Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-19
ACCOUNTANTS.
DAMAGES FOR STOLEN SKIN.
An Irishman Wants s25.OOo for Bid&
That a Frenchman fs wearfng.

Prom the San Francisco Examiner.
Michael MCGOWAN values seven strips %
his epidermis width IN inches. length 0
inches) at $1,000. and in q day or two he
will ask the superior court OF San Francis
CO to see tat he is reimbursed In that sum
for his loss Of Il. Michael lost his skin
while a patient at the City and County
Hospital. He did not know he was going
to lose IL till he woke from an snaesthetio
sleep and found IL gone Physically Mich-
aels pain was not great when he swoks
from the influence 81 the ether and found
seven patches OF raw flesh where there had
been a whole hide. but when DIR. Barrett
informed him that those strips Of skin had
been used to I'll a hideless gap on the face
OF a Frenchman. Michaears wrath wss
great
Jean Forrest was the beneficiary OF tho
operation. and all might have gone well in
this international grating operation lad
not the ludicr Jus side OF the affair present.
ed itself so strongly to Jean that one day.
as the two men lay near each othersin the
hospital ward. the Frenchman turned his
patched face toward the Irishman's couch.
and, with as much OF an ironical smile az
the healing patchwork would permit.
tauntingly remarked:
I've never been SO close to an Irishmsn
before"
The swed. in the next bed is nearer %
you than / am" returned Michael
But I've got your skin on my face.~
said Jean. That makes me part Irish
don't it,
You II be a Dutchman when I get out OF
this bed. I'll tear that skin OF mine OK
your face as soon as / get well / Will"
said Michael And when the othe- patients
in the convalescing ward began 10 laugh at
the man who had been robbed Of his skin
TO patch a strangers face Michaers wrath
increased.
This occurred last March. shortly aftsr
o. H.
Michael's anger against the Frenchman has
had time to cool.
Fresh skin has grown over these seven
SPOTS on Micheel's right thigh. yet all HIS
anger has not faded. He valued his skin
and though he no longer bears nl-wfn -
ward the man whose face is patched with
IL. he means TO do all he can TO discourage
the infant industry Of skin stealing. and TO
gain some redress for the great mental
and physical pain he says he suffered IN
consequence OF DR.. Barrett's experiment In
international grating.
And so Michael MCGOWAN he's employed
Attorney II. X. Mitchell to prosecute hio
claim against the city and county of San
Francisco for those seven strips Of stolen
hide size IL inches each. In the
novel complaint that will be filed in q day
or two. Michael MCGOWAN recites that San
Francisco Is a municipal corporation: thaa
as such IL Is owner and proprietor of the
hospital where seven pieces Of his skin
were stolen; that the hospital was and 10
maintained fo- the relief Of the INDECENT In.
firm and diseased. and that on the twenty.
fourth day OF last October he was admitted
for treatment for an ulcer on his right ankle.
Then he alleges that in March last while
under the influence OF an anaesthetic ad-
ministered ostensibly for the purpose OF
OF Grating on the ulcer. ami without the
knowledge or consent OF the patient, the
physicians then AMI there did cut and
mutilate his body by cutting from TIE right
thigh large quantities OF his skin. which
were used In grating fresh skin on other
persons"
Some of the cuticle cut from Michssl's
thigh was grated on female patient who
has since Joined the great me jorfty. Mich
ael calamity makes no mention OF this
patient in his complaint, ana says that IL
his mutilation had ended there his whole
life would not have been embittered TO The
extent OF $1,000. But when Il came to
stealing the skin OF a Celt TO patch Tho
wound OF a Latin. and never so much as
BY your leave" this was more than Mich
ael could stand.
The eleventh count in Mr. McCowau'a
complaint reads: That plainrff. by reason
OF the wrongful scts aforesaid. has becn
mutilated and disfgured for life: that since
said operation he has been depressed in
mind end weak physically and ever since
has suffered. ana still docs suffer. great
mental and bodily pain
OF course, IL is possible that a fury NAV
not value Michael's skin az highly as he
does. According 10 his own figures Mach-
ael values each OF the seven lost sirius nt
S2.51l43. True. he has new skin m ia
place. but the old skin was b-olght Win
him from Ireland