The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-12-18
SKULLS n BONES.
rbc CHASTITY Collection in The Army Mca
cal Museum,

rho GlIstly Collection in The Army Mcdf'
cal Mrseuln,
Washington star,
THERE'S n replace W ssshington thai
very few sisht-seers visit. 1t Is a nh'
,epm with Il very extensive ard novel
eo!lec ion. composed entirely OF lr;ts-
ments OF dead people, and it occupies
the old Ford's Theatcr, on Tenth
street. in which Lincoln met his tragic
leato. The once gay theater IS now
sssociated with skeletons n death.
The first floor, where the pit was, Is
occupied bv the clerical force OF tho
medical department OF the army. me
dress circle contains the library ana
( few artic,ilated skeletons, Whale o
peanut gallery, where thesstreer arabs
| used 10 assemble at night to applaud
| the acting and drop peanut huls ana
orange peelings OH the bald heads IN
/ the pit. is given up exclusively to n
| Fragments OF dead men. There IS sci
lom anybody in the museum except
| the attendant. At the entrance oil the
library = group OF skeletons stand
srinuins Il %scpuichrai welcome, these
in front standing in a careless attitude
"tOo naked to be ashamed, White
those behind leer over their shoulders
with an air OF familiarity that Is Of
icnsivc to Il person OF delicate sensl-
bilities.
Near the door is a siyl, and anindeN
finger, which tells the visitor that the
museum is upstairs, and these grlnnlnS
2ihbering skeletons seem TO feel acynl-
cal satisfaction directing the wayto
the upperroom where are collected the
relics ofruined men. One tall ,tinelook-
inc fellow stands with his foot on u
skull. The rest stand with their toes
turned in and their long, bony fingers
spread outat their sides or twisted to-
gcther. Somc Ofthem are young. spry,
dandiiicd skeletons, with head erect
and polished white foreheads and II
full set ofpurc white teeth, whileothers
are hollow cheSted snaggle toothed cid
creatures, and others again are black
and shrivelled up, like witches imps.
They all have that offensive, familiar
grin which seems toi say that they
aope to know you better later IN.
Up stairs there are rows of glass
,ases all the way around the wall and
lose together from eastto west across
the room, there are glass bottles,
like preServingjars. Somehaychuman
hearts IN them, some hold the lungs
undLiver. Gthershold kidneys, spleens,
eyes, noses, ears or fingers OF men who
have been a long time dead. Among
the spleenS Is that OF Guiteau, which
IS Il third larger than any oil the rest.
case is devoted to arms and legs
hat have been amput ated, and show
how nice and slick the surgeons knife
II saw went through. Some ofthem
are all lacerated and torn to pieces bv
guiishot Wounds-most OF theeXllibits
are the scraps OF men picked up of
the battle field. One heart has two
big ounce bullets imbedded i'm it.
Another has a deepgash init and near
by is q dirk knife. Another case is
devoted to horrible looking handsand
teet put up III glass lars. All are
'welied up and lacerated. Some have
flesh torn away and the bone and
'Inews left bare. 4 solitary thumb
'eposeSin Il small bottle, while little
niger is crooked up in another. An
we torn ironrltS socket bv u musket
AL Is soaked in alcohol; odds and
'lldS and all sorts offragnents ofdead
people l. collected there like the
for Il crazy quilt.
But the chief OF the collection con
lists OF small fragments OF bones.
mere is g section of the backbone OF
6ootl IN a glass case not MANY feet
the spot where he shot Lincoln.
here are all sorts OF human bones
battered by shot and shell. Skulls
,lth great big lead balls sticking in
hem; big bones with fragments OF
on shells crushing them into powder:
ants broken apart by musket balls:
here are skulls, ribs, legs. and ARMS
and shivered by all sorteof
llsslles OF war; and in some casest tho
'ad and the bone have become we'd
ed together. There are over 5000
1~ecllnel1es of bones. fractured incur
'us' ways by shot. There are plaster
lists OF different cuts of the human
odE that make the cases look like n
stall, Then there are more
circulated skeletons. There is the
eat French skeleton, a giant in pro-
ortlons, every bone as white aaiNory,
eth all perfect like pearls, toes turn
/ out, and palms OF the hands ex-
'nded with all the grace OF a. dancing
Look at those teeth sold ONE Of
le~'attendaats tothe reporter. ale
proud OF those teeth. None but. a
rench skeleton could have teeth like
lat. You can always tell n French.
an by that. Theresa Yankee. None
: all! Only one canine, and half the
'wrotted away. That'sBecause they
sc too much tobacco. Ii Americans
new how it ruined their. skeletons
ley wouldn't chew so much. A
renchman has a right to- be proud Of
S skeleton. should be ashamed to
a skeleton without teeth. That's
mighty fine looking woman there"
I'd he busted the glass case that pro
cited a set OF %delicately fashioned
ones. She's French. See her teeth:
pearls. If you want to make a
skeleton takccare ofyour teeth"
These ~artieulated skeletons are tho
ny actors now on the stage that
to afford amusementto Abraham.
ncoln, and their bony fingers point
the spot where he met his death.
Women in Boston.