The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-11-26
Women at the NIor-uc.


The morgue to many people is a
place OF attraction. Why this is so is
not easy to understand. Pinecoffins,
damp walls, dead bodies in every
stage ofdecay, shrouds, bloody marble
slabs, stencil that no nostril can
ever get used to, and the almost con-
stant show OF grief by friends and rea-
tives are not pleasant things and do
not inspire cheerful thoughts, but still
visitors come every day who are at
tracted solely by curiosity.
'lf you would sit here all day." said
Keeper White us he carefully elevated
his rheumatic leg upon cushioned
chair in the morgue Office you would
make up your mind that human ma
ture is Il queer thing indeed. Who
would imagine that a woman could
have a desire go through this place?
Yet there is not q day passes with
out u number OF women coming
here to see the sights, and they
are even more inquisitive than
men. The visitors are generally
we'll dressed people and from their
talk | should judge that many o. them
are from the country. Frequently
they come under false pretenses but
they can be detected easily enough.
They put on a sad face and say that
they have lost some relative or friend
and want to go through the morgue
and look for the missing one. When
asked the name OF the missing per.
son they are usually taken una
wares and stammer out some familiar
name, usually Smith or Jones, and
look sheepish. No notice is taken of
their embarrassment and the name
is looked for. and, of course, not found
Then a bundle OF pictures is handed
to them for inspection. The faces are
all of the dead. The missing one is
not among them and nothing remains
but to take look at the unknown
bodies on hand They ask if they
cannot see where the bodies are kept.
Permission is usually given and one of
the clerks shows them around. Why
they practice deception don't under
stand. Any one. if respectable, can
visit the morgue, and if they can eet
any comfort out OF it | am satisfied.
"A man will go through the moreue
generally in one-quarter the time that
it will take woman. He will give q
glance here and there, ask few gen
eral questions as to how long the
bodies are kept, what becomes OF
them if NOT identified. and will hurry
away. But women usually want to
know everything. Two well dressed
women We're here to-day who are a
fair sample OF them all. They were
looking for missing friend who only
lived in their Imagination. | went the
rounds with them. When the door OF
the dead house was opened the wom-
en- peered in. There was on one side
q pile of cotiins in which there were
about thirty bodies. One of the wonl-
en- shuddered and held back as the
sickening smell poured out; but the
other one, who had swapping black
eyes, took her by the arm and follow
ed close behind me. The black eyed
woman did the talking, and kept me
busy answering questions. thought
that the sight of one corpse would
settle her, SO l raised the lid OF q
box containing the body OF a NAM
who had spent several months at tho
bottom OF theriver. He was horrible
sight, being greatly swollen and de-
composed, and having q face that was
not human. The timid woman took
one look and wanted to run out OF
the place, but the black eyes took in
everything, and l was asked enough
questions about the body to fill a
book. Ii had been so inclined she
would have taken look at every
body in the place, but | had more
pity for the timid woman, whose face
was CHASTITY pale, than did her COM
panlon, and started for the open air.
On the way out Il lot OF clothes which
had been taken from the dead bodies
had to be inspected. turned over with
a parasol, and had to explain what
was done with them and how they
were used as means of identified ton
long after the bodies they were taken
from were in Potters' Field.
CAS- q matter of fact" said Keeper
White, in conclusion, "women seem to
stand such scenes better than men.
They make more demonstration and
fuss, but the effect soon passes away,
and as they go out they chat and
laugh as freely MS if they had not
passed through any unpleasant expe.
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