin from the round
limbs.n His was sent to tanner, who
in due time prepared the skin and sent
it by express To the young student i'm
this city. The leather was then taken
to Il well-known shoemaker, who FASH
Toned il into n pair of shoes. The rep
resentative of the Enquirer sought the
young man, Ed. Canadian, this morn
ing, and learned from him the follow
ing, which is submitted as the result of
the interview. Carnaham attended the
Miami Medical College of Cincinnati
during the past collegiate year. His at
tentiOn had been called to a pair of boots
of dark olive color, on exhibition at
the Centennial They had been made
from human skin. \ great many peO-
pie who saw the boots naturally revolt
ed at the idea. There were various
opinions upon the matter. How it af-
fected Carnahan know not. Last win
ter, OH one occasion, having paid for the
subject assigned him and his fellow stu
dents, he felt privileged, in the callOus
license of the dissecting room, to Use it
as he deemed proper. He cut from the
body portion of the skin. He did not
know who the corpse was. The person.
| al identity of the subject is never estab-
lished, even to the demonstration HIM
self Having secured the skin from the
body, it was given TO a Cincinnati tan
her, and about five or six weeks ago
was sent G %. ID. to young Carnahan.
He made no secret of it. The shOema-
ker, Mr.. Fit, made the shoes. The
only part of the shoes which is human
shin is the upper. The leather is as soft
as kid. 1t has much the texture of the
best French calf, and is only distin-
guished from that leather by the hui
man pores distinctly visible'in the olive
color of the under or Unframed side
The story about the ring as well as the
identity of the subject as Cincinnati
belle was an establishment for which
the young student Is in no way respOn-
sible. He is a young gentleman of the
highest social position and personal
q, worth. The whole matter revOlves it,
self into this Out of mere curiosity he
desired pair of shoes made from hui
man skin, and he got them"
Accompanying this letter We're u
number of others from reputable par
ties i'm Layfette vouching for young
Carnahan's responsibility and social
standing, and requesting us to keep his
name out of the paper. We have no
desire to be hard on any young person,
and, had his offense been simply stu
dents freak, these letters might have
had some weight with Us, though our
mission is to print, not to suppress, news.
In this case, however, Carnahan has
shown such heartlessness and contempt
for the dead that we ara 10th to believe
him fit and proper person to minister
to the needs of the afflicted living. He
had better turn his attention to some
business requiring little or none of the
finer sensibilities of humanity. Quar-
rying granite might afford him the
proper field for the exercise of his pecu-
liar talent.-C Cincinnati Enquirer.