Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-01-28
SKULLS AND BONES.
The CHASTITY Collection In this Army Modi-
cal Museum.

The CHASTITY Collection IN ths army W@o1~ Il
col Museum.
Washington Star.
There is one place inWashington that |
very few sight-seers visit. 1t is a rnu-
scum with very extensive and novel
collection, composed entirely OF frag-
ments of dead people, and it occupies
1 the old Ford's Theater, on Tenth
street, in which Lincoln met his tragic
death. The once gay theater is now
associated with skeletons and death.
| The first floor, where the pit was, is
occupied by the clerical force OF the
/ medical department of the army. The
dress circle contains the library and q
few articulated skeletons, while the
peanut gallery, where the street arabs
used to assemble at night to applaud
the acting and drop peanut hnlls and
orange peelings on the bald heads in
the pit, is given up exclusively to the
fragments of dead men. There is sell
dom anybody in the museum except
the attendant. At the entrance ofthe
library q group of skeletons stand
grinning O. sepulchrai welcome, those
in front standing in careless attitude
"too naked to be ashamed" while
those behind leer over their shoulders
with an air of familiarity that is of
fensive to person of delicate sensi-
bilities.
Near the door is a sign and an index
finger, which tells the visitor that the
museum is upstairs, and these grinning
gibbering skeletons seem to feel acynl-
cal satisfaction in directing the way to
the upper room where are collected the
relics ofruined men. One tall. finelook-
ing fellow stands with his foot on a
skull. The rest stand with their toes
turned in and their long, bony fingers
spread out at their sides or twisted to-
gether. Some them are young, spry,
dandified skeletons, with head erect
and polished white foreheads and a
full set ofpure white teeth, while Others
are hollow chested snaggle toothed old
creatures, and others again are black
and shrivelled up, like witches imps.
They all have that offensive, familiar
grin which seems to say that they
hope to know you better later on.
Up stairs there are rows OF glass
cases all the way around the wall, and
close together from east to west across
the room, there are large glass bottles,
like preserving jars. Some have human
hearts in them, some hold the lungs
and liver. Others hold kidneys, spleens,
ewes, noses, ears or fingers of men who
have been long time dead. Among
the spleens is that of Guiteau, which
/ is a third larger than any of the rest
One case is devoted to arms and legs
that have been amputated, and show
: how nice and slick the surgeons knifs
! and saw went through. Some ofthem
3 are all lacerated and torn to pieces by
gunshot wounds-most of the exhibits
J are the scraps of men picked up of
| the battle field. One heart has two
} big ounce bullets imbedded in it
! Another has deep cash lit and neal
! lby is a dirk knife. Another case Ii
' devoted to horrible looking hands anC
: feet put up in glass Jars. All ar
swelled up and lacerated. Some hay'
: the flesh torn away and the bone and
sinews left bare. A solitary thumb
e reposes in a small bottle, while a it'll
il finger is crooked up in another. Al
. eye torn from its socket by muske
e ball is soaked in alcohol; odds ant
: ends and all sorts offragments ofdeat
|, people are collected there like tn
g scraps for a crazy quilt.
!. But the chief of the collection con
sists of small fragments OF bones
!. There is a section of the backbone c
e Booth in glass case not many fee
from the spot where he shot Lincoln
4 There are all sorts of human bone
,e shattered by shot and shell. Skull
o with great big lead balls sticking i
4 them; big bones with fragments {
d iron shells crushing them into powder
D Joints broken apart by musket balls
II there are skulls, ribs, legs, and arm
,e shattered and shivered by all sorts {
10 missiles of war, and in some cases tn
Il lead and the bone have become weC
a ded together. There are over 300
n specimenes of bones fractured in GU
% ious ways by shot. There are plaste
casts of different cuts OF the huma
;" body that make the cases look like
butchers stall. Then there are MOI
articuated skeletons. There is II
great French skeleton, giant in pre-
portions, every bone as white as ivor.
"a teeth all perfect like pearls, toes turl
!. ed out, and palms of the hands e.
'e tended with all the grace of a dancir
ne master.
to "Look at those teeth, said one
OF the attendants to the reporter. #
Nv is proud of those teeth. None but
en- French skeleton could have teeth Ill
at that. You can always tell a Frenc
rs man by that. There's Yankee. Nor
or at ALI Only one canine, and half Il
20 jaw rotted away. That's because the
n use too much tobacco. If American
le- knew how it ruined their skeleton
It: they wouldn't chew so much.
IS Frenchman has a right to be proud
ID, his skeleton. | should be ashamed
U.s. be skeleton without teeth. That
'gs a mighty fine looking woman. there
h and he busted the glass case that pr
* tected a set OF delicately fashions
re- bones. "She's French. See her teet
cr, like pearls. If you want to make
ng good skeleton take care ofyour teeth
lite These articulated skeletons are {
re- only actors now on the stage tn
ere used to afford amusement to Abraha
err Lincoln, and their bony fingers poi
he out the spot where he met his deatf