The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-08-16

and the other student said: OF course he
is dead. He thinks he is alive, but no
died day before yesterday, fell dead on
the street, and his folks said he had been
a nuisance and they wouldn't claim the
corpse, and we bought it at the morgue.'
Then drew the icicle across him again,
and / said: Il don't~ know about this,
doctor. / find that blood follows the
scalpel as / cut through the cuticle.
Hand mo the blood sponge, please Pa
began To wiggle around, and we looked
at him. and my chum raised his eyelid
and looked solemn, and Pa said: Hold
on, gentlemen. Don't cut into me any
more, and can explain this matter.
This is all mistake. was only drunk.
"We went in corner and whispered,
and Pa kept talking all the time. He
said if we would postpone the hog kill
ing he could send and get witnesses to
prove that he was not dead, but that he
was respectable citizen and had fam
lily. After we had consultation l
went to Pa and told him that what he
said about being alive might possibly be
true, though we had our doubts. We
had found such cases before in our prac-
tice east, where men seemed to be alive,
but it was only temporary. Before we
had got them cut up they were dead
enough for all practical purposes. Then
/ laid the icicle across Pas abdomen
and went on TO tell him that if he was
alive it would be better for him to play
that he was dead, cause he was such
nuisance to his family that they did not
want him, and was telling him that i
had heard that in his lifetime he was
very cruel to his boy, a bright little fell
low who was ut the head Of his class in
Sunday school and a pet wherever he
was known, when Pa interrupted me
and said: Doctor, please take that carv-
ing knife off my stomach. for it makes
me nervous.
"'As for that boy of mine, he is the
condemndest little whelp in town, and
he isn't no pet anywhere. Now, you let
up on this dissecting business, and will
make it all right with you We held
another consultation, and then / told
Pa that we did not feel that it was do
ing justice to society to give up the body
of notorious drunkard after we had
paid $50 for the corpse. If there was
any hopes that he would reform and try
and lead different life, it would be diff
ferent, and said to the boys: Gentle
men, we must do our duty. Doc, you
dismember that leg, and will attend to
the stomach and the upper part of the
body. He will be dead before we are
done with him. We must remember
that society has some claims on us and
not let our better natures be worked
upon by the post mortem promises OF
dead drunkard.' Then took my icicle
and began fuinbling around the abdo-
men portion Of Pas remains, and my
chum took rough piece of ice and be-
gan to saw his leg off, while the other
boy took hold Of the leg and said he
would catch it when it dropped off.
"Well, Pa kicked like steer. He said
he wanted to make one more appeal to
us, and we acted sort Of impatient, but
we let up to hear what he had to say.
He said if we would turn him loose he
would give us $40 more than we paid for
his body and that he would never drink
another drop as long as he lived. Then
we whispered some more and then told
him we thought favorably Of his last
proposition, but he must swear with his
hand on the leg Of corpse we were
then dissecting that he would never
drink again, and then he must be blind
folded and be conducted several blocks
away from the dissecting room before
we could turn him loose. He said that
was all right, and so we blindfolded
him and made him take bloody oath
with his hand on piece of ice that we
told him was piece of another corpse.
and then wa took him out of the house
and walked him around the block four
times and left him on corner after he
had promised to send the money to an
address that gave him.
I'VE told him TO stand still five min
utes after we left him, then remove the
bhndfold and go home. We watched
him from behind a board fence, and he
took off the handkerchief, looked at the
name on street lamp and found he
was not far from home. He started off
saying: That's a pretty narrow escape,
old man. No more whisky for YOU /
did not see him again until this morn
ing, and when ! asked him where he
was last night he shuddered and said:
None of your darn business. But l
never drink any more, you remember
that Ma was tickled and she told me
was worth my weight in gold. Well,
good day. That cheese is musty." And
the boy went and caught ON passing
sleigh.