New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-04
CORONERS'NEGLECT OFDUTY
HOW THEY CONDUCT THEIR OFFICE.
DIFFICULTY OF GETTING THEN TO TAKE ANTE
MORTEM STATEMENTS.

IN fake noie of the remarkable procedure In The
Coroners Office present conducted may iii"
matter OF interest in several fagr;nt instances o
neglect which are Just exciting the indien anoh
and disgust of the captains sergcantS ana rouhuS'h
who do rankand file duty In the police department
record Of the In which crime mas re"""'u
forever hidden and in which justice mas pe'i o'ie'eu
10y the obstructive agency OF the Coroner "o"'' M
many columns OF The Tribune. ara perh'pS ~"
glaring Instances will serve as llinsua'ohs' IL"
ouiros made by The Tribune have developed at least
one fact hitherto not appreciated or properly uhdei
stood by the general public. The coroner Is ho'
only willing to quit whenever he Is cahu upon ~
,ortorm tho mporant and sacred duty Of receiving
an ante.mortem statement from the lips OF dNlhg
person but he Is ready rcceate this. the most I'm
noront mart of his work, Ia any one with ambition
enough to assume the function
Of the stab wounds and shotwounds which engage
the attention OF the police In the course OF wear
pel,evue Hospital-as the institution OF its kind
under the direct control OF the city government
ceiyes large majority. Most cases Of shooting or
stabbing occur at night. hours after the Coroners
()fice has closed. A man woman thus murderousN
assaulted and wounded almost unto death Is taken mo
the hospital. The surgeon in charge Of the case see
ing that there Is no possible chance Tor le ueco'S
that the interests OF justice will be served by an
ante mortem statement and hurry call for coroner
is sent out Police Headquarters AT high' 'heie
Is no official point at which the Coroner Is 10 De
found and IS had TO his home But corohfrs
have n weakness for staying ont o nights. ana tnev
always carefully forget TO leave any memorandum or
verbal information to where they NAV De- lonhu'
The policeman intrustcd with The summons can ohiN
stare hopelessly at the wooden vsage OF the irish
housemad or the Office hoy and tamcly seek refuge
In the hopeless message "Wcll. when he comes nome
tell him there's ante-mortcm statement al behc-
vue" or Roosevelt New York Hospital. as the case
may be- one. two three hours pass away with The
dying creature slowly gaSping ont life on the hosp'ai
cot and every moment growing weaker and more IN
capable Of speech while the Coroner Is pacidlv stnoh
ing and drinking among little party OF convivia ana
congenial spirits.
7, NAV be two three four or five hours before The
Coroner reaches his home to find his summons walt
Ing for him. and II he is extremely lucky he NAV
reach the hospital in time T. catch the last ialnt
whisper OF the murdered BY all reasonable cal
citations Of time and distance the response TO the call
should be made inside Of an hour, hut careful eA
animation OF the hospital records reveals delay
ranging from two 10 eight hours In answering The
message.
Now it sometimes happens that the patient Is I'M
conscious and therefore unable TO talk or has OBJ
stinatey persisted In dying before the Coroner was
able 10 leave his little wine party The WORK OF 'he
precinct captain and his detectives IS thus made use
less II occurred TO the comfort loving gentlemen
wearing the coroner's insignia that a little mad
yerence Of this kind might at some time or "'heT
Lead 10 impertinent and troublesome questions ana
they adopted a friendly and extremely pleasant ar
rancemen by which any One-nlght clorh ouerN'
ward scrubber odd-job man. messenger or other com
petent authority-should receive the antemortem
statement by deputy Coroner MESSENGERS ONCE hoy
had already shown aptitude TO isSne removal anu
burial permits. and there was no reason 10 DOUBT mat
the new Arrangement would he entirely successful
Rcard a notary public and the deputy warden oil
Bellevue Hospital is Of those intruSted Win the
Coroners work when the Coroner himself declines 10
do II.
