The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-11-20
CONTEST FOR 4 CORPSE
Undertakers Boy1an and
Moran Disputed the
Right to Bury Patrick
LarkinS.
lAGREWSOME BUSINESS RIVALRY.
Moran Won, and Will Bring
Charges Before the County
Association.

Undertaken Boylan and Moran are at
war. and every undertaken in Hudson
County is interested in the result. The
little unpleasantness grew out OF a dis
tsate over the question who was entitled
to bury the body of Patrick Larkins, OIL
No. 1OS Morris street, who died OF con-
sumption In st. Francis Hospital on sun
day.
1t is a well-known fact that Under
taker Boylan has strong pull" so to
speak. in matters concerning the burial
of the bodies who die in that extensive
and excellent hospital Not that the
managers intentionally favor Mr.. Boylan.
hut he is in closer communication with
them. Some of the hospital wagons and
horses are lodged at his stables, and
there are other circumstances whlcn
have, their influence for Mr.. Boylan. VI
this the other undertakers are envlous'
even to the point OF indignatlon.
PATRICK LARKINsS DEATH.
When Patrick Larkins died on Sunday.
according to Mr.. Boylan's story, his sister
from Staten Island, who knew nothing or
her brothers affairs, on arriving at the
hospital enquired of the Sisters of st.
Francis, whom she had better secure as
an undertaken. One of the Sisters imme-
tliateIy telephoned Mr.. Boylan to know If
he was willing to take the case and the
wide awake undet taker Immediately dis
patched men to prepare the body Tor
burial.
Larkins' sister. accompanied by gen
tleman, called upon Undertaken Boylan
that evening to make further arrange
ments. They wanted the body buried be-
side the grave of the deceased's wife in
burial plot in the New Hudson County
Catholic Cemetery. Boylan ;, asked 10 for
ana, after some conversation between
the sister and her friend, it was remenn-
bered that Undertaken Moran buried the
wife some six or eight months ago, and
probably he would know what had be-
come of the deed. They went to hunt up
secured burial permit from Philips
drug store.
Mr.. MORAN OBJECTS.
Moran. however, objected Larkins at
the time of his death owed Moran the
larger portion of the cost of his wife's
burial, for which Moran advanced the
money to purchase the burial plot deed
which he still holds as security. He
telephoned down to Boylan that the
friends desired him (Moran to bury
Lmrkins' body. Herefused to give up to
Boylan the plot deed.
Mr.. Boylan accordingto Moran's story,
was willing to give up the body If he
(Moran) or the friends would pay him SIS
for putting the body on ice and twenty
> aee cents for the death certificate. This
Moran refused to do. He alledged that
that was not the first time Mr.. Boylan
had played that trick on various under
takers.
TAKING THE BODY.
s'In the meantime Moran's men, as
Boylan's assistant relates it, "deliber-
ately went to the hospital and took the
body from our ice box" Moran says that
he, In company with the sister, Appealed
to Chief Murphy, who told him to go and
get the body.
Undertaken Boylan did not want to
raise row, and the only thing in the way
of Moran now was the death certificate.
III company with the sister and her friend
it was said, he visited DR.; Gordon, .presi-
dent of the Board of Health, and laid the
matter before him. The Doctor ordered
Phillips to draw off a duplicate certificate
and Moran was thus allowed to bury the
body on Monday afternoon.
1t is said the sister is willing to swear
that Boylan, when he found Moran had
bested him, offered to bury the body for
nothing and pay off the old debt, and she
replied that she would not do SO for a
Thousand dollars.
Larkins was insured in the United
States Industrial Insurance Company.
IT INTERESTS UNDERWRITERS.
The case has attracted considerable at
tention among the members of the Hud-
son County Undertaker's Association. as
one of the most stringent rules of that
organization requires that when two of
its members are called by accident to
attend the same case they shall be willing
to withdraw in favor of the family's
decision.
MIR. Moran will prefer charges against
Boylan at the next meeting of the associ-
alton, which meets tomorrow night.
DR.. Gordon denies any knowledge of the
transaction.