The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-30
DIR. ESTES REPLY.
A Denial Made Of S. n. Crit
fith's Serious Charges.
He Admits Though Having Asked $500 to
Make Private AUTOPSY and Embalm
Body for shipment,


Grave charges of extortion and offers to
{" fix" Coroner's jury have been made by
S. n. Griffith, a real estate dealer of Fresno,
against Dr. NJ. B. Estes of the Coroner's
Office and Deputy David Magner, also an
employe of the Office.
The charges are in connection with the
recent death of Z. j. Griffith, well-knOwn
Fresno lawyer and brother of the gentle
man who made the allegations.
E j. Griffith was run over recently by a
Market-street cable-car and received in
iurieS which resulted in his death last
week. and Dr. Estes and Deputy Magner
are charged with offering to obtain q COro-
ner's verdict adverse to the railroad COM
pany for $500.
Deputy Magner and DR.. Estes were both
interviewed by a CALL reporter on the sub
ject last night. The former stated that all
he cared TO say about the matter was to
deny it generally. The charges were false
all through, and a writ of damages for
defamation of character might grow out of
their publication. Dr. Estes, on the con-
trary, gave his version of the case quite
freely. 1t was as follows:
DIR. ESTES TALKS FREELY,
Il am the duly appointed CorOner's physi-
clan, and as such make all the autopsies at
the Morgne For making them there l am
not allowed to charge fee, but when l
make them elsewhere, on bodies under the
COroner's care | am allowed TO make a
charge. always do so. and it is perfectly
legal. In the Griffith case, the night he
died | met the undertaken, who was to
bury the body, as he was making his re-
port of the death to the Coroner. | ac-
companied the undertaken TO the Lick
House, and there saw the younger brother
of "a
the elder.
Il told him if he preferred that the body
should not 60 to the Murgue l would make
the autopsy at the undertahers, and also
emba m il for transportation to Santa Rosa,
but that | should expect to be paid for the
work. Mr.. Griffith came to no decision
that evening. Then Deputy Magner and l
informed Coroner Eaton on the next day
what | had offered to do in the case, and
was told by him it was all right Then
Wagner and | called again at the Lick
House and saw both the Griffith brothers,
aud we all four had a long talk.
THE JOB WAS DECLINED.
81 repeated what L said to the younger.
and offered to do the JOB for $500, which |
consider a reasonable and proper charge.
The brothers came to no decision, and the
matter was left unsettled. La the mean
time Deputy Magner had the body removed
to an undrrtakeT'S aud placed on ice pend
ing a decision. We ali talked it over again
on Friday night last, and still nothing was
decided.
ION Saturday l saw the elder Griffith
again and he declined to have the work
done. In company with the ether physi-
clans, l made the autopsy, however. that
afternoon at the undertakers. That is all
there is to it. Neither Magner nor mys elf
made any efforts to procure favorable YER
diet at the COroner's inquest.
g understand the animus against me,
but l desire to say nothing at present on
that subject. II is quite true that | was a
barber before | became a doctor. | am not
ashamed OF it. for tits an honorable bust
ness, and | worked at it while l was going
through NY medical course at college,"