"This rangement." he said. "has been In ex-
istence for some time. have taken about four ante
r,or,om st,temcnfsn This remarkable confession
was confirmed by Warden O'Rourke.
Perhaps the one Of all others IN which the
Coroners Office most distinguished itself was that OF
Charles E. Goodwin who. all the world knows
was shot to death in cold blood by the bookmaKer
Bertram c. Webster. No one familiar WIN inc case
has ever doubted that Webster should have eXpla'eo
his crime In the electric chair. hut at the critical
moment the Coroner in this case schutze stepped
in and saved criminal about whose guilt there
could be no shadow OF doubt. Goodwin. on the
testimony of the hospital officials, wa
taken to Roosevelt Hospital at go p. m, o.
about half an hour after the shooting. Th'
surgeon in charge Of the seeing that the man had
chance to recover. sent out hurry ante nor'eH
call for a For the greater part oil me SIN
hours tina, h. lay writing In pain Goodwin was Will
ing and able 10 make statement which IN the hand
of a man skilled in extracting evidence would have
amply met the Justice Of the Bat, although h'
call was several times repeated, no coroner ever "p
peared and Goodwin remained until his death al
10 80 O'Clock the next morning BY this criminal
neglect Coroner the prosecution had nothing bu
Coodwins Wild half hystercal exclamation as he was
lifted from the floor 10 his couch just after Websters
bullcts had ploughed into his body. No but the
murderer and the murdered the shooting. and
the absence Of any detailed coherent statement from
Goodwin left the one element Of doubt that saved
Webster from death.
About ten days ago a man named Paul Lebere was
attacked. and, as supposed at that tune, mortaiiS
wounded In street brawl at Second-ave and sixteth
81; He was taken Bellevue Hospital. The surgeon
In charge OF the thought that Leberc's condition
was such as TO justify an antemorem statement, and
a call for a Coroner sent out The Coroner ap
peared about eight hours after the summons and by
that time Lcbere out of danger. lie had ESCAPED
death by hairs breadth. The cases OF Eliza Dun
lap ana Jane a. Cherry are fresh In The pnbl'
recollection. In each case the woman died from Tho
effects Of criminal Operation; INA Ia Dunla2,
York and sought refuge In the house OF midwife a
No. l.525 Avenue D. where She died on The mornn l
of sunday April 30. For nearly eight hours beiOr'
her death the woman had been gradually sinking anc
Coroner shea and his assistant failed TO respond Il
the official and semi-oftcia summons sent out q
them until after the wOman's death, ana a. resll
the person persons responsible for her death VII
never be discovered. -. - g., -
looking for DIR. Frank A. Hoyt, who Is suspected o
having performed criminal operation on Jane
No oe ass West rfeenih.st. But DR.. Hoyt, assisted
BY the Coroners ONCE was nine hours ahead Of IN,
ponce anu never
died in the hospital on the night OF Monday, April
ON the following morning her cousin, a man NAMED name,
Casper, who had been summoned nom virginia, called
at the Coroners Once and earnestly requested ina
should investigate The causes Of the woman
death. His for making this request WEI!
clearly stated. But Coroner Shea and his deputy
wore busy and could not attend 10 the case until III
next morning. The same night DIR. Hoyt found !
Convenient 10 leave Nsw-York, and q was not unit
nine hours later that the was accden'hy broueh
10 the notice Of the police; Then they were heplers
Most people In New-i ork will be surprised 10 learn
IN the authority Of eminent Iurist as Recorder
Smyth that n Is competent for any one u TAKE al
ante. morfem statement In the absence o The coroner
the mere fact that man believes himself 10 ~
beyond all hope Of e that he Is about 10 enter th
presence OF his Maker, would make snch a Statement
valid as evidence IN n trial An oath would not To
necessary, although the statement must he tak"l
down IN writing and signed by the depOneDt,' al
the Recorder. "The know Wedge that he stands within
Of death will invest his story with all t
sanctity Of an oath. A man who believes that he !
10 die will sel no ii