Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1894-07-18
DAMAGES FOR STOLEN SKIN.
Irishman objects to His Hide Being
Used by a Frenchman.

Irishman Objects to His Hide Being
Used by a Frenchman.
Michael MCGOWAN values seven strips
of his epidermis width ~ inches, length
s inches), at So, 1000, and in day or two
he will ask the superior court of San
Francisco to see that he is reimbursed III
that sum for his loss of it, says the San
Francisco Examiner. Michael lost his
skin while patient at the city and coun-
ty hospital. He did not know he was 60
ing to lose it until he aWOke from an
anesthetic sleep and found 1t gone. Phys
ically MichaefS pain was not great when
he awoke from the influence Of the ether
and found seven patches OF raw flesh
where there had been a whole hide, but
when DR.. Barrett informed him that
those strips of skin had been used to I'LL
hideleSS gap on the face of a Frenchman,
Michaers wrath was great
Jean Forrest was the beneficiary of the
operation, and all might have gone well
in this international grating operation
had not the ludicrous side of the affair
presented itself so strongly to Jean that
one day, as the two men lay near each
other in the hospital ward. the French
man turned his patched face toward the
1rishman's couch, and, with as much OF
an ironical smile as the healing patchwork
would permit, tauntingly remarked:
I've never been SO close to an Irish
man before"
1.-The Swede in the next bed is nearer
to you than l am" returned Michael. :.
But I've got your skin on my face,
said Jean. That makes me part Irish,
You'll be Dutchman when I get out
of this bed. I'll tear that skin of mine
off your face as soon as l get well, l
WILL said Michael. And when the other
patients in the cOnvalescing ward began
to laugh at the man who had been robbed
of his skin to patch a strangers face
Michaels wrath increased
This occurred last March, shortly after
the grating operation was performed
and MichaefS anger against the French
man has had time to COOL
Fresh skin has grown over these seven
spots on Michael's right thigh, yet all
his anger has not faded. He valued his
skin. and though he no longer bears i'll
will toward the man whose face is
patched with it, 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.. Barretts experiment in international
grating.
ployed Attorney II. X. Mitchell to pros
ecute his claim against the city and
county of San Francisco for those sew
en- strips of stolen hide. size 112XS inches
each. In the novel complaint nat will
be filed in a day or two Michael Mellow
an reciteS that San Francisco is mu-
nicipal corporation; that as such it is
owner and proprietor of the hospital
where seven pieces of his skin were stol-
en-; that the hospital was and is main
tanned for the relief of the INDECENT, in
firm and diseased, and that on the Oath
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
anesthetic. administered ostensibly for
the purpose of operating on the ulcer
and without the knowledge or consent
of the patient, the physicians then
and there did cut and mutilate his body
| by cutting from the right thigh large
| quantities of his skin, which were used in
grating fresh skin on other persons"
Some of the cuticle cut from Nj
chaels thigh was grated on a female pa
tent, who has since joined the great
majority. Michael CALAMITY makes no
mention of this patient in his complaint
and says now that if his mutilation had
ended there his whole life would not
have been embittered to the extent of
| $4,000. But when 1t came to stealing
the skin of the Celt to patch the wound
of Latin, and never so much as ''by
| your leave" this was more than Michael
could stand.
The eleventh count in Mr. McGowan's
| complaint reads: ''That plaintiff. by
reason of the wrongful acts aforesaid,
has been mutilated and disfgured for
| life; that since said operation he has
been depressed in mind and weak phys
ically, and ever since has suffered and
still does suffer great mental and bodily
pain"
OF. course it is possible that a jury
may not value Michael's skin as highly
as he does. According to his own figures
Michael values each of the seven lost
strips. at S3571.43: True, be has new
brought with him from Ireland.