New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-22
AN INDICTMENT IMMINENT.
TIE CORONERS OFFICE SET ALL IN FLC'r
TER BY THE GRAND JURY.
MIR. NICoLL SAYS HE Is TIRED OF THE ENDLESS
COMPLAINTS or THE DEPARTMENTS NkG-
LECr or DUTY-AN EXAMINATION OF

COMPLAINTS OF THE DEPARTMENTS NEG
LECr OF DUTY-AN EXAMINATION OF
ITS sLOTnFUL METHODS
The Coroner's office is in a state of fright Pos
sbly to-day it may find an indictment by the
Grand Jury hanging ii. The Grand Jury yes
terday took up the consideration of the way things
are run in that office, and Coroner Schultze and
Acting Chief Clerk Hart, of the COroners Office
appeared before it. De Lancey Nicoll said that the
Grand Jury would finish its investigation to-day
and that he expected that presentment. ana pos
sbly an indictment, would be found The case IN
vestigated was the homicide by Samuel Mills, who
killed William O'Brien on July l. The papers IN
the had not been sent to the Dstrct-Attorney
office and this being but of the many instances
OF neglect in the Coroners ONCE the
Dstrct-Attorney brought 1t to the atteh-
ton of the Grand Jury The Grand Jury was
also informed that II looked as though the three
witnesses in the case-Francis Weylang, James
Kennedy and John Coleman-would have to remain
in the House of Detention the rest of their lives
In answer to the question why the Coroner 5
office had delayed in sending the papers TO the
District Attorneys Office. Coroner Schultze Is re-
ported to have said mot enough typewriters 10
do the work" He excited when asked about
the investigation
II welcome any investigation that they may
choose to make and am perfectly ready ~ give
my testimony" he said Il have always a'laA led
to my duties; whenever l have been to the th>ntre
or other places have left my address, so that
l could be called in hurry IL needed
Distrct-Attorney Nicoll said yesterday that he
had received many complaints about the
Coroner's office in the last six months. and that
he had been so annoyed by the Coroner's failure
10 give him any satisfaction, he had decided to
stand this neglect longer. There have been
hundreds Of just like the Mills case" said
he.
,ho 4 I & Il
| ten statement was given out setting forth how. on
May T. 1891, and May %. 1892 he had officially
called the attention OF the Board Of Coroners to
their denquences and had specified the cases in
point.
The complaints against the Coroner's office have
been many and varied. Some Of them are failure
TO respond to a case for Coroner, neglect in not
| making out papers for the District-Attorney' 5
| Office and failure to conduct inquests when the
law demanded them. In 1891 the Coroners office
| allowed eighty-nne cases to pass through the city
! morgue without any attempt at investigation In
| fifty OF these cases circumstances pointed to foul
| play Many cases where bodies have been allowed
| 10 lie for nearly a week because the police were
| uuable/to find a coroner have come up. \ case
of this neglect was that of the child of Mrs NJ.
Wolf OF No l56 West Elghteenth-st.. which died
| on a Thursday and was stll in the house on Sun
day because no coroner could be found
When asked to explain the cause of the disgrace
full DELAYS in taking ante-mortem statements of
persons who had been shot, stabbed otherwise
| maltreated in way likely TO result in death Cor
oner Mckenna gave the same account as did Cor
oner Schutze of his precautions whenever he went
to the theatre But Coroner Shea's view OF his re-
! sponsibilites a a will be highly inter-
esting to the public which pays his salary.
II do not consider 1t any part OF my duty to in
struct my wife my my daughter or my
servants to where may be found at one time
and where may be found at another" said the
Coroner. There is nothing In the law which
| obliges me 10 make the members of my family at
taches Of the Coroner's office"
Take the OF attempted murder" said
the reporter "A failure OF justice would resul,
from the delay or the failure to take ante
norton statement"
But how to tell whether 1t is a case of
murder of simple accident%' answered Cor
oncr shea. THE message left at my house gen.
orally contains no further Information than that an
ante-mortem statement is awaiting my attention
other of the hospitals"
None of the three Coroners could clearly explain
why it that eight nine even nineteen
| hours frequently elapsed between the time Of the
call and the arrival of the Coroner. Coroner Mes
sener. of course. could not be found.