New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-30
CORONERS ROUNDLY SCORED
THE GRAND JURY SAYS THE OFFICE SHOULD
BE ABOLISHED.
AMY ABUSES DEsCRIBED-LoNG DELAYS WITH
OUT CAUSE-sLIPsHoD METHODS

nh. September Grand Jury. of which e. W.
,oomngdale is foreman and William T. Salter
.cretary yesterday handed a presentment to
Judge Fitzgerald in General Sessions, in which 1t
cave the results of its long and careful investiga-
s,on into the way in which the Coroner's office
4. run The Grand Jury recommends the abolition
:, the office as a piece of useless and expensive
machinery. The presentment was in part
During the present term the Grand jury in the
ton and found among the persons confined there
three witnesses who had been committed to the
i asy of July. in case OF homicide committed
the day previous These witnesses complained e of
case The following day the Grand Jury inquired
Darlect and were Informed by him that he had no
official knowledge whatever of the case, no return
magistrates having been made to him up to that
time The Grand Jury thereupon deemed 1t their
~ duty on the part of the Coroner in this case.
Investigation disclosed the following facts:
WHAT AN INVESTIGATION SHOWED.
That on July I a homicide occurred; that the case
was taken charge of by of the Coroners who ad-
,ourned the inquest from time TO time and finally.
on August &C. the inquest completed by another
Coroner: that upon the inquest there was but
very little testimony taken, the witnesses above
named not being called upon to give their evil
dence. although they were brought before the
Topographic transcript of the testimony did not
ter and that return Of the case was made to
the District Attorney Office TO the time When
the Grand Jury undertook 10 inquire into IT. Nhen.
however. the attention OF the Coroners ONCE was
testimony. we're at once transmitted TO the Dis
trict-Attorney's office, Having ascertained tnai
practice in the Coroner's Office the Grand Jury
summoned before them a number OF witIesses LOT
The purpose of innuirng into the general conduct
OF the Coroners office and its methods OF ramsay,
Ing the Of tbe oponers under The laws From
the sworn testimony Of these witnesses II appeais
o@ce detrimental 10 the public interests and
directly affecting the administration OF pup'c
These abuses apparently the result OF long be
existing lack Of system ana sbopdnate to them
In the business of that Office
DELAYS COMMON.
The law contemplates that all suspicious deaths
should be promptly and thoroughly investigated by
the Coroner The evidence before the Grand jury
as taken from the records Of the Coroners once
shows that the Coroners do not promptly nvesti-
gate such deaths but that their Investigations are
almost habituay delayed beyond all reasoh st
time The general laws of this state require, tnat
when an inquest is completed the testimony OF VIII,
nesses examined before the coroner jury der mus his
direction and in this county must be MED by MN nm
with the inquison, in the office OF the clerk Vi '''
eGHr' provision of the New-York City Consolida-
nGn a ,h Clerk Of the Board of Coroners in all
cases that may come before Nm an 40 ne YER
tho testimony taken by him and copy OF the W. "
dict rendered by the jury and the clerk OF me ne
Board Of Coroners Is reg nr o the 10 Board of Health
and receipt taken therefor. except in h9miGide
cases dsav 10 The DistrctAttorney. These manda
tory provisions of the law have long Dee" 'e"0'e1
The marked Exhibit to cG fhe
With S thee d dnss Of holding H The time
when the papers have been filed with the D h,
Ettorncy ana the name of the coroner ha'N's
charge Of each case . ,soo hsfore the
Grand jury as abstract from the rec o'
Of Coroners oSe II aIpeda eay has ensued in
holding the nquests and thereafter ID n tns
mission Of s the RT0 almost half Of these
naprrs have vet been transmitted to the Distf hsn
Attorney SHa s 1.-the in F fHe Of the
In one case reported to the Coroner II, and three
S.nsr rcms, the only homicide cases apparently re-
ported TO the Coroner IN tnh s no necessity to
nav e,eo r his showing further than 10 say that
il is deplorable.
OTHER DERELICTIONs
The same dereliction in respect to the hhe VI
transcripts in cases other than homicides 10 une
Too-d ~ Health has also existed. Under the
authority conferred upon the Board OF iieal'" y,
the Consolidation act an ordnance lofm's o',e VI
the sections Of the Sanitary CODE nas or ROM TO
in force making it the duty OF me 49, o' ,Yrne and
give notice to the Board of Health OF the tie d
osshhe 1 %h o5eer haTng al the force
general statute under the cireuiiS nd on, Of
arpe nu nber Of cases in which such notice should
be furnished TO the Board Of Health very Il" "''
Some effort been made to excuse tn the 5 mesef
by the Coroners upon the ground 'ha' n on a.
Hogapher Of Board Of dreby u The ste
posrapher who holds his Office during the peas m
Of The Board Of nGs1 b Paw M IS entitled to
folio for all transcrp'ss fG dpacaon i of the
Board Under the law any person desfHg cp
Of the minutes s entitled to 10 ce tba senographr
~ ak cents per folio therefor. For some reason
the exact nh,ule 70 the Grand Jury the senog
rapher has not received the extra COMPENSATE
to tse District Attorney and he has never made
any claim for such compsnseiPnr;, such testimony
has been the cause of constant complaint tne
hos s ne 5ean prevented from transcrbing and dey
er,nc copies OF the minutes for the use Of private
Individuals
HOW JURORS ARE OBTAINED
:, annears from the sworn testimony that the
practice has long obtained among the Coroner OF
delegating TO their clerks messengers the power
of summoning jurors TO assist them in their IN
vestgations Instead Of issuing summonses for
attendance OF persons liable 70 jury duty selected
from poier NJ Oi c,,rto ~ In very many
eases 20 furnish these clerks or messengers WIN
blank summonscs leaving i. to them to det , n
sired jury. These subordnatcs select whom they
choose. III In their name5 m batk SunlnonS TO- .,
are empanelled in this manner by the Coroner IN
cases very often of the utmost public lnliorlanv
Coroner as to their fitness qualifications or impair,
TALLY II is needless 10 suggest the dAhEer am
possible damage to the cause OF jutiice that might
core from this loose and unlawful pra snaoos 70
The detail work OF the Coroners Once seems ~
be conducted in a most unsysteInafic ana u1pusl-
nesslikc The Coroncrs themselves alpdii
ertly have always lot the clerical WORK 81 "
Office to The chief clerk and HIS subordnates; the
chief clerk apparently does not recognize any pa
ticular Coroner his superior officer put u
instructed by all Of them ndiscriminately the re-
suit OF which must necessarily be that embar,ass-
ment in the Office work is thereby occasioned
TIE REMEDY Pr POSED.
We believe that the long-standng maladministra-
ton of the Coroners Office in this county Is a
cause OF embarrassment to the interests OF pupio
Justice and that satisfactory means Vi