The Columbus journal., 1885-07-29
THE MORGuE.
a Description Of One Metropolitan Iusts.
t~ution-Its Sad Histories.


a Description Of One Metropolitan In,<s.
tution-Its Sad Histories.
What is the morgue? No doubt many
of our readers find this question suc-
gestcd by the sad fate of Hattie Bedicnt,
and hence a brief sketch may he ac-
ceptable. One of the most painful
scenes aver 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
g Bellevue" From the foot of this
street the steamboat plies to and from
Blackweil's Island. where the peniten-
tiary is situate. the distance being two
miles. As You enter the grounds YOU
pass 3 small brick structure with n large
window opening on the street. and here
q often notices a crowd gazing with
intense interest. No wonder, for inside
of that window are the unknown dead.
and there for two DAYS Law the pallid
form of the once lovely HATTIE Bedient.
The floor is stone. with 4 drain. which
keeps it dry. Its sole furniture is q
pair Of stone tables. each slanting SO IA
to allow moisture to escape by dripping.
On these tables the cOrrses are laid.
stripped of their clothing. but covered
by an india rubber cloth. which ONLY
permits the head 10 be seen. In hot
weather a jet of cold water is often
thrown upon them i'm order to prevent
decomposition. for As soon as this be-
gins they are sent to the pOtter's field
for intermcrt. 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 n gaZcs On this varied array of
garments, whose Owncr will. in most
instances. never be known. Each ono
is numbered and accompanied BY a few
words of description. Here. for instance.
are a %pantalOons, shirt and vest. labeled:
picked up in East river January II,
1884 hurried 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's field. The latest and most i'm
pOrtant of these garments were labeled
Suicide at Grand Central HOTEL" and
hundreds examined that mark Oh. b.
Bedient) which saved poor Hattie's
corpse from pauper burial.
While speaking of this unfortunate
woman it may be added that her father,
accompanied by a friend. reached the
mOrgue at midnight. The building
was closed. but in compliance with his
earnest request tho janitor opened it,
and the gloomy mOrgue seemed still
gloomicr 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. and even
the hardened attendants we're moved by
it. ! speak of these men as hard
meaning merely that natural
Indifference which is the inevitable re-
suit of habit. The record of the mOryue
has reached more than 1900 eases,
most of which went to the potter'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
up in the Harlem River, and he
had either fallen in while intoxicated or
had closed a dissipated life by suicide.
Some months after he had been buried
in the pauper trench his name and
were discovered. Vice. indeed,
many of its victims thither to
their course, and even in the
Hattie Bedient ease there is a secret
volume of misery which never will be
opened.
Such was the curiosity awakened by
Bedient tragedy that more than five
hundred persons called to view the
Among this number were the
of 4 half-dozen girls who had
recently disappeared. These mysterious
disappearances are among the strange
in a great city. On one Occa-
sion the corpse of a man. evidently of
better class. was brought to the
.orgue. and the fact being announced
BY the press. the place was visited by
a o 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
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 shuffling of this
mortal col. that the mOrgue never
for tenants. and the Redient
tragedy will NJ doubt soon be forgotten
in subsequent Genes Of tragic char
acter.
The most painful scene that ever De-
Cured at the mOrgue prior to the dis
covery Of Hattie Bedient was the Mrs.
Leroy suicide. This unfortunate woman
las 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
50 many sank to ruin. and among other
was the house of Leroy Il Co.
The loss of her splendid home made her
and the result was her disap-
.pearance: until a corpse found
was brought into the mOrgue,
where it was identified. The transition
the grandeur of the Fifth Avenue
the stone table of the morgue was
certainly strange. but it is only n of
viciSsitudeS which so often mark
high lifs,-N. J. Cor. Troy IN. ~