The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-17
CORONER'S YEARS. WORK
DIR. BRAYTON'S TALE OF NURDrp
AND SUDDEN DEATH
The Office Cost the County 81. and
No Undertakes Had an Undue
Advantage.

Coroner a W. BraytOn yesterday COM
pleted his report for the year ending Nov
2. during which he has been in office. He
shows the disposition Of dead bodies. giving
the names OF the undertakers TO show there
has been no preference in that direction
Following is the report:
Since the beginning OF my term in No
vember last I have investigated 99 deatbs
eighty-three females and 226 males. From
Nov. Il TO the 3lst there were five cases.
twenty-five in December; twentv-eight IN
January; twenty-five in February; twenty
three in March: twenty-one in April: TWEEN
ty-twO in May; twenty-five in June: tbirtv-
six in July; twenty-nine in August: twenty
one in September; twenty-eight in October.
and eleven during the present month.
During the year there have been thirtv-
five railroad cases. Twelve have been en-
ployes Of the company. Seven were killed
at crossings. Three were children stealing
rides and twelve happened on railway
rights OF way. One of the deaths by rail-
way which occurred a few weeks ago was
one that caused much m An en-
ploye came TO the office to give testimony
IN a case that had happened a few DAYS
before. His engine had struck a little boy.
lie LETT the Office early so as to take a train
out and was gone only one hour when he
was crushed and killed by cars.
There have been twenty-nioe suicidas
committed within the year. Five men and
three women taking morphine; two men
and one woman, carbOIic acid; one woman.
cocaine; two men and one woman. arsenic.
lhfee men and one boy shooting themselves.
ms Httle boy was only fourteen years old
and was afraid he could not battle with
the world -FOUR men committed suicide by
hanging one man and one woman, drown
ing one man by chloroform, and one wom-
an by turning on the gas.
THE LIST OF MURDERS.
There was one murder suicide-M. N.
Jones (colored) shot Eliza Newkirk (white)
Jan. z, then shot himself. Harry P.
Sherer shot James y. Hester (coIored) Dec.
10 While protecting his property from prob
able burglary. Ralph Sample was stabbed
10 death by Charles McAree Aug. 8. They
got into an alteration and McAree acted
IN self-defense. Michael Smiley was shot
Sept. . BY John Smiley, who acted i'm
ISlSh9e FRANK smith was shot
by Robert Smith (bOth colOred) Sept.
u. Robert Smith was defending him
self and his wife and children. o #
at Bates Inn March Il by James Bar
nett (cOlOred) Barnett is now at State
frlson serving a term under ndeterminate
~&"s 0OIt OAAAD was ENOA ny JAMES JOnn-
son (coIored( oct 20 Combs rebuked John
son for striking a young boy when john
son turned and shot him through the heart.
There were three accidental shootings. OF
the deaths there have been three street
car accidents, death following in two or
three days.
Nine came to their death by drowning:
I'VE While In swimming. One man was
Ecalded TO death. One was struck by
nshtnlng- Three fel from hrst or second
story windows and died of injuries there
from. Two men and one woman were killed
In One man was crushed by his
wagon Overturning. a bicycle fork break
Ing caused a man TO be thrown TO the
pavement, resulting in his death from frac-
ture of the skull. An infant fell down two
or three steps, striking his head. which
caused death. Two boys fell Cow eva
tor shafts. Albert Nelson CAM ...s
death Feb. - from Vertebral hemO---
and crushing of skull, subsequent 10 g..
attack from a tiger (Rajah) at the Zoo.
During the year eleven deaths resulted
from burns. Seven have been caused by
using coal oil or gasoline in starting fires.
Eight children under one year of age have
died Of hamilton. Four babies overlain in
bed, four prematurely born, and cast away,
nave been found and called TO our atten-
ton OF the thirty-twO cases of heart
disease, nine were from endOcarditis, six
teen from Valvular trouble, two from fatty
degeneration, two from ~dilatiOn. three from
hypertrOphy. Six have died from epilepsy.
Five came TO their death from pneumonia,
one from pleurisy.
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN.
~ 8A0- AC4oAI 80 I'LL VI 1CACbA al
Rpoplexy, five Of cerebral meningitis, five
of congestion of brain. six of cerebral
hemorrhage, three of cerebral paralysis and
one Of cerebral softening. Have had five
deaths from senility. Three died from the
excessive heat. One died of ~gastritis and
one of gastric hemorrhage. Fifteen deaths
were due to tuberculosis. Eight from
hemOrrhage Of lungs and seven from var
ious forms of pulmonary tuberculosis. One
6faH VUhfla an nnaa1fharfn uraE haIno~ OfrTan
One died OF cystitis, one from asthma, one
from pericarditis. One from nephritis and
two from peritonitis. As 10 nationality,
nTty were or the negro race, nine irish,
thirty-fOur Germans, two Jews, one Scotch,
two English and the others were classed as
Americans.
'Forty-one deaths occurred between the
ages of one week to ten years; twenty
four deaths from ten To twenty years;
ffty-four deaths from twenty TO thirty
years; fOrty-fOur deaths from thirty to
forty years; thirty-fiVe from forty 10 fifty
years; s~ixty-three have been over fifty
There were eleven deaths from seventy to
eighty, and it was claimed one man was
over one hundred years old.
Have investigated ten deaths at the
Central Indiana Hospital for Insane, thirty
Iour at city Hospital; nVe al ST Nlncents
Hospital; two at WOrkhouse, one at Poor
Farm: one at the Deaf and Dumb lnstitu-
ton; one at Juliette, and one at the Deacon
ess Hospital.
Tine following undertakers have taken
care OF the dead: Ragsdale. six; Long *
Finn, three; Adams < kreiger. eight;
Callahan, three; Willis. thirty-hye; Lauck,
four; Shirley & Co. seven; Tutewiler. six
teen; Wiese, County undertaker) nineteen;
Renihan q Blackwell. ten; Morgan & Shell
ton. five: c. T.. KregelO, eight; Whitsett,
four; Grinsteiner Bros, ten; Nehling, SIX;
Horton & Jackson. one, FIanner q
Buchanan twenty-nine. Beck, one; Blanch-
ard. seven: Collier x Reynolds. four
L have ordered eighty-One autopsles,
which have been made by different pnysl-
clans. AutOpsies are made IN all murder
cases. in cases where there Is doubt, and
al The request of family or friends inter-
ested. in cases of drOwnins. burning or eN-
IRENE mutilatiOn for the purpose OF 1den-
tifying the person dead. The cost or au-
iopsies 10 the county has been Sz,uO ana
t@5 for expert testimony. The cost for
zitness money has been 500, and nearly 900
witnesses gave testimony. The total cost
OF the Office for one year has been $1,lOJ-
NOVEL IDEA.