Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-09-01
HANDLING THE DEAD.
AN INTERVIEW WITH VETERAN UN.
DERTAKER'S MAN.
A Popular but Erroneous BeIief-Some
Affecting Sccnes-What Poor People
Desire Preparing for Burial
EeinG Euricd Alive.

tolncifnsti Enquirer Interview.
That makes the l,loOth body that have
prepared for burial during my time, said a
faithful chief employe of the city under
iaker, tho other day, as he pushed back the
frowzy hair Of corpse in the dead-room Of
the es Ia b!ishment
How long have you been in business, I"
ASKED tie reporter.
Nearly twenty years, and in that time !
have had some rather queer experiences
You Sc this business is not a pleasant one,
and no one adopts il as matter of choice
To me it was o pecially distastefui, and
when FIRST started il was because there was
nothing else open to me. Why, to tell you
the truth, ! would then just about as lief
stood up before ten good live men and fought
them to standstill as to tackle one dead
man and prepare him fer burial
You have got entirely over that nervous
mes. haven't you'"
Oh, ye-: but it was a long tune before !
could go about my work without cold chills
running up and down my back every now
and then"
Why, it is the regular belief that no mat
ter how much dread a person may have of
the dead. to once touch corpse is to re-
move this feeling at once and forever Is
this iruei1
Well, it may be that way with some peo-
pie, but did not overcome my nervousness
for long time. Now, however, it would
take something remarkable to give me
serious fright"
You must witness some affecting scenes
in the performance of your duties.'
Well | should say | did. Why, you
have no idea what hard times some people
have to get along in this world. OF course,
every family, no matter in what straitened
circumstances they may he, want to give a
relative a decent burial They are bound to
have first class funeral and I have known
people TO deny themselves even the neces-
sar:es OF lie 10 secure an expensive coffin,
carriages, and a lot in a tony cemetery,
Then there are the poor OF the city Why,
il would make stone heart melt to see to
VIA: emergencies these poor souls are
sometimes pushed to save themselves the
modification of having one of their family
buried at the expense of the city,
What class of dead people is the hardest
to prepare for burial!'
This establishment has to take care of ali
the city dead; that Is, people that are killed
in railroad accidents. drowned, burned to
death, stabbed. run over, in fact, any one
that Is killed or commits suicide and is not
claimed By friends. In that way We come
in contact with all classes OF dead people
About The worst kind to handle are the
fioaters' that are every now and then taken
from the river. Generally they will remain
in the water a number of days before they
come to the top. and when they are taken
out and urned over to US they are so badly
bloated by their long stay in the water as to
be unrecognizable except by their clothes.
Often 1t requires very delicate touch to
handle them and keep the remains from fall
ing to pieces
DO You think many people are buried
alive:'
NO, very few. Although when an epi-
iemic like the cholera or smallpox is rag
ny such awful mistakes are liable to occur. |
Then the dead are carted off so soon after
their demi that they are not given a fair |
test to determine whether they are dead or |
not. Often when remains are disinterred il |
IS found that the corpse has turned clear |
around in Tho coffin. and sometimes their |
hair ami fingerpails have been pull out BY |
he roots shown. that the poor victim had |
,oms t. CONSEQUENCES only to die the horri- |
Die death Of being buried alive. Too much |
ARE canaot he taken IN this respect