The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-08

ready to go to Jail whenever the Coroner
got ready.
Not being accustomed to having his
authority defied the Coroner made out
commitment for imprisonment and DR..
Kuhlman was placed in charge OF an Off
Ger. The captain of the California-street
police station, Sergeant Hough falling at the
City Hall and Captain Healy at the City
Hail all refused to take the prisoner on the
commitment. The doctor was finally
taken before Judge Conlan in the Police
Court, and he was released on his own
recognizance to appear the following Mon
day for trial.
In the meantime the case was trans
ferred to Judge Campbell, who, after a
continuance, finally sentenced DR.. huhl-
man to five days imprisonment in the
County Jail.
John B. Clark, DR.. Kuhlman's attorney,
sued out a writ of habeas corpus before
Superior Judge Belcher and the hearing
on the writ was set for last Saturday before
Judge Belcher. The court decided that
the Inquest held in the case of Sonderup
was illegal, and ordered Dr. Kuhiman's
discharge.
The doctor is now camped on the trail
of the Coroner with long knife IN his
belt sharpened to slice off a goodly por-
ton of Coroner Hawkins fortune if he
can get jury to authorize it. DR.. Kuhl-
man said yesterday afternoon:
The Widow Sonderup is going to push
her suit for $25 900 damages against the
Coroner as Judge BeIcher's decision
decides the illegality of the inquest.
81 am going to sue the Coroner and his
bondsmen in due course OF time Tor
$75, 600 to Offset the damages and the in
dignities of being advertised on bill
boards, etc, as going to jail.
THE Morgue has been run in a body
snatcher manner continued the doctor.
sit has been used and is being used by
the Southern Pacific Company to defeat
the Just claims of widows, orphans and
other persons who may begin suit for dam
ages against the Southern Pacific Com
pany. Autopsies are held. Ii any diseases
of internal organs of persons are found
certificate OF death is issued that the per-
son died from natural causes, in order to
defeat claims for damages in case OF acct
dent, etc. Sonderup never had a symptom
of consumption, yet they say he died
from it.
"The law says" continued the doctor,
that whenever a person commits suicide,
is murdered, slain or dies suddenly under
suspicious circumstances, the Coroner
shall forthwith impanel a jury and pro-
coed with the jury to the place where the
BODY is and If buried, exhume the same,
and with the jury view the body before
commencing an inquest The jury in the
Sonderup case never viewed the body; it
had been buried three weeks before the IL
legal inquest was held.
Il am satisfied" continued DR.. Kuhl-
man, "that every inquest that has been
held by this administration in the Morgue
has been illegal, and it is matter that
ought to be investigated by the Grand
Jury. l do not hesitate to say that 1t is
nest of corruption where bodies are pur-
posely mutilated. At the risk of my per-
sonal liberty L have stopped this nefarious
practice at the Morgue, and hope the
Grand Jury will take it up. 1t is dis
grace to the city" said he.
1.-The Coroner's jury IN the Sonderup
case" concluded DR.. kaufman, brought
in no verdict. The jury stated that was
the only man who knew what Sonderup
died from, and | had not testified. Haw-
kins tried to bulldoZe the jury to accept
the evidence of other witnesses, but the
Jury wouldn't have it, and no verdict has
ever been rendered in that case"
In regard to the statement that the octo-
pus has its tentacles OH the Coroner Office,
Coroner Hawkins said last evening:
las to that charge | refer to my record
since have been in office in refutation OF
it, Not agreeing with DR.. Kuhlman APP
pears to be synonymous with being under
the influence of the octopus.
"As to the SoDderup case, the first l
knew of the matter was when DR.. Kuhl-
man telephoned to me and complained of
the officiousness of the Health Office n re-
fusing to give him a burial permit for Son
derup. He asked me- to do away with the
formality of an autopsy, and said he
would appear and testify as to the cause
of death. 1t being a railroad case. however,
l preferred to let jury assume the re-
spoons biIity of passing on it. then, IN
compliance with the request OF the Health
Office to investigate the case, ordered DR..
Barrett to hold an autopsy. His investi-
CATION showed that death was due to
tuberculosis and in no way could he find
signs of an injury.
f.The Coroners' law in California and in
fact, throughout the United States, said
Coroner Hawkins. lis vague and uncertain.
Judge Belcher made ruling Saturday in