The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-10-10
of New York, who also recently accepted
a compromise of $10,5OO
TANNING HUMAN SKINS
Ben Butler in the Last Development
Yankee Thrift and Economy.

Ben Butler in the Last Development of
Yankee Thrift aud Economy.
A man came into my office and brought
me "A shoe made of the skin of a wOm-
ans breast. Said /: Where did this
come frOmp" 1t was tanned shOe,tan-
ned leather. "Oh," said he there Is
plenty of this to be got els therep"
said |. where does il come frOmp"
From TewksbuTy." How does 1t get
thereP" "Men die in TewksbuTy." How
does it get here?" why" said lie, They
take them down to Harvard, skin them
and tan them up to WOburn, down To
Lynn," and other places which he men
toned. What was | to do? Lay down In
the furrOw and let that industry go Onr
Not much. lCheeTs and applause.l |
brought it before the committee, and at
ter a struggle got some of the evidence
before it, and some they ruled out by a
party vote. And produced the slipper,
one of them, the other you can see any
day in Washington street wlndOw,and
skins from five tanneries. Skins from
your fellow creatures and mine. Some
of them as good men as we are in every
respect, before misfortune and disease
brought them into an nlmshOuSe. Zap
plause. 1t may be your mtsfOrtune,any
of us, To OutliYe your wife and children,
your relatives, and there Will be nobody
on whom you can depend, and you may
have to go to the almshOuse, and having
no friends to reclaim your body within
twenty four hours, or To watch your
death, you may be taken away for the
purpose of dissection. IL may BE-. Be
it so. But when you are dlssected, and
all the good to science has been gotten
out of your remains, for Gods sake, for
humanity's sake, for Christ'S sake, let
those remains be decently buried, and
not skinned and tanned. Prolonged
applause The Republican papers say
Gen. Butler must go on account of what
he has done about Tewksbury. Be it so.
can go to heaven on that issue If |
could go on none other. [NOciferOus ap-
plause.l Iappeal to you, fathers, ap
peal to you, brothers, appeal to you,
sons, | appeal to you, mothers, daugh-
ters, wives, whether | am right or
wrong, and | cast myself upon the hu-
name, sound, Christian Judgment of
men and women of this commonwealth
to say. 1t was several moments before
the vast audience ceased applauding
and cheering at this stage OF the speak
eTS'a remarks.
They say have done something to the
good name of the Commonwealth. Why
only took up their old charges which
they smOthered, and which | found on
the executive files, and presented them,
not as my charges, but as the charges of
the Board of State Charities of that day
against the institution. | desired very
much to know what about it, and |
found out what about it. [Applause.l
found out, first, that institution had
been so managed that seyenty-One out
of seventy ythree children died immedi-
ately after being sent there. | found
that fact, and that is not denied by any
body. found another thing. l found
that, contrary to law, men had been sold
as merchandise by the hundreds, and
am one that believes that a man, rich
or poor, pauper or convict, has a right
to fill at least pauper's grave. Tire
mendOus applause.l Ifany one will not
give him that | Will defend him. Ap-
plause.-FrOm his late speech.