The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-12-14
AN AUTOPSY IS PREVENTED
SERIOUS CHARGES MADE AGIINST
 4 PHYSICIAN.

vilIe Cemetery Last Evening Dr. Os-
 scheme Is on Foot and Says That Per-
 mission for an Autopsy Was Given
 An investigation by Coroner MIX and
 Superintendent Wrtnn-Dr. Osborne
 Arrested This Morning.
 Dr. Oliver T. Osborne of 252 York
 street, professor of materia medica and
 therapeutics in the Yale medical school,
 was arrested at o'clock this morning
 by Patrolman Lewis of the Dixwell
 avenue precinct on a warrant charging him with unlawful disinterment, a stat
 utory offense. He was released under
 bonds of $1,O0O furnished by Dr. Henry l.. Swain.
 The charge of unlawful disinterment was preferred against pr. Osborne last night by colored family named Van Lue, living at Factory street. The statement of facts relating to the case as made by Coroner Mix last night is
 
 Last Labor day Bessie Van Lue, a thirteen-year-oldc colored girl, daughter of Frederick Van Lue of factory street was taken i'll and was attended by Dr. Oliver T. Osborne of PAP York street, professor of materia medica and therd- peutics in the Yale medical school. Her illness was d peculiar one, and last week Dr. Osborne told the parents that he had done all he could do for the child and that she could not live. Dr. Osborne called in consultation other physicians, among them Dr. Robert E. Peck The physicians all agreed with pr. Osborne that the child could not live ard were unable to diagnose the case. The girl died Sunday and Dr. Osborne requested of the parents permission to perform an autopsy, telling them that it would be in the interest Of science to do so. The mother and other members of the family say that they refused the requested permission, while Dr. Osborne says that the mother gave him per rmis- sion to perform the autopsy and desired that the other members of the family should not know that she had acceded to his request
 The funeral was held yesterday after noon, Beecher & Bennett, the undertak- CTS, having charge. The interment was in Westville cemetery. The child's life was insured and with the insurance money arrangements were made Tor the funeral and burial site in Westville cemetery was purchased. For the funer- al yesterday the hearse and four hacks were engaged and the body was taken to the cemetery. The pallbearers, young friends of the dead girl, lowered the casket into the grave and were about to pull up the straps by means of which it was lowered when someone whom the parents and brothers of the girl think was the sexton, Wilfred Ford told. them that they need not pull up the straps, but could leave them as they were The bearers did as re- quested.
 When the Van Lue family returned home they spoke of the circumstance of allowing the straps to remain around the casket and one of the sons last night said that his mother said: "Oh, I am afraid they are going to steal my child. Some of you go to the cemetery and see if the body is buried" In response to this request the father, two sons and one or two neighbors went out to the cemetery about 4:S0. Arriving there they found that the grave had not been filled up and that the straps were still around the caskets with the ends lying on the ground on either side of the grave.
 They then concealed themselves near by and began to watch. About 6 o'clock a team drove into the ceme- tery, followed by Mr. Ford, the sexton. The men who were watching say that | MT. Ford glanced around the cemetery | grounds and that then he and the driv- CT of the team took hold of the straps, 1 pulled the casket up, and put it in | the wagon which was then driven | away. The men who were watching it | followed it to R. N. Burwell's under | taking rooms at 966 Chapel street. They | saw the team driven in the driveway | adjoining Mr. Burwell's establishment | and saw the casket taken out and car ried into the side door of MT. Burwell's 1 place of business.
 The father then went at once to po- lice headquarters and notified Superin tendent Wrinn of what had taken place. The superintendent notified Coroner Mix, who at once took steps to investigate. death, the cause Of which was unknown, having taken place within his jurisdiction. A police man was sent to the undertaking rooms with the elder Van Lue, and there they found the body of the child. Coroner Mix and Superintendent Wrinn then went to MT. Burwells place of business, and sent from there for Dr. Osborne. MT. Burwell went to call pr. Osborne. who was attending lecture near by. When MT Burwell returned Dr. Osborne was with him, as was also Sexton Ford of the Westville cemetery.
 Coroner Mix told Dr.. Osborne what he had heard and Dr. Osborne stated that he had received permission from the mother to perform an autopsy on the ,hild's body The father was present when this statement was made and de- aied 1t. Coroner Mix told Dr. Osborne that if his story was true it seemed an unusual proceeding to hold the funeral allow all the members of the family to ,elieve that the body had been buried, md then after dark to remove the body md take it to an undertaker's Dr. osborne said that he had notified MT. and MT. Ford that he had re- .eiyed permission to perform the au
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