Waterbury Democrat., 1903-01-05
A SEARCHING INQUIRY
Will Be Made AS To Disposition
 of Rouse's Body.

Those Responsible for Turning 1t Over
 to Yale May Get Into Trouble-The
 Member of the Board of Charities
 Who Gave It to Yale Says He Had
 Right to Do So-Friends of the
 Dead Man Will Now Claim the
 Body.
 New London, Jan 5.-Whoever in New London is responsible because the body of Charles Rouse, q tugboat captain, was turned over to the Yale Medical school to be dissected, against the wishes of the dead mans rela- tives, probably has severe tins$1 be- fore him. Alderman F. V. Chapell, a member of the charities committee of the board, of aldermen, announced last night that searching investiga- tion would be made into the manner in which body was sent to the dis secting table before a decent time in which the relatives might obtain it had elapsed.
 Rouse was a captain of a barge. AL |derman Chappell, as it happens, is q member of the Thames Tow Boat company, which owns the barge and employed Rouse up to his last illness.
 The inquiry which precipitated the scandal about Rouse's body was set afoot by his aged father, and an aunt who lives in Pawtucket, k. I. They tried to obtain the body of the author ities and receiving no answer, wrote to John Rogers, a distant relative, who found so many difficulties laid ill his path that he took the whole mat ter to the mayor. Through the in quiry thus precipitated 1t has come out that the body of Rouse was turn and is now in the picking vat, al- though not yet upon the dissecting ta- bIe.
 The body will undoubtedly be re- claimed by the father and MT Rogers and will be given a respectable burial.
 Rouse never had been a pauper. He was an energetic, self supporting man until consumption seized him. Dur ing his last illness he was not paul per. His relatives appear to be not only ready, but anxious to provide a funeral for him, and they say they would have taken charge of the body immediately if they had received mo- tice of his death.
 After Rouse died his remains were turned over to Charities Commissioner Ronald F. Russell. When seen last week MT Mussell said that the body had been claimed by q man named Stennett, or Sterrett, who was a rela- tive of the wife of Rouse, who lived in New Haven.
 When seen last night he said that he had turned the body over to the Yale Medical school, as, under the law, he had a perfect right, he said, to do. Members of the board of aldermen who will participate in the investiga- ton, allege that MusseIl Is not one of the men described in the law as hay ing such power.
 ! The law is that when a body comes into the possession of certain officers among whom are jailers, heads of almshouses, mayors of cities and se- lectmen of towns, and has been un- claimed for "A hours, and will have to be buried at public charge, it may be given to the medical school, If such school has within year served notice that it will need body for the purposes enumerated in the law.
 Dr Harry E. Ferris, professor ot anatomy at Yale medical college, was \ seen at his residence, 11S York street late last night by reporter for tht l Palladium. Dr Ferris stated that : 1 settlement had been effected yesterdaN with the family of Charles Rouse whose body was purchased at New London for the use of the Yale medica students. Dr Ferris did not say wha was the terms of the settlement. l He indignantly denied that any de ception was used by either himself O.
 any representative of Yale in the pro curement of this body, which camt
 into the possession of the school in tn,
 regular manner in which cadavers fo | dissection purposes are obtained