New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-30
THE IRWIN JURY DISAGREES.
NINE WISH TO PUNISH TIE SURGEON.
THEY THINK HE HAD PERFORMED AN ILLEGAL
AUTOPSY on BISHOPS BODY.

! THEY THINK HE HAD PERFORMED AN lhLr"Ah
AUTOPSY on BISHOPS BODY.
DR. John A. Irwin. one OF the three physicians VINO
were indicted on the charge OF performing al 'cr"
autopsy on the body OF Washington Irving bshop inc
rnirdyender lust escaped being found guilty by jury
In Judge Ftzgerad's court yesterday Inc jury III
the case WIS ont for nearly five hours ana WIG" d
vote taken the 1uryroom II was fonnd that nine
OF the Jurors were for conviction, while only thre'
were for acaulttal But, although nine of the Jury
were for conviction fr IN the time they entered the
Jury room, they could not convince the ther c.'o'
jnrors that DR.. irwin had violated the ia"' hwy
remained until the last and at b 10 O'CLOCK atler
having been In consultation since ! ~ p H., INC
jurors returned 10 the courtroom and inforeu JUL &c
FITZGERALD that they could not agree They told Inc
Indigo that Il was Impossible for them to reach az
! UNDERSTANDING wherupon the twelve men were dls
charged.
IL was rumored that one Of the Jurors was
patient Of DR.. Irwin. and that he had iinhce' t~'
other members OF the jury to stand out TOT tS uo
PENDANT This report c0ud not pe co"i"''' Nv"
ever.
II was the argument Of Assistant District Attorney
weehs that Ind a great deal to do with The way nihe
OF tho Jurors regarded te case In closing the ease
for the state he sad that DR.. Irwin had not OILY
committed a legal wrong In bang In s"ch husN 10
carve up the body OF Washington irving b'shop o"'
had violated one Of the sacred laws OF his proiesso
a,d NV 81 doing had brought disgrace upon his
fellow. ply scians. ,
"This man knew where Bishops reiiitivee wefe'
he said but without waiting for time to coIhnhch'c
with them he placed the body OF Bishop uhoer .uo
surgeons knife, and when the heartbroken ipO'her
reached the coffin wherein ny her head son. sue
found him cut and multilated. This defendant "is
member of that great profession that has done 30 mu'h
for US could not visit for the consent Of BISHOPS
reatIves He could not wait until the body bad De
come cold hardly but within few hours AFTER death
he was examining pieces OF liver portions OF tho
brpin and parts Of the other organs, simply 10 gam
some personal notoriey, II possible; 10 grntiy his own
curiosity And BY doing he has disgraccd hlin'c'
md brought disgrace to his profession II Is y"ir
duty as Jurors show the other physicians OF ths
great city and state, that II is crime and great
wrong to cut aud mutate the body Of the dead with
ont the permission OF tho relatives and without the
authority Of the law"
Mr.. Weeks's address had some effect upon nine oil
the jurors but not the other three, ana the case
Will have to be tried over again
Mrs Bishop. who has been at the trnl since the
opening of the case, said that she knew Tie jnr!
bad disagreed Us soon as the twelve men returned 70
tie courtroom ,,A
| But know that Drs. Irwin, lianoe aud Fcrgusou
murdered my boy" continued the mother oi ns
dead mind reader. I" | can produce witnesses WHO
viii swear that they vunmstakabe signs u NC
knife on the dissection table The doctoss know THAI
ne cried out ooh. mother when they were cutting
him M but they had carved him so much that
they could not save him when they learned that he
had only been IN trance For days he hsd isn i ~
Q trance similar TO the one III "hch nc "d' h'iou
nv no