davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

acted in seIf-defe1ce TIE coroner had no sooner
discharged the prisoner. than the latter was re-
arrested on the charge of murder by the District
Attorney.
The speed. with which coroners move at the pres
ent time is illustrated by the case Of Robert Lind
sey. Mr. Lindsey left his home at No. 462 Jeffer-
son-ave.. Brooklyn on the morning OF December
49, to 90 to mis- Office No. - FutOn-st., Manhattan
On reaching his desk he fell dead. A summons was
sent to the coroner II then $50 o'clock 1t was
not until 4:3O p. m that a coroners physician ar
rived m the mean time the body had been
stretched out at the foot of freight elevator,
surrounded by curious crowd. The Coroner's Of
fee was notified twelve times by telephone.
The attitude OF Controller GrOut toward the
Coroners Vas brought out a few days ago under
somewhat IudicrOus circumstances The Manhat-
tan coroners had appeared before the Board OF
Estimate and AppOrtionment to obtain the au-
thorizatiOn Of four new clerks at salary OF $1,000
each. To make up this sum the cOroners wanted
to cut down the salaries of their other subordi-
mates. The Controller objected to this reduction,
and offered a resolution prohibiting such cur
tailment
But We need these private clerks exclaimed
one coroner.
What for2'' asked the Mayor.
'Oh they do peculiar kinds OF private work.
was the answer, which threw the room into roar
of laughter.
IF YOU press the matter 1 will be inclined to
support the EIsberg bill aboishng your Office
said Mr. Grout. In Massachusetts they have no
COrOnerS. 1 believe we, TOO. WOULD De oelIeI OH
without them"
Everybody kicks the coroners,' screamed an
other of the officials You trying to make a
grandstand play. That's all"
We have to hold inquests- shouted a third cor
oner: and. pointing to the Controller. he added:
And We would like to hold over yOu!'
Mr.. CIRCUITS resolution was passed unanimously.
There was case recently which excited con-
siderable suspicion because Of the mystery which
a certain coroner attempted to throw about It.
On New Years night the body Of James Manson
was found dead in the Park Circle Hotel A young
woman had been seen in his company earlier In
the evening but when the discovery was made she
had disappeared For some time the coroner Who
had taken charge of the case declined to give out
the name Of the woman but after he learned that
Captafn Smith of the One-hundrcd-and-fOurth-s
station had condemned his rPticenCe he gave the
name Of Bessie Hargrave and fictitious address.
When the reporters found that Bessie Hargrave
v,as no other than the sfster-in-Iaw OF the dead
man. the coroner said the name was Clara Hap
good which he later changed to Jessie Hedges
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

and the help in the restaurants and shops on
the north side are more excited than anybody
else. They will not be assessed for the i'm
provement, as will the land owners nor will
they suffer, as far as a calm estimate of the
situation discloses. in any other way, except Of
course, from the Inconvenience of moving. but
they are greatly worried, in some instances,
nevertheless.
A nervous woman in the Hotel Netherland
stopped at the desk with a newspaper IN which
the plan was briefly outlined and asked the
clerk to get her into a suite of rooms in the
north half Of the building as possible
Il can't bear the thought of living in a part of
the hotel that's liable to be condemned any min
ute, perhaps even while I'm in he'd asleep" she
said. Just think Of my coming home from call
ing only to learn that my apartments in the
hands of appraisers OF. commissioners. or some
OF the other hOrrid politicians down at the City
HalI!" The only vacant suite in the north
half of the hotel was not desirably situated
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

