The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-08-03
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.


the same that were played by US during
our school days and by our fathers and
our fathers fathers?' inquired an at
torney of a group of friends who were
chatting In the lobby of the Copeland:
nave heard of a great number OF
pranks. but not one has a mark OF orig
lnallty- 1t may be that the old boys
exhausted all the resources in their day
ana Ihat an opportunity to work up
something new has not presented user
but, be that as it may, the fact remains
that the tricks and FRANKS have changed
very little. The exception to TINS state
ment is found in the medical schools
Ihere seems to be no authoritative ex-
ample for the medical students to fol-
low, at least they don't follow 1t II they
nave one, for each prank is more hor-
r1Dle or more uncanny than the previous
one AT one time while living in Den
yer roomed in the same house with a
number OF medical students and became
very Wei acquainted with them They
We're all good hard working young fell
lows who devoted their time to their
studies and, apparently, had little time
to spend on pranlxs but they did play
one on the landlady. 1t came about
IN this way: The landlady was woman
with great and Unsuitable curiosity
and the boys came to the conclusion
that II was she who went through their
trunks, bureau drawers and pockets.
They had been suspecting each other
for some time, but finally agreed on the
landlady. Just how to put a stop to it
was question they discussed together
frequently. None of them had the nerve
to speak to her about it so they decided
upon scheme that worked just as well,
If not better One of the boys secured a
hand from the dissecting room; it was
a large hand and not very clean, and,
after carefully wrapping it in paper,
placed it in his coat pocket and hung
the coat in a closet This was done
one morning. That noon when the boys
came home they found the hand on the
floor in their sleeping room and the
paper in which it had been wrapped
lying near it. When the bows came
down to dinner they did not see the
that evening or the next morning. They
were Informed that she was suffering
from an attack of nervous prostration |
and would not be able to be up for sew |
eral days and were also told that she |
hoped when she did get up that she |
would not see them as she did not care |
to nave lot of cannlbalS around her |
house. The students left and not long |
afterwards she received a package by |
messenger which contained the bones of |
the hand tied up in red ribbons"
''It has been only a few years since |
the terms body snatcher and medical |
tsudent were considered synonymous"
remarked a doctor who was one of the |
group, land a great many persons, par |
ticularly negroes, still look upon the |
student as a sort of ghoul Every now |
and then we hear of a case of grave |
robbery that can be traced to the stu
dents of some medical college, but as a |
rule the colleges can get all the sub
jects they need in a perfectly lawful |
manner. Occasionally a man will die |
from disease that is particularly in |
teresting to the faculty or the students |
and if they can get the body by hook
or crook they will do SO. They do get |
a great many more bodies. than is gen
orally supposed. l knew a young man
who paid his way through school by |
procuring bodies and doing other odd
jobs. He is now a practicing physician
in a Texas town and stands very well in
that community. He had the business
down to system ard was personally
dertaker in the city and in all the sur
rounding counties. He owned a light
single rig that was built that his
tools could be secreted without any pos
sible chance of detection from the
closest examination. He subscribed for
the county seat paper in every county |
that was within a hundred miles of the |
city and kept posted on all the sick peO- |
pie and those who were injured in acct
dents. 1t seemed impossible for a death
to occur without his knowledge All |
this information he kept in a book and
in addition to that he had a perfect
knowledge of the country roads. He
was a veritable Sherlock Holmes in so
far as his business was concerned. I
do not know how many bodies he stole
but the number must have reached a
hundred for he went to that college
three years. One remarkable thing about
his work was that there was but one
Il
graves he robbed. He told me that he
was very careful and the man who went
with him was just as painstaking as he
was 1 heard him offer to bet another
student that he could rob a grave and, |
# it was necessary, recover it so per
fectly that the deed would never be
suspected. He would receive from S25
TO 800 for a body, but, of course, the
price depended on the condition and
circumstances. The one time that he
made a bobble occurred in this way. He
i f1r, 20 No l
yard located fifteen miles from the col
ege They had started late and were
-ushed to get through with their work
and get back before daylight and were
lot as careful as usual in covering their
racks. 1t so happened that the sexton
noticed signs of their work and upon
the body was found to be
The subject was good one, |
splendidly formed man who had been
shot and instantly killed, and was
brought to the college all right. but be-
ng for the body and they found it. The |
mans family raised a big row, but the
natter was fixed up some way without
he young man or the officers OF the
school being prosecuted"
1.-The fear that has been expressed in
great many quarters that the trouble
With China would injure our business
las proved groundless,' said a gentle
nan at the National who was discuss :
ng the Chinese trouble with friend '
With the exception or the 6lltlSn-boel =
var nothing has occurred in years that l
will help our trade as will the Chinese !
var Already the fact has been noticed
hat the volume of American shipments
o China remains about the same as be-
ore the ports were closed by war or
he fear of it. This is explained by the
.normous amount of military supplies
We are furnishing to the foreign armies
hat amount equalling at present our
.ntire peaceful export to China. 1t $
eems probable that most of the food, t
clothing and equipment of the allied
orces will be purchased in this coun-
ny. Russia and Japan have let con-
racts for supplies in Chicago and Ger
many is making contracts in San Fran I
isco for the supply of her expedition /
This trade, which is large now, VIII {