The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-06-29
THAT AUTOPSY ON BISHOP.
TIE DOCTORS THo CUT INTO TIE MIND
READERS BODY PUT ON TRIAL

READER's BODY PUT ON TRIAL
| Mrs. Bishop Insistine that They Killed Her
| Son-The Story OF HIS List Feat and OF
Ills CntnIeptic Seixurs-Judge Fitzgerald
| Refuses 10 Direct nm Acquittni.
Washington Irving Bishop. the mind reader.
was invited to dinner ut the Lambs Club on
the evening OF May -. 1880. After dinner he
| gnvo nm exhibition OF his mind-rcading
powers. At the climax OF his effort no foil into
the arms OF the bystanders In n cataleptic
trance He was taken to an upper room in the
club house. and attended by physicians
Whether he remained In cataleptic trance
until tho following afternoon. when an autopsy
was made. or died before tho autopsy. has
been mntter Of dispute ever since between
the physicians who were concerned in tho au-
topsy. DrsJohn Arthur Irwin. Frank Ferguson.
and Irwin II. Hance. and Bishops mother.
| Eleanor Fletcher Bishop. Mrs. Bishop en-
| deavored to have tho three doctors indicted
for murder. for killing her son while he was in
| q cataleptic trance. but tho Grand Jury In
| dicted them only for misdemeanor. In max
| Ing an autopsy without the permission Of tho
nearest relative Of Bishop or Of tho Coroner.
| Mrs. Bishop has been untiring In her efforts
| to bring the doctors to trial: but her efforts
| camo to nothing until yesterday. when they
| were called to the bar of tho General Sessions
lor trial. before Judge tltZEernlu.
| Mrs. Bishop. in deep mourning and carrying
| a crutch. for she is lame. sat In the enclosure
for women witnesses. It was expected that
she might mako scene and two court OIL
GERS were directed By Judge Fitzgerald to sit
near her. to restrain her II the necessity
| arose. Assistant District Attorneys Weeks
| and Macedonia represented the people: L. II.
Moeran and Alfred Pagelow appeared for DR..
Irwin. John A.. flowers for DR. Ferguson. and
n + MHntrd1y 5 for Dr. neS
hsssta Eta DistTet Attern s @ecis said that
consideration whether Or not Irving was alive
when the AUTOPSY WAS begun. the Jury would
was held contrary to law. All n" men nj naturally
| rccoilcd from tho suggestion that a man would
aa ss NOT nS living ang sGss o this ns
horrit suggestion to prejudice them in weigh
Rt this moment Mrs. Bishop burst into tears
N Mr.. Weeks cnled as bic first witness DIR.
tiled TINT at about O'Clock on the afternoon
OF May Is 1889; DR.. Erwin, called ur?n him
snd that h an al auop sp %ss To- BE- M
formed that afternoon, en-. invited him TO DO
present. pr. Irwin said tlnt Bishops death
ton as "A result Of he nervous exhaustion fol-
lHwiinE EierSdinG rHrfnr;GanEcs The
b,rs Of the club went to tho Office OF
1ss sp' and na% sse! out ys sR% I" SS
club. B,ishop mepnwhilc remained IN another
was Mt liberty TO set out to find tho name that
the two Members had picked ont. he placed a
hand on the shoulder Of encll OF the gentle-
ior a, pencil and paper. When they wero pro.
bors had picked out from tho oil register
Almost imme dately afterward he zen unoon-
ssioqs into the arms ns o. tho byystia od He
lounce.t He received medical attention. but he
Tie witness went to Hawkes. undertaking
shop: at s Sixth avenue. lie found there
Hawks and several assistants. who had pre-
irwin and Ferruson were there Dr. Fercusnn
LertoIrmed, me autopsy after having maie the
or"aeH the ur ss West
taken out and examined Thon the skull cap
rrm9ved end the brain was taken out ana
ounces. and was Intensely congested.
In cr9ss,eXa IN n lawyFr raseow for
Irwin took any actiy, part in tie autopsy. and
Or; Hance replied that he did not.
ssted that h o
the Lambs C!uo on May IL and removed tho
EGay Dr. s" Tn aG ra a am that
ana coma: Turner clrroborated DR.. Hance's
account s Of the aT s9 r.rcuso, no+,a
the defendants. DR.. Ferguson testified that
he had made ~ specially OF pathology. DR..
l3 and said that n patient Of his had died. lie
wanted Dr. Ferguson to make the AUTOPSY, Tor
h Or irT he Sa ssfr h"a S at
sion from this statement that Dr.. Irwin meant
nt BshIp hTd died ct the night
autopsy that Bishop had died Mt II O'clock
noon THAT day. DIR. Ferguson then gave an ac-
count OF the autopsy similar t" that given by
ION that autopsy. doctor had you any doubt
Es sshtsst wSrd
Irving bishop was dead replied DR.. Foreu-
yss tRs Q, performing this
To find out the exact cause OF DEATH"
Pr, Ferguson said that he had performed
sFf1 uhsa ny 81 aas S
said hn TAX hove WsFt that h d
Dr, CHARLES Z, lie, Of i; Madison avenue
testilel that about IL, H. o'ciosSk on May y At
Bishop had Just died he was anxious 10 have
an aqtSPfS esst to sna III he hG ahy
who. he understood. were n Philadelphia. Dir:
Irwin did not tell him whether he had received
MSeTqn m as% that J"dTs TtzsST"
case. Judge Fitzgerald 'lcnied tho motion.
Mrs. Bishop arose. leaning upon her crutch' |
Tears flowed down her whitehead checks. She
cried out:
:" / am willing to provo that they wero guilty
Of numbering my boy
The o,lioerss, VIII presery,cc ORDER" sHid
sat beside Mrs. Bishop stepped up to hor and |
persuaded her 10 take her seat.
= In his opening for tho defence Lawyer |
Moeran said that he would prove that the nu- !
topsy was performed in accordance with q |
wish often express.d before death OF WASH |
ington Irving bishop. This wish was repeated |
on many occasions In the presence OF DIR. |
Irwin.
Or. Irwin. testified that he first met Bishop |
In 1879 In Liverpool. As he was passing tho |
Lambs Club on the evening of May II. $50. he |
remembered that there WAS an entertainment |
GOING on and he went in. Bishop had Just con- |
cludod one Of his mind reading, feats, He
his Of II tn.
YEed Rshop to the
form ed the feat Of discovering the name In IN
old register OF the club just ~ he had writ
fit The doctor attended 70 him and no re-
covered consci ousness. Then lie was taken to
m rnom I'M stairs nd Vns laid pnp a lnunpa