OFFICE
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

coroner did not appear until Thursday. BY this
time the doctor who was implicated had disap-
peared.
Cases of a similar nature became more and more
frequent until the attention Of the grand jury Of
September, 1885, was called to peculiar abuse Of
the coroner's office in the detention Of innocent
persons times for months for the purpose
Of having their testimony at the inquests. Accord
ing to the original meaning Of the law the inquest
is to be held Immediately after death, with the
body before the jury. In recent years, however,
the inquest has been held weeks and even months
later, after the body had been buried and the wit
nesses have forgotten to certain degree what
they
On July Z, 1893, Sammy" Mills and kid" O'Brien
had a quarrel. and Mills killed O'Brien. Three
bystandeTs were thereupon seized and placed in the
House OF Detention as witnesses The inquest was
not held until August 26, when the three men were
brought into the coroner's Office. There was still
further delay, and the men were sent back to Null
berry-st. Some members OF the September grand
jury happened to learn how long the witnesses had
been imprisoned, and the jury ordered investga-
ton. The only excuse made by the cOroner's office
was that it too busy get out the transcripts
Of the case. In the presentment signed by E w
Bloomingdale, the chairman Of the jury, was this
sentence:
THE abuses (of the cOroners office are apparent
Iy the result of a long existing lack of system and
the habit of delay the part Of the Coroners and
those subordinate to them. We therefore recon-
mend its abolition
The work of this grand jury had its effect upon
the Constitutional Convention OF the following year.
for its delegates voted to abolish the office of
corner as a constitutional Office of the State. The
assumption was made at that time that the legis-
lature would Immediately pass statute wtpng
out this office; but the Legislature did not act until
1899 when it abolished coroners jues except in the
cities of New-Ycrk and Buffalo
The action of Buffalo in eradicating its Coroner
Bureau last winter came about in the following
way: A coroner CT Erie County was arrested for
violating that section of the Penal Code which pro-
vides penalty for a public officer misappropriat-
ing money coming into his hands. On February
Z OF last year a Russian was killed by an engine
on the Erie Railroad. It was charged that the
coroner took $50 from the dead man. which he
failed to turn to the proper authorities The
indignation Of the public thoroughly aroused
and Senator Davis introduced bill for the aboli-
ton of the office and secured its passage in the
closing days of the legislature.
Before the abolition Of the fee system, the coro-
ners often manifested almost vulturelike ra-
pacity In trying TO obtain dead bodies. AS an IL
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

with regard to the outlook, but the nervous
woman cheerfulIy exchanged for it her beautl-
full rooms commanding a view Of the Plaza
In the Hoffman Arms condition bordering
on panic existed among the juvenile population
when the news became known. One yOungster
with engineering procivities spent his candy
money for a tape measure, and almost scared
the wits out Of some of the children Of his
mothers neighbors by demonstrating to them
various things beyond peradventure Of doubt.
He showed one little girl, for instance, how the
aldermen are going to cut the house OF right
through your doy's crib. and if you don't move
it over that way little dolly's head will be
chOpped off smack, sleek and clean" DOllys
crib was moved at once. He showed two little
girls In another apartment how "the place where
THEY'RE going to chop it off is right in the middle
Of YOUR bed. and if you don't sleep pretty
straight and way out on the edges, one or the
other will lose an arm. Anyway, the bed will
come in two right through the middle. and
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08
THEM

and then to Jessica HarriEan- Manson is said =
have possessed a large sum of money on MS per
son when last seen BY his relatives. Dut "ne99
found dead he had only g.
The expense Ot the present COToners Bureau %
the city is about S15onO The bill Of Senator KS
berg will cut down this expense q 5000 It's pro
visions simple. u proposes, hrst OF al. .
abolish the ONCE OF coroner By September l. Ln7
medical functions Of the coroners are TO D trans
ferred to the Health Department. and the issA-
work to the ONCE Of lhk District Attorney IN
place OF the cOrOners there are TO be six medicAA
examiners for Manhattan four for Brooklyn. tnreS
for Queens. two for The Bronx and two FOR Flch-
mOnd at a salary OF $500 each These men aFS
TO serve under the Health Commissioner, and IN
all cases OF sudden and suspicious Death they afs
to make a rigid examination and nepOrt IN O.
tail to the District Attorney. They are 70 be ap-
pointed by the Health Commissioner from the Civi4
Service list.
II there is a suspicion OF crime the District At
torney IS to call inquiry before q magistrate
and through the court obtain witnesses BY SUD
pCena proceedings. The other functions eE the
present coroners including that Of taking posses
sion Of dead mans personal property, are TO D
vested in the City Chamberlain
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

