Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-06-16
SOLD HIS BODY.
A San Francisco Man Disposes of His
Body to n Doctor to be Delivered after
Death and Becomes a Victim.

The resources to which some men
resort for the gain of ready cash Is
truly remarkable, but the last move
of miserable man in San Francisco,
surpasses anything of the kind pre-
viously recorded. He made bona
fide contract with doctor for his
body which the NJ d. was to receive
at the victims death.
To be sure, he was extremely hard
up when he did it, and could think
of no other way of raising money
that he needed to keep breath in the
said body, but life has been rendered
so irksome since that he is sorry he
didn't quietly starve to death instead
of attempting to continue an un-
profitable existence at such a cost.
He supposed when he signed the
contract and accepted the money
that he wouldn't be troubled by the
doctor until he had shuffied of this
mortal coil, when the mortgage could
be forclosed without his knowing
ANYTHING about it, but different re-
suit has followed. While it cannot
be asserted that the doctor has
logged his footsteps, the poor fellow
SAYS he is meeting him continually,
and the man of pills always looks as
though he owned him. Of course he
does in one sense, but it isn't pleas
ant to have him show it so plainly.
It is decidedly unpleasant to have
the doctor stop him and ask after his
health. Occasionally he feels his
pulse and makes him run out his
tongue, and then he shakes his head
gravely, though the unhappy man
says he can perceive a CLEAN of sat
isfaction in the M. D.. eyes when his
symptoms are particularly unfavor-
able.
He was laid up several days with a
severe cold, and when he got out
again the first man he met was the
doctor. WHAT he says, "alive
YETI and he. gives him glance of
displeasure and stern reproach. He
seemed to think that he hadn't been
sauarely dealt with-an unfare adj
vantage had been taken of him in
some manner. If the man whose
skeleton he owned in perspective felt
a proper desire to. discharge his obi
cations he would have passed away
when he had the opportunity. The
doctor didn't speak to him fol
several days after that, though his
looks expressed volumes.
Last winter when the pavements
were icy the doctor took him severely
to task for venturing out on the
streets at all. "What would your
skeleton be worth to me-" said the
doctor bitterly, with the femoral
bone or tibia fractured? Do you
suppose want your articulated an
atomy hung up in my office with the
lumbar vertebr@ dislocated?' ano
then the doctor became so chokeo
with passion that he could no Longer
articulate.
One night the miserable custodian
of skeleton that didn't belong tt
him attended a chronological lecture
and when subjects were called for be
mounted the stage and sat down in g
chair preparatory to having his
bumps felt of. AS the professor was
about to begin, the subject was par
alyzed by familiar voice in the au-
dience forbidding the proceedings.
Il don't want my skull manipu
lated" said the voice; "let it alone"
II Amt touching your skull" said
the professor.
eyes you are; that's my skull
you've got your hands on now, and
won't have it."
Then the doctor, for he it was
showed the astoDished professor
his contract and walked his mar
triumphantly away, amid the ap
plause of the audience. He told the
miserable victim of an unwise and
unfortunate contract that he would
attend to the business of examining
his bumps himself when the proper
time arrived. He wanted no ten
cent lecturer monkeying with bis
subjects.
A spell ago this man received q
note from the doctor. He said he
had had new and improved dis.
secting table made for his Office, and
he desired him to come up and try il
on. He wanted to know If it would
fit man of his size before paying fol
it. If he could Gomez Thursday af
ternoon, when he had his regular
clinic for small class of medical
students he was lecturing it would be
an accommodation. This cold
blooded proposition made him &C
sick that he was very near being
turned over to his medical creditor
without further delay.
Now the unfortunate man wants t6
know if there is any way to get out
of his contract. He had sum oil
money left him recently through the
death of relative, and he has been
trying to buy himself back, but the
doctor won't listen to it. He hai
dwelt so long upon the idea of pos
sessing his skeleton that he cannot
give it up, and he is going to hole
him to his bargain. He would rur
away, but says he is secretly watched
and would be arrested for carrying
off property that doesn't belong t.
him. If the strain continues much
longer he will be reduced to skele
ton, and there will be little work left
for the doctors scalpel.