St. Paul daily globe., 1889-11-14
THE MoRGUE IMBRoGLIo.
Conway AdJudged in the Wrong
and Apologies - The Story

Conway Adjudged in the Wrong
and Apologies - The Story
Given.
There was but little interest shown in
the case of James G. DOnnelly against
the mOrgue keeper, James Conway,
who was charged with having made
false and malicious statements regard
ing the prosecutor, when the case was
called before Mayor Smith at 2:a0 yes
terday afternoon. No one was present
except the witnesses called to thStlfy IN
the case and reporters. Gen. Sanborn
acted as attorney for Conway.
DR.. Quinn, the coroner. testified that
DR.. Amoss, the deputy coroner. had in
formed him several times that the order
Donnelly had presented for the body of
the man Malone. who was killed by a
fall at the EndicOtt building, was a
forged order. He stated positively that
he had signed no such order nor author
ized il to be signed. DR.. AmOSs had also
told the witness that If called upon
to testify in the case, he should repeat
his statement, for it was the
only one he could truthfully make. 1t
was a matter of comment that DR.. .AmosS
was not present to testify. A number
of witnesses testified to the integrity of
the prosecutor. Evidence was intro
duced to show that DR.. Amos had told
several people he could not recall the
issuance of the order for the removal of
the body, but admitted that he had a
pool memory, and subsequently that he
could dimly recall having author
lied the removal Of the cadaver.
A good deal of testimony relative to the
circumstances under which Conway had
conceived his suspicious which led TO
his making the accusation, was taken:
also evidence relative to the conditions
under which he might with prOpriety
deliver body without the authority of
the coroner. The suggestion that the
matter be settled by ConwaY's tender
ing an apology publicly to Donnelly,
came from the latter and was accepted
by the former. Mayor Smith then i'm
pressed upon the mind of the mOrgue
official the necessity for implicit obedi-
ence to his superior officers, and the case
was dismissed.
THE DONNELLY VERSION.
NJ. j. DOnneily, brother of the pros
ecutor, in referring to this unpleasant
ness, had this to say: "There Is no
question whatever but that DIR. AmosS
telephoned my brother giving him au-
llOItG1 ~ Oub Gil OA0OA OaA0 OiSh
his (Amoss' name) to it. l was stand
ing by at the time and heard my brother
converse through the telephone with
DR.. Amoss. i was the one that wrote
out the order, and did so after AmosS
had given the necessary authority to do
so. That he did give, and an order is
corrobOrated by the fact that the MORN
ing following the interview by telephone
DIR. Amoss came to the store of McCar-
thy & Donnelly, and, after inquiring of
my brother if that matter had been liked
up all right (referring 20 the converse
ton the evening beforel, went to the
desk and made out the necessary GER
tificate of death. A few days later
Amoss came around and wanted my
brother to withdraw the charges against
Conway, which he refused to do, stating
that everything IN the charges was true.
At this time Amoss' mind was in a
beautiful haze of uncertainty regarding
the message by telephone, which he un-
questionably sent. DR.. AmOss was the
principal and only material witness in
this case, and his absence must be con-
strued as an attempt to carry water on
both shoulders, an undertaking always
fraught with much danger. What he
told DR.. Quinn affects the case in no
wise, as he made distinctly opposite
statements of the matter in question to
Others"