.r,a+,s,z liable to be Carted away with the
mart of the house that's chopped on Those
little girls have added a new petition to tneir
Now I lay me down to sleep.
In a restaurant one Of the walters whose
49, ,,fsage showed a calm resignation which
his words belied, COnhded TO reporter 'll@-
the helm we're bordering on dementia at the
nrospect WHY, sah.'' said he. they IS con
+a,,1IsrIn' sTsshin' off de whole front oO De
bo1se saH-sIashin' it OF, sab, as clean as u
co,,I5 he sIashed with razzah. Now, san, We
done an got the pretties' an most CnaWTnih
an, ,conn7odatin' Cashiah in the block, an II
Looks. sab. les Ike was gwine 10 lose %
Iadv. The desk, sab, am mon foah reeL oFan
do line an dat gals gonah, suah- KAN
stan no sich COINS on, sab Ise EWlne 10 pack
nv, trunk right away. sab. an mex satahday.
10 sundown. III be on my way back 70 no IN
Csr,Iina. I don want no noah OBJ New-forS'
a. dat am de way they done treat pretty gals
~, air7,t no KNOWN whatlI happen TO po' cul-
Ind pusson like me- il dey amt got no mo
cOnsfdeashun TO ladies'.
In the department store which was to ne made
A7,aIJcr the "saIesladies' we're not much scared
rut they were brimfuI OF ideas about the con-
fusion which must eusue. Well don't care
said one. They'll cut of old 'Baldy, and tnat
something to look forward TO. anyway. Baby
"a the AoorwaIker on the next aisle. The hns
comes right along that aisle, close up to the
counter and wheE the building is cut through
the aisle and 'BaIdy' Will go, while my depart
ment will be right up against TIE new WaIs
where there can't be any one to keep tabs on
ne from behind can chew gum when Jimmy
is going down in front without fear or oeIns
called down for it over my shoulder. That
something isn't it2 Besides. that tow headed
girI across the aisle Will be sawed or Win
.FaIdy' and thereU be some chance for the
-.st To get a smile from the fellows at the neck
,ta counter once in a while. It's i'll wind
.re+ doesn't blow somebody good and she
actually hummed defiance at "Baldy' as the
repOrter turned away.
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08
PIcKING AND CHOOSING.

Dr. John BascOm. eX-presjdent OF the UniverslrSS
NJ wisconsin was noted at the university for his
observation-disclosures. Many stories are told OF him IN
this regard. One Of them concerns a reception llAl
-. o1ca gave to the students OF the freshman
class. Lemonade was served in the course OF ths
evening. and when the madam innocent creaturS
fresh from IrcIand-handed the tray to her mas mas
tar he DrIF out his hand TO il. and then t0rEeLnE
1-Est he was about do. he let MS I,l5eLS5 pL1y
aimIessIy for several minutes aInols It 49,
u-biIe he talked warmly upon some S4DJ7~- 1Al-s
much interested him. --,.- ---4s- -.
E57t the maid misunderstood TT. RaScon neSlt4S
ton She thought that she would help MN ouE
OF it. ,s -s-ss -b. asf5 ana
vba tbrIst into his hand the glass tnaL cO1ldILs4
the greatest quantity OF Iemonade.
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08
ARMY CADETS MUsT ECONOMIzE.

The cadets at the Military Academy Al West
Point are not favored are often the students
rorrrqcs and universities who have wealthy pefsras
that Is they are not furnished with an uniinitsa
e,,opnt of cash to buy extras for rooms clothes
I'D injuries All the cadets stand on The sane
FCsotIDp and receive 800 year. plus the commufa-
,{on of ratlons amounting to $lo9 % a year How
ever with proper economy this yearly allowances Is
srflcIent.for the support of a cadet
The Army cadet who goes to the Military Acsd-
ar,v with spendthrift habits soon receives a de-
cIdad and severe check As an instance, cGdek
sometime ago went to the superintendent for an
order for four shirts but the superintendent per-
smptorily refused to give his approval The youaE
man was soreIy In need and he attempted to con-
vince his superior OF the fact The latter took %
the cadets account book and perusing IL couple
OF moments threw It back 10 him. say ing. II have
no doubt YOU are In great need OF these shirts or
Won would not present this order. but YOU ara Ia
debt and there's no excuse for you The yoElsF.
cadet with tears starting In his and a trenzbS
ling voice responded: But colonel ] am slneerS
destitute OF changes OF clothing. ] hava nnlv aas
The colonel was immOyable and siMpsy aaid as
Nr - | would advise you te wear that Rs7
fsrxst until YOU get out sf 5shRs 6sst be eTaas 81
you pass mustsE as ms 1epeGtteAaa
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

lustraton, Herman Zensky, merchant OF Little
Neck, Long Isleld, January q, 1893, was killed
at Floral Park, at o'clock, on his way home from
work. On the assumption that the place where tne
accident occurred was in the city, word was sent
to Ozone Park to a coroner of Queens Borough
to take the body. He sent one Hoffman to take
charge. At the time another coroner OF that
part of Queens County outside the city limits
had been informed. According to each coroner the
railroad crossing was just within the boundary OF
his district. Hoffman was first on the scene OF the
accident but he about to take the body
a crowd of the rival coroner's friends raised an
indignant protest The body they said' oelongeo
him.
When the trainmen found that the crowd had
begun to threaten Hoffman, and that because OK
the deadlock the body still permitted to lie
the tracks, they teegraphed to Long Island
City for instructions. few minutes later the
engineer his locomotive to the body crew
of trainmen lifted it to the pilot and then the
corpse carried back fifty feet into the Borough
of Queens.
There's the body" said the engineer to Hoffman
grimly. Take it and dust out of here in a hurry"
Hoffman was driving off with the body when a
wagon rapidly overlook him. II driven by the
rival coroner's hired man. but Hoffman whipped up
his horses and left his pursuer far behind.
At the present time the coroners of this city are
not charged with methods of corruption as in Tam
many times bat the point is strongly emphasized
that should Tammany again come into power II
could subvert this department to its former base
purposes The cOroners who were elected for the
four year term beginning January, 1902, as fol-
lows: Gustav Scholer, Solomon GOldenkranZ, NJ. T.
jackson and Nicholas T. Brown. for Manhattan;
William O. German, jr., and Joseph ]. Berry for
The Bronx; P T. Williams and NJ. ]. Flaherty, for
Brooklyn; Samuel D. Mutt and Leonard Ruon for
Queens and G. +. Schaeffer, for Richmond. All
except the coroners of Queens and Richmond bor-
oughs receive $500 year each. The other four
receive $4,000 each.
The sIoth. carelessness, incompetency and buff
foonery however still said TO exist, though
charges of corruption have been openly brought
against the present officials. Examples of the first
named characteristics of almost everyday oc-
currence. Thus at the time OF the tunnel expIo-
sion in Fourth-aye- coroner rushed to the scene
and had arrested Ira A. Shaler the contractor Jo-
seph Bracken, the foreman, and Monroe McGrath.
who was workman employed in the excavation OF
a hotel site on the of Fourth-ave. and For
ty-second-st.
Later the coroner empanelled jury and began
reading a lot Of hearsay evidence, signed state
ments. ETC. until District Attorney Jerome. who
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

1t is roughly estimated, would cost nearly $5-
100000 If adopted. a...
Business men along Fifty-ninth-st. east of
Fifth-ave. are inclined to view the project Of
widening the street with philosophical resigna-
tion Barring the little matter OF bearing their
share of half the cost OF the improvement, those
owning real estate along the south side are more
philosophical than those on the opposite side Of
the street The iatte1> enthusiastic as
could be expected under the circumstances The
tenants Of apartments. the guests in the hotels
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08
WORK OF STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY.
The ex-Presidents Meet AnnuaIly-Prepar-
iag for Centennial.


Some time in the course Of each annual session
OF the State Medical Society meeting takes place
which Is attended by prominent members out O.
which record appears in the printed proceed
ings. 1t Is the reunion Of ex-p-esieents OF tn9
society at the Fort Orange Club. where one OF tns
ex-presidents acts as host
This year the meeting took place on the evening
OF January IS Dr. Abraham Jacob being the host
The Medical Society OF the State or NeW-fofN
was organized in February, 1907 and consists OF a
central body composed OF delegates from the YaFl-
Gus county societies. The society has held a meet
ing at Albany every winter since its Organlzatlon
and at the ninety-seventh meeting. Which TOOK
place recently. there were nearly I'VE nunoFea
members present.
The legislative committee o. the society has tor
wears worked fndustriousIy toward the elevation o
the standard in the medical profession. and the
work done by this body has gone faF to"alo
bringing about the legislation which now makes u
difficult for the quacx and ignoramus to masque-
rade as physicians.
Before the State Board or Medical Examiners
was appointed and before it was necessary 70 have
a license to practise medicine, it vas easy for =
man or woman 10 hang % 0uf frs sSgtg 81 New
York Quacks and impOstors with 'dlplonaaS IFoLLs
diplomas at all men who had failed in other walks
OF life and thought Idoct9Tl9g IlsnI @ = IS
and adventurers from other lands sWelled the rola
G5 & msdea fS naee. 6f asenac % men Who lacked
business methods Of tReT gn%oTtry [ ~ ITsSjSs1 AZ
snineTs throueh