The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-07-04
THE MORGUE.
A Description of One Metropolitan Insti-
tution-Its Sad Histories.

What is the morgue? No doubt many
OF our readers find this question sug-
gested by the sad fate of Hattie Bedient,
and hence a brief sketch NAV be ac-
ceptable. One of the most painful
scenes ever witnessed at this abode of
horrors was when poor old farmer
Bedient beheld the corpse of his once
beautiful daughter stretched out upon
the marble slab along with other .'un-
known dead" The principal charity
hospital of New York is situated at the
foot of Twenty-siXth Street on the East
River, the place having been once known
as Bellevue" From the foot of this
street the steamboat plies to and from
Blackwell's Island, where the penten-
tiary is situate, the distance being two
miles. As you enter the grounds YOU
pass a small brick structure with large
window opening on the street, and here
one often notices a crowd gazing with
intense interest No wonder, for inside
Of that window are the unknown dead,
and there for two days lay the pallid
form of the once lovely Hattie Bedient,
The floor is stone, with drain, which
keeps it dry. It's sole furniture is
pair of stone tables, each slanting so as
to allow moisture to escape by dripping
On these tables the cOrpses are laid.
stripped of their clothing, but covered
by an india rubber cloth, which only
permits the head to be seen. In hot
weather a Jet of cold water is often
thrown upon them in order TO prevent
decomposition, for as soon as this be-
gins they are sent to the potter'S field
for interment The place is open from
nine to five O'Clock for the purpose of
allowing any one to identify lost friends
and in order to assist in this search an
examination of the wardrobe is also
permitted. This wardrobe, indeed. is
one of the most striking features in the
| morgue, and what strange emotions are
! felt as one gazeS on this varied array of
| garments, whose owners will. in most
instances, never be known. Each one
| is numbered and accompanied by few
words of description. Here. for instance
are pantaloons, shirt and vest, labeled:
Picked up in East river January u,
| 1884 buried on the 18th. - Another is
a full suit. marked; picked up in the
streets, stabbed" These garments are
kept for a year, and sometimes even
longer, in order to assist in identifying
those who have gone to the trenches OF
potter field. The latest and most i'm
| portant of these garments were labeled
Suicide at Grand Central Hotel, g." and
hundreds examined that mark (H. b.
Bedient) which saved poor Hattie :
corpse from pauper burial.
While speaking of this unfortunate
woman it may be added that her father,
accompanied by friend, reached the
mOrgue at midnight The building
was closed, but in compliance with his
earnest request the janitor opened it.,
and the gloomy morgue seemed still
gloo1nier as it was illuminated by a
lamp. AS soon as the light fell on the
face of the corpse the poor old man
recognized his child. The scene was
one beyond the power of art, aud even
the hardened attendants were moved by
it. | speak Of these men AZ hard
ened,' meaning merely that natural
indifference which is the inevitable re-
suit of habit The record Of the morgue
| has reached more than 1000 cases,
most of which went to the pottcr's
field. Among the number was a Young
man from the vicinity of Albany, whose
parents were rich, and the family held
high social position. His corpse was
picked up in the Harlem River, aud he
had either fallen in while intoxicated or
had closed a dissipatcd life by suicide.
! Some months after he had been buried
in the pauper trench his name and
family were discovered. Vice, indeed,
brings many of its victims thther to
finish their course, and even in the
| Hattie Bedient case there is Il secret
volume of misery which never will be
opened.
Such was the curiosity awakened by
the Bedient tragedy that more than five
hundred persons called to view the
corpse. Among this number were the
friends of half-dozcn girls who had
recently disappeared. These mysterious
disappcaranceS are among the strange
features in a great city. On one occa-
sion the corpse of a man, evidently of
the better class, was brought to the
morgue, and the fact being announced
by the press, the place was visited by
nearly a score of women whose huS-
bands were missing. None of them
claimed the dead man, but their appli.
cation revealed the fact that so many
husbands could be eliminated from
society with no clew to discovery.
There is such a rush of strangers to this
city from all parts of the world, and
such facilities exist for shutting off this
mortal coil, that the morgue nevel
lacks for tenants, and the REDEEM
tragedy will no doubt soon be forgotten
in subsequent scenes of tragic char
aCter.
The most painful scene that ever oc.
CURED at the morgue prior to the dis
covery of Hattie Bedient was the Mrs.
Leroy suicide. This unfortunate woman
was the wife of an extensive business,
man who became rich, and they lived
in Fifth Avenue in the height of style.
Then came the "shrinkage' in which
so many sank to ruin, and among other
victims was the house of Leroy IL Co.
The loss of her splendid home made her
insane. and the result was her disap.
| Dparancp until a cOrngp '.fnund