The San Francisco call., 1899-01-24
v, H, STACKPOLE
COMPLAINS OF
CORONER HILL
Trouble Over Orr's
Remains.
RELATIVES DEMAND IGNORED
WANTED TO SEND THE BODY TO
PORTLAND, ME.
RELATIVES DEMAND IGNORED
WANTED TO SEND THE BODY TO
PORTLAND, ME.
The Coroner Finally Delivered the
Cadaver to His Undertaking
Friend-A Replevin Suit
to Follow To-Day.

The disposition Of the body of Frank
E. Orr, who lost his life in the collision
between a launch and the ferry
steamer Oakland, has resulted in a sit
uation that is anything but a credit to
the new administration of the Coro-
ner's office The young man was a
cousin of w. H Stackpole, an attorney
of this city, who is in fact the only
relative of the deceased on this coast.
Accompanied by c. S. Chamberlain,
with whom the young man had made
his home, Mr.. Stackpole went to the
Coroner's office yesterday morning and
presented a dispatch from the head of
Orr's family in Portland, Me, instruct
ing the Coroner TO turn the body of Orr
over to Chamberlain. They were told
that the matter was in the hands of the
Public Administrator. StaCkpole stated
that the estate OF the deceased was too
small TO make it an object to admins
ter upon it. 1t was finally stated that
the difficulty would be adjusted after
the jury had viewed the body. The
Public Administrator put no particular
obstacles in the way, but by reason of
the acts Of the administrator attorney
and the COrOnerS office Stackpole was
kept dancing back and forth between
the Public Administrator until late in
the afternoon. He urged upon Coroner
Hill the Importance of having the body
embalmed at once, in order that 1t
might be properly shipped East.
'Rpef told me-" said Stackpole, that
while the Public Administrator waived
the right TO special letters he thought
that the Coroner wanted to give the
patronage to a friend who occasionally
buried bodies from the office free of
charge. Hill again appeared and l
called his attention to the statement
of Ruef. He SAID he certainly wanted
to give the business to the city under
taker to whom he owed everything
I told him that Chamberlain was ready
to advance the several hundred dollars
required to prepare and forward the
body, and that l had had an under
taker with me since morning waiting
to take the remains; that l saw no rea-
son for the dangerous delay and want
ed prompt action.
Coroner Hill finally said he had no
further objection to my claim, but that
o Thrust procure an order from the Pub
lie Administrator before he would de-
liver the body TO me. ] went to the
. office of that gentleman and he would
not act until he saw his attorney. He
said he did not see what he had to do
with the case, anyhow. After con-
SlOeTdDle IuIIUeT Qeldy 1tueI ledTHeQ US
telephone that the remains OF my
cousin had been sent to the California
Undertaking Parlors.
Il presume it is the intention Of that
institution to force me to pay their
price for putting the body in shape to
forward East However, the Coroner
had no right in these premises. and 1
propose to replevin the remains to-
morrow morning To me this conduct
of the Coroner seems scandalous. and
/ firmly believe it was a matter of COM
mission. In my view of the case. the
body of my relative was made bone
of contention and hawked about be-
tween the Coroner's office and an un-
dertaking establishment. I consider 1t
a disgrace to the Coroner and an out
rage of the feelings of the relatives
and frie.ds- of the dead man"