The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-15
The BILLS TURNED DOWN.
The Physicians Who Took Out HOV-
eT'S Stomach Get No Money.

The Post Mortem Adjudged Illegal
By the Commissioners-The Physi-
clans Will Probably Appeal to the
Superior Court-The Governor
Asked to Offer a Good Reward for
Smalls-The Coroner's Physician
Will Not Be Appointed for Some
time-To Concentrate Work on the
DrainaEe-Detective Morgan Makes
Application for Some Blood
Hounds.
The two physicians, DR.. B. F. SheftaH
and DR.. B. S. Purse, will get nothing from
the county for conducting the post
norton examination on the body of
Lemuel L. Hover, unless they succeed in
getting the superior court to reverse the
decision of the county commissioners
made yesterday afternoon.
The bills from the physicians, it will
be remembered, were 500 each. The
bill for disinterring and reinterring the
body amounted TO 500. There was another
bill of SO from T. A. Mullryne for pre-
pairing the stomach for analysis. Total
for the post norton was 1896
Solicitor General Fraser appeared be-
| fore the commissioners. He was sorry,
he said, that County Attorney Saussy
had rendered an adverse opinion with re-
gard TO the payment of the bills He
stated the facts in the case, showing that
there was great deal of talk at the time
about foul play and it was not unfit after
| the coroners inquest that additional
facts were brought out which
gave ground to this belief Under
this pressure and under these cir
| cumstances the coroner had ordered the
v.g.aN
| recommended any such investigation. nor
had they decided that there We're any sus-
PIGEONS of foul play. The coroner simply
didn't understand that he had to have
another jury, and that was Just where
the mistake was made.
THE POST MoRTEM ILLEGAL.
Mr.. Saussy didn't think there was any
law to make the county pay for the
mistake of an officer. The law allowed
only $50 for post norton in cases where
it was recommended by the jury. This
had not been done in this case. There
was no law, then, by which two physicians
could be paid 500 each under any circum-
stances According to the construction
of the law, only $40 could be paid for the
| work.
MIR. Fraser admitted that the law
seemed to allow only $50 for the exami-
nation, but he thought this was an extra
| ordinary case, done under extraordinary
circumstances, and that it was one which
| the county commissioners should deter.
mine He said the stomach had never
been sent on for analysis, as he did not
want to answer the responsibility of the
costs for the work.
Something was said about the newspa-
pers of the city being responsible by their
articles for the cOroner's action in order
ing the post norton.
Il beg to differ" said Mr.. Kehoe. ~
think there was only one paper that was
| responsible in any way for the uproar
over the matter, and that was the Tele-
gram"
Mr. Carson wanted to hear the county
attorneys side Of the case.
SHOULD HAVE HELD ANOTHER INQUEST.
County Attorney Saussy read his ad-
verse opinion. He said he had failed to
find any authority for the payment of
bills to two physicians, and for such large
amounts. Mr.. Saussy traced the law on
the case as 1T has existed in the code for
the last fifty years.
The tenor of his opinion was that
post mortem could be made only on
recommendation and authority from the
coroner's jury; that the coroner himself
cannot authorize such an examination,
and that in no case was there any
authority for the employment of more
than one physician. The coroner had the
right TO have the body disinterred, and
the county should stand the expenses of
the disinterment But he had no
authority to continue without holding
another inquest and getting the authority
from the jury.
The commissioners then voted declining
to pay the physicians bill, and also that
of Mullryne. The county attorney stated
that the county would be liable for the
disinterment and reburying of the body,
and bills to the amount of $40 for that
work were ordered paid. A bill of Sc
from the city for the time of hands who
assisted in the work, was referred back
TO the coroner for his approval.
The physicians have the right to appeal
the matter of their bills to the Judge of
the superior court, and Mr.. Saussy and
all the commissioners joined in the hope
they would do so, as they wanted to see
the bills paid II there is any law for it,
WANT A REWARD FOR sMALLs.
Solicitor General Fraser, requested the
county commissioners to ask the governor
to offer reward for the capture Of Abe
Smalls. All requests for offers of re-
ward on the part of the state, he said,
must come from the county commission
ers, and he thought it proper that they
should make the request of the governor
at once. He said every effort had been
made by the officers here to capture
Smalls, but, so far, they had been unable
TO do so. The last informalio he had
received was that Smalls had been seen
in South Carolina on the line of the
Charleston and Savannah railroad with
his Winchester rife going towards
Charleston. The authorities over there
have track of him and it is thought the
offer of a reward, will be the means of
efecting his capture at an early date.
Solicitor General Fraser had drawn up
a request to the governor stating that the
killing of Policeman Neve was a most
brutal murder, and every means should
be employed to effect his capture. The
communication asked that as large q re-
ward as possible be offered. The commits
sioners were fully agreed on the matter,
and the request on the governor to offer
the reward was signed by Chairman Dale
The clerk of the board was instructed to
forward the request 10 Gov. Northen at
once. There is little doubt but that a
good reward will be offered when the
facts in the case are laid before the gov
ernOr Solicitor General Fraser will write
a personal letter to the governor urging
him TO offer the reward.
A letter from Messrs. A G. Guerard &
Son, stating that they were prepared to
} take the fire insurance risk on the county
} court house at three-fourths of per cent.
was received as information