Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1897-09-16
ALWAYS WAITING FoR PREY.
One Phase of City Life About the County
Coroner's Office.

One Phase of City Life About the County
Coroner's ONCE.
Almost any time or any day there can
be seen an odd-looking collection of
men standing about the entrance to
and in the Office of the Cook coun-
IS coroner. They look like vultures
waiting for their prey. They have
a greedy and hungry appearance, and
If watched closely can be seen to cast
fitful and suspicious glances at their
neighbors. For the most part they
are poorly dressed though some among
them show signs of having been in bet
ter circumstances.
The idea of vultures is not 50 very
far from right, for these men are really
waiting for dead bodies. They are
waiting for some poor victim to fau
into the hands of the coroner, that they
may get a chance to sit on the coro-
ner's jury. Among this lot of regular
hangers-on is one man who shows
plainly that he has been driven to this
sort of life by sheer distress. Indeed,
there is more than one well known and
respectable citizen of Chicago who,
not so very long ago, was glad to asso-
ciate with this man and call him his
friend. But for some years past he has
been going down the scale of life. From
q prosperous business man he has be-
come n companion of ghouls, waiting,
perhaps, for misfortune to come to
some poor fellow creature, that he may
gain enough to buy glass of whisky,
and after that perhaps bowl of soup.
II was family troubles that first
sent this poor man on the downward
road. He took to drink to drown his
sorrow, and now oil he Graves is enough
money each day to buy liquor and food
rufficient to barely sustain life.
The fee for coroner jury service is
sl.50, and If the juror got 1t all
and had but one chance a day he would
consider himself pretty lucky. But
he does not get the whole of the fee.
That is to say, the necessities of his
condition compel him 10 discount his
voucher at once, and there are some
among the deputy coroners who have
no compunctions about playing Shy
lock. The usual discount on one of
these vouchers is 60 per cent, some
thing over half, but the poor fellows are
glad enough TO get 40 cents cash down,
for that 10 sustenance for them for a
day.
But does the deputy coroner have to
wait for the county treasurer to pay
him the dollar? Oh, no! In the near
vicinity of the county building there
is saloon keeper who is willing to turn
an honest penny aside from selling
whisky, and he gives the deputy 95
cents for the warrant, the deputy thus
making 55 cents on the deal.
This may be a Legitimate way to
make money. At least it is made in this
way by more than one of the deputies.
There are some, however, who are above
such q practice, and IL is to be hoped
that when George Berz enters upon his
duties, being the coroner-elect, he will
abolish the practice altogether.
He will certainly if he will take the
trouble to watch this once happy and
prosperous man and see him hustle
after some deputy who may hastily
leave the office to hold an inquest and
note the eager, expectant and hungry
look upon his face, mingled with the
fear that some of his companions, who
also follow the deputy, may be more
successful than he.-Chicago Chronicle