Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-04-04
Three Dead Men.

OOttu
Public curiosity has been reused by
reports of the extraordinary confusion
which nearly lead to the body of Alfred
Linnell being buried in place OF that OF
another patient n short time ago, says
the London Pail Mall Gazette. The
following are the facts, which point to
the conclusion that other minds at the
hospital besides Mr.. Smith have been
in "a strange state of misapprehenslon
and confusion. A man of the name of
Ham had died in the hospital on Thurs
day. On Saturday the undertaken en-
ployed by his relatives called at the
hospital to ask when he would be
allowed TO remove the body. AS a
matter of fact an inquest had been or
dered to be held on the remains in
question; however, the undertaken was
told that he might remove them at
once, and a body, which he was assured
was that of Mr.. Ham, was handed over
to him. This he incased and conveyed
to the relatives; and in the ordinary
course of affairs it would have been in
TERED by the widow as the corpse of
her late husband. She, however, wished
TO take a last look at the deceased, and,
on the removal OF the cOffin-lid what was
her horror to discover the features Of an
entire stranger! The body which had
been made over 10 the relatives of
James Ham was that of Arthur Lin
nell. Mrs. Ham, with her sister, at
once took steps TO return the body, and
went TO the hospital to ask for the re-
mains OF Mr.. Ham. They were natur-
ally much agitated by so painful an
incident, and were indignant to find
the affair treated in the most off-hand
manner, both at the hospital and at
the mortuary, whittier the remains had
now been removed under wrong name.
Mrs. Ham has since received proper
expressions of regret from the secreta-
ry, instructed by the board; but at the
time she and her sister were unlortu-
nate enough to fall in with Mr.. Z. j.
Smith, and with underling5 who took
their tone from this most courteous of
house surgeon. well, what do you
want hereP' said Mr. Smith, and on
hearing that it was her husbands body
that Mrs. Ham wanted, and why, he
proceeded to show his consideration
for the feelings natural to her situa-
ton, and his regret for so ineXcusable
mistake, by turning his back on her
without a word, struggling his Shout
ders and walking upstairs, leaving
Mrs. Ham and her sister in indigna-
ton and surprise in the hall.
But the strange features of this
strange story are not yet exhausted.
On proceeding to the mortuary Mrs.
Hams sister asked leave to see the
body which was labeled Linuell, and
which she naturally supposed had been
interchanged for her sisters husband 5.
At first the authorities would not hear
of it. "You see the name is Linnell, ="
she was told; she must be mistaken.
However, as the body which had been
sent to her was certainly Linnell's (and,
from its frightful injury, unmistakable
enough, one would thinlI) the inspec-
ton was afterward allowed. 1t then
came to light that though the body
labeled with Linnelrs name was not
his, neither, indeed, was it that of Mr..
Ham, whose relatives finally discover
ed his remains under the name OF a
third person deceased, whose corpse
was the one which passed under the
name of Linnell. This extraordinary
story of changing corpses and inexplic-
able confusion being thus concluded,
the body of Mr.. Ham was at last made
over to his distressed friends, and was
inferred on the following Thursday.