Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-19
THE BODY TAKEN UP
John Coulson, Yho Was Raiboaded
70 Potter's Field.
CLAlMEl By THE WIDOW
She Was ;sFourd Without Trouble
oa1nquiry.
BURIED. AT ROCK CREEK

The body of John Coulson, who died at
the Emergency Hospital Thursday, and was
so hurrtedly sent to pottcrs field, as pub
iished in Saturdays Star, was taken from
the grave this morning and will be given a
Christian burial; At the Emergency Hospi-
tai his name appeared on the records as
John Colston. and his address as 172S o
street. 1t has been ascertained that he
lived In the rear of, 1923, o street one square
from the address stated in the records.
William Bowen. at whose house he boarded,
had not seen him for about three weeks
prior to his death.
Mrs. Helen Coulson, widow of the dead
man. was found Saturday night at No. 1924
18th street. where she lives. She is en-
ployed at ST. Johns College. Her husband
was an English butler, and last winter he
worked at the Chilean legation.
When Maj. Sylvester learned of the inter
ment of the body without the relatives of
the man having been discovered he direct
ed that the case be investigated. Inspector
Boardman detailed Detectives Peck and
Miller on the case, and they soon located
Mrs Coulson. They also obtained the eff
fects of the deceased at the Emergency
Hospital, and, 1t is stated, there was enough
material among them to have established
his identity in a short time. Among his
belongings was a letter of recommendation
from the Chilean. minister and another from
Joseph T. Anderson. There was also an
application for membership in the knights
| of St. George.
1t developed that message was sent
from the hospital to the third police pre-
ctnct asking that relatives at No. 1928
street be notified.
The police soon learned that there were
no friends Of the man at the number
stated and so informed the hospital au-
there was then no further effort to estab-
iish the mans identity Or find his relatives.
Rushed to Grave.
As stated in Saturdays Star, a post
mortem examination. held at the hospital
Friday morning, showed that death result
ed from pneumonia.
Friday afternoon the dead wagon
arrived at the hospital with coffin and
the body was taken over Capitol Hill to
find a resting place among the bodies of
paupers and unknown persons. The man
died at the hospital Thursday between 2
and 3 o'clock. and 4tweuty-four hours later
was in potter's field.
When the police succeeded In finding Mrs
CoulSon and ascertainng her desires about
the disposition Of her husbands body Cor
oner Carr was consulted and he directed
that uperintendent Schoenberger of the
morgue go to potters field this morning
and diSinterz the body.
Body Taken Up.
1t was nearly 0 O'clock when Superinten-
dent Schoenberger and his colored assistant
reached potter's field this morning. After
driving through much mud and slush the
little black wagon reached the roadway
near CoulsoR's grave. A colored man wear
ing uniform that showed he was serving
time for a violation OF law was detailed to
assist In the task of opening the grave.
The work OF removing the earth from the
top OF the Sottin Vas a difficult one The
grave was close by the, highest point of the
cemetery near the Jail, and was only a
short distance from the smallpox detention
camp After iabOring for about thirty min
utes the coffin was reached. When the lid
was removed and the mans face seen the
superinte ndent of the morgue was satisfied
trom the description given him that he had
the right body.
There was not a garment Of any kind on
the body. which was unusually well pre-
served on account of the cold weather Re-
moving the remains from the plain pine
coffin, the men placed 1t on stretcher and
lifted 1t to the wagon. Shortly afterward
the body was in the morgue at Lees ,1n-
dertaking establishment on Pennsylvania
avenue.
About IL o'clock the widow called with a
bunch Of flowers to place on the coffin. but
as the body had not been prepared for
burial she was told she would have to wait
1t so happened that Mrs. Coulson had gone
direct from the office to the work room, and
while waiting for the undertaker's assist
ants to arrange things in the morgue, she
looked at the men working on her hus-
bands coffin. Finally she went to the up-
per floor on the elevator and the sight that
followed was a sad one.
The flowers were left on the cold form in
the morgue. and the heart-broken woman
returned home.
IT'S too bad" she remarked; 81 don't
understand it. Why should they bury him
so soon and not let me know?'
She said she was married at Manchester,
England, in 1881. and had been In this coun-
try sixteen years. During recent months,
she said she had not seen much of her
husband, as they worked in different places.
She did see him. few days ago she said.
and he was then feeling well, although his
health has not been good for several years.
Her husband, she said, had always been
with him during his last illness
This afternoon arrangements were made
for the burial of the body at Rock Creek
cemetery.
ALLEGED BRUTAL ASSAULT