Willmar tribune., 1901-10-16
OF SKELETONS.
Displayed in Army Medical Mu-
scum at Washington.
Famous Criminals Represented by
Grewsome Mementoes - Where
Gen. Sickles Keeps His
Tibia and Fibula.
TSpecfal WASHINGTON Letter.J

THE army medical museum is sell
dom seen by visiting sight,
seers.. For many years it was
located On the third floor OF the Old
Ford's Theater building, IN which
President Lincoln was shot, Very few
people knew of the existence OF the
museum In 1890 it was removed to a
new. building which is hidden in the
foliage of the vast park originally set
apart for the Smithsonian institution.
+ All of the interesting and instruc-
tive exhibits have been gathered by
army surgeons and surgeons general.
Near the main entrance there is a 81
gantic human skull as big as an ele-
phant's, and dozen bucketfuls OF
brains would hardly fill the cerebral
cavity. The aspect is rather startling
though it is only a model on large
scale in papier mache.
The museum has thousands of real
skulls, many of which are those of SOL
diers killed during the war between
the states. Agents were sent out from
Washington to collect them on the bat
tie felds-the Object being to illus
trate the effects of gunshot wounds.
One curiosity of this sort is i fore
arm and hand, shot off below the ell
bow, which the owner went back and
recovered from the scene of conflict
several months later. Even more in
teresting is steel breast plate worn
by confederate officer at Gettysburg.
It is pierced by two bullets, one of
which killed him.
In an out-of-the-way corner OF the
museum is the brain of Guiteau, the
assassin, preserved in glass jar filled
with alcohol. In another receptacle
is some of the arsenic that was in a
bouquet which the murderer's sister
took to him on the day before his exc
cution. The attention of the guards
was attracted by a white powder
sprinkled upon the flowers, and they
took them away before Guiteau could
swallow any Of the poison.
John Wilkes Booth is likewise repre-
sented by grewsome memories. A
piece of his spinal column is pre-
served, showing the injury it received
from the fatal bullet. There is also
fragment of the wounded spinal cord
in a bottle of alcohol. Another bottle
holds six inches of the rope with which
Capt. Henry Wirz was hanged on ac-
count of his flendiSh cruelty to union
soldiers imprisoned at Andersonville.
He murdered several of them.
One of the most interesting relics is
square piece of tanned skin from the
chest of soldier. On it are tattooed
grouping of flags and a dagger. Close
beneath the pictured dagger is a
triangular hole made by a real dagger
thrust into the victims heart by an
angry Mexican. Near by is human
skull with the left temple transfixed
by an Indian arrow head. This has a
strange history. On September l.,
1870, stage was attacked by Com
anches near Bellos river, Tex. There
were two passengers; one was killed
and the other escaped. Of the guard
of three soldiers one was killed, an
other got away unhurt, and the third
was wounded. The last, though
wounded in the head, arm, leg and
breast, made his way on foot 16O
miles across the plains to Fort
Conchas. There the poor fellow died,
and the post-mortem examination
showed that an arrowhead had
pierced the left temporal bone, enter
ing the brain. That it should not have
killed him instantly was astonishing.
The Uranium was sent to the museum.
Some of the accidents which happen
to peoples skulls are very remark
able. One of these on exhibition is a