Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-07-08
THE GUITEAUA AUTOPSY sQUABBLE.
Rev. Dr.. Hicks. District Attorney Cork /.
hin and the Doctors.

| Rev. DR.. Hicks, District Attorney Cork :.
| hin and the Doctors.
The controversy over the autopsy on the body
| OF Guiteau has assumed a somewhat new phase
| In that the Rev. DR.. Hicks and District .Attorney
| Corkhill have appeared as disputants. The ques-
tion between these two gentlemen is as TO the Or
derng OF the autopsy and the final custody OF the
| body. The main points have been already pub
| lished In THE STAR
WHAT DR. HICKS TOLD STAR REPORTER
Dr. HICKS told STAR reporter last evening that
ne held Dr. Lamb alone responsible for the report
| which had been made, and which was official and
authoritative He further said that he intended TO
| oppose the preparing OF second report, which
| could result In nothing more than was already
| covered in Dr. Lambs report. He regretted the
| squapole among the DOCTORS wnieh occurred when
| tley should nave been making an examination OF
| the bran thereby letting the golden moment 81 ip
Dy, lor the brain was even then undergoing subtle
changes, and he held the doctors responsible The
autopsy was only intended for the Interests OF SCI
ence and humanity, and nothing could be determi-
ed as 10 the Insanity OF the man. In regard TO the
| proposition that the brain OF Gaiteau should be
taken out by DrS. Lamb Sewers and Hartigan in
The presence OF all the other parties and by them
prepared and preserved Tor microscopic examina-
| ton in the national museum, said final exatnina-
ion TO De made at the proper time by parties selec
Yea Jolntiy by the district attorney and DIR. Hicks
the latter said he accepted il on the conditions
| that Dr. Lamb should not be interfered with In
any way as the surgeon OF the autopsy, and il at
should find this proposition hampering the opera
uoh or progress OF the autopsy, that he would un-
| hesltatingly repudiate it. lie did have reason to
fepGdlate 1T In the room where the autopsy was
oelng conducted, for the reason that the doctors
| engaged In dispute, without proceeding with the
dissection directed DR.. Lamb to go on with the
autopsy, which he did. In regard TO District At
torney CorkhfllS control over the remains of Gull
| Ieau, Dr. Hicks -"The Attorney General as
SuIed me that the condemned man had a perfect
right TO Will his body TO whomsoever he pleased,
ana that having wied 1t to me, 1t was my right
| wiil.n p'N'''N "''A ~ 'n "'00'u"n'' "i'n 'ne
DISTRICT ATTORNEY CoRKHILI,
In speaking of the interview OF the Rev. DIR. Hicks
With the Attorney General reported In yesterdays
STAR said that he anticipated no interference ON
the part OF the latter with him In connection with
the Guteau case.
CARD FROM DIR. HART1GAN.
The claim that the entire autopsy was placed
under the direction OF DR.. Lamb is denied by Drs.
| Hartigan and Sewers, and their position is set
forth In the following card from the former:
"The apparent impression made In the minds OF
some, by the published letter OF Rev. DIR. Hicks to
DIR. Lamb requesting the latter to take charge of
and complete the autopsy on Guiteau, compels me
10 make the following statement:
On the day Of the execution, under the gallows
and while the body was still suspended, Rev. DIR.
Hicks sent DR.. Sewers for me to be introduced to
him, and there, with his hands resting on my arms
In the most solemn manner and with considerable
emotion, the reverend gentleman told me, in the
presence or Drs L. T. Sewers and ID. G. Patterson,
coroner or the Dfstrict-and for aught / know
others-that this autopsy was in charge of myself,
Or. Lamb. and DR.. Sewers; that DR.. Lamb held a
list OF gentlemen who were invited to be present.
which list he wished to be Sacredly observed, and
that In addition We might invite others who would
DE agreeable to us to witness the autopsy.
1 respectfully submit, in conclusion, after DR..
HICKS made an agreement whether he has right
to alter it, except by mutual censent OF the parties
10 the agreement, and also, how can he reconcile
Cne TWO statements? j. +. HARTIGAN.
WASHINGTON. D. c., July z, 1892
have read the foregoing statement of Dr. Hart
III. Il a 10 M no ar6
Rev. DIR. Hicks instructions to DR. Hartfgan, and
fully corroborate DR.. Hartigan's statement.
ID. e. PATTERSON,
introduced Dr. HartIgan to the Rev. Dr. Hicks,
and heard the Instructions as stated above, and
certify to the correctness or the same. Dr. Hicks
gave me similar instructions just before introduc-
ing Dr. Harttgan T. T. Sewers.
REPLY TO DR.. KLEINsCHMIDT.
In regard to the letter OF DR.. Kleinschmdt pub
ilshed In yesterdays STAR, the following reply has
been written and signed by DrS Hartigan and
Sewers: I'm order to enlighten DIR. kleinschmidt
In regard to several glaring miSStatementS OF
facts referred to in his letter as published by
the our and their mentioned in our interview with
your reporter had reference to notes taken by
thoriZed and owned by the committee, and not to
notes personally, taken. This We thought was
fully explained by our published letter to DIR.
Lamb and his reply"
Guiteau,s Brain.
A CARD FROM DR.. GoDDING.
To the Editor of THE EVENING STAR:
Allow me a line to call attention to what am
sure was an unntentional oversight in your usu-
ally very accurate paper. In giving DR.. Lambs
Official report OF the autopsy OF Guiteau, in your
issue of the 7th instant, you wholly omit what he
says OF the arachnod membrane This report /
know is all dry technicaities for the public, but
this arachnoid is perhaps the one issue ON which
the case turns, and, to person accustomed to eX-
anime the brains OF insane people, TO leave IL out
would be like emitting the character OF Hamlet
from the play.
the upper convexity OF the brain presented in
many places, where 1T covered the sulcf, small
patches of thickening and opacity; elsewhere it
Drs- Morton and Dana In their report say:
"There were very well marked milky opacities OF
the arachneid extending over the upper convex
surface These opacties were over the assures only
look"
AS matter of fact,I have not for a considerable
time seen, at the post-mortem examinations OF the
insane, better marked case OF the thickening
and pearly opacity left behind by a former In
damatlons OF the arachno1d membrane
AS Mercutfo says OF his wound:-
s mot Sa e aeep as WELL wide as church
Yours very truly, W. W. GoDDING, MD.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., July g. 1882
A Demand for Ghastly MementOes.
The officers at the jail have about got through
with everything connected with the hanging OF
Guiteau on the 30th ult., and have now settled
down to regular routine business Immediately
after the execution there was demand for pieces
OF the rope with which Gulteau was hanged. Mr..
Robert Strong, who remained on the platform un-
til after the body had been laid In the coffin Sc
cured the rope, placed it In a canvas bag, and it
was locked up by the deputy warden, Capt Russ)
where it remained until Wednesday. when some
small pieces were cut of it. There has been as
great demand for pieces or the rope as there was
for admission to the execution; military organiZa-
tiOns, fire companies, Grand Army posts and indi-
viduals sending beSeeching letters for ever so
small piece. The four cords with which the arms
and legs of the prisoner were pinioned and the
cord which passed through the box into the cell
trap were all appropriated by the spectators OF
the hangfng-none OF those lines reaching the
wardens Office. Most OF the rope given out by the
Jail officers was cut into minute pieces, none OF
them being over few inches i'm length, and now
but small portion OF it remalns-only the moose
and a few inches attached, which, on no consider
alton, Will be cut for any one. There has been
also great demand for the invitations to witness
the execution, and all the blanks which were left
over have been given out by this time as memen-
toes, every section OF the country having been sup
piled as far as possible.
$1,000 Offered for Guiteau,s BODY.
Although it is pretty we'll settled that the body
Of Guiteau is at the Medical Museum, the JAN off,
cials claim that it has not been removed to their
knowledge. They, however, are rather pleased
that it has been so published, for now no more
ghoulS are seen proving around the premises,
and there are no offers made to officers 10 leave