The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-15

As said before there Is no warrant sior
II in the law as IL stands today or In any
that preceded 1t, and the wonder Is that
some such reasonable movement IN the
direction of decency az that recently
made was not made years ago. The po-
lice have been the perpetrators OF this
bad and now fortunately broken prece-
dent. They have never exercised any DIS
cretion in the matter, hut have followed
in every instance the iron rule OF neither
moving nor permitting to be moved the
body of an unfortunate, whatever the
circumstances or however much exposed
that body was. Doubtless they In every
instance acted according to orders, but
those orders were as repugnant to common
sense and decency as the precedent on
which they were based. Some years ago
child was killed by a street car and
what was the result? The body of the un-
fortunate little victim was allowed to re-
main in the roadway of a crowded public
thorough fare.for many hours until.a medi-
cal examiner was found, the policeman
on duty refusing TO permit even the un-
happy parents TO move IL to place where
the mangled remains could be shielded
from the prying and unsmypathetic eyes
OF the hundreds and perhaps thousands
who gathered at the scene OF the fatality.
Only few weeks ago man blew out his
brains on a pile of railroad ties over on
the Covelands and hts body remained ex-
posed for hours, while themews of the
suicide spreading, hundreds OF the idle
and curious hurried TO the spot to feast
their eyes on the gruesome spectacle.
Many times when bodies have been
found floating on the river have they
been towed up to the wharf and lashed
to a pile to await the arrival OF medical
examiner. One OF the most distressing
cases resulting from thin senseless prac-
tice occurred in Pawtucket year or two
ago. little boy, playing about the
pumping station, fell into the large
basin at that point. A policeman was
on hand and In very few minutes the
body was recovered. There were relatives
OF the lad present and they besought the
policeman TO let them take the body
from the water that they might make an
effort to resuscitate 1t. The officer re-
fused. He had his orders or thought he
had that when body vas found III the
water ii should remain there until a med
ical examiner arrived, and there he pro-
posed TO keep It, Pleadings and threats
alike failed to move him and to make the
case still more shocking the poor little
body slipped out OF his grasp two or three
times and had to be fished up again.
When 1t was finally drawn up there was
no doubt that the vital spark had been
quencbed for ever. II II hadn't been in
tno ufot hethhOu ~ Soita'uiy bau IA sho
subsequent emersions which mad resulted
from the doggedness and pigheadedness
OF the policeman.
The boy may have been and probably
was dead when the body was recovered,
but why should the officer prevent an
attempt to be made at resusitation? Such
conduct on his part was the height OF
brutality and merited not n rebuke from
his superiors but immediate dismissal
from the force where common humanity
and small modicum OF sense ought at
least TO be insisted or in it's memb bers.
However, here In Providence at least, we
have probably seen the last OF such cases
as have followed a senseless and obnox-
ious practice and the unfortunate dead
will no longer furnish a spectacle for the
indulgence of the morbid tastes OF the
idle and curious.