The record-union., 1899-04-09
CORONER VS.. UNDERTAKERS.
A CLASH THAT RESULTED IN
AN ARREST.
The Courts May Have to Settle a
Few Points Now in Dispute
Between Them.

Within the past few days a n1isunder-
standing has arisen between Coroner
NIcMullen and the undertaking firm of
Clark & Booth, and the courts have
been called upon to settle the difficulty.
Coroner George c. McMullen is a
member of the firm of Miller & McMul-
len. Several days ago Emma La Bonte,
a woman OF lower l. street. committed
suicide, and the Coroner took charge
of the remains. Subsequently friends
of the deceased raised a fund for her
burial and employed Clark & Booth to
take charge of the funeral. McMullen
demurred, on the ground that the
woman had no relatives in the city, in
which case the statute provides that the
Coroner shall conduct the funeral.
which McMullen did.
On Friday, after the suicide of Arthur
Miller, Coroner McMullen visited the
house and prepared the body for pre-
servation for the inquest, using the
cavity embalming process.
TO Record Union" reporter Mr.
McMullen last evening said that Mrs
Miller informed him that she preferred
Clark & Booth should conduct the
funeral, and that he replied that he had
no objection whatever provided they
| did not interfere before he had held an
| inquest. He had, he said, been absent
! but a short time when he was called up
| by Mr.. Booth, who told him he intend
| ed, at the request Of Mrs Miller, to
| take charge of the body and prepare it
| for burial. Thereupon McMuilen said,
| he told Booth that if he touched the
remains he did SO at his own peril, but
that the latter defied him, took his para
phernalia out Of the house, and used
those of the firm of Clark & Booth.
Thereupon McMullen complained to
| the District Attorney, and yesterday
afternoon Mr. Booth was served with
warrant of arrest charging him with
interfering with an officer in the proper
discharge of his duty.
Mr.. Booth, when seen last evening,
said he had, at the request of Mrs Mil
ler, gone to the residence of the latter
to prepare the body of her husband for
burial. He found that blood was run.
ming from the wound in the head. anc
he telephoned to McMullen, informing
him that he intended to embalm the
body, using the arterial process Nc.
Mullen objected, and told him not to In
terfere with the body. and particularly
warned him against embalming the
body until after the inquest.
Mr.. Booth said he took the body from
McMullen's cooling board and placed it
on his own, but did not attempt to en-
balm it. He contended that embalming
was no part of the Coroner's duty, and
that he (Booth) would have had as
much right to do that work as the
Coroner himself. Booth gave bonds for
his appearance in court when required.
THE INQUEST
A Coroner's jury last evening held an
inquest on the remains of the deceased,
at which it was developed that his true
name was Arthur Nicholas Heating.
The evidence of Mrs. Miller-as her
husband was generally known-who
was the only person in the house when
the suicide took place, did not mate
rally differ from the account published
in the Record Union" yesterday morn.
ing.
She told the jury that her husband
had wandered in his mind all Of the
night before his death; that he imag-
fned that various friends were in the
room. About 7:30 a. M he went. to
sleep, and she went out of the room
He followed her few moments later,
but she induced him to go back After
he had been in his room a moment she
heard a shot, and reached the door of
the room just as her husband fell to
the floor.
The jury brought in a verdict to the
effect that the deceased came to his
death from a pistolshot wound at his
own hands while temporarily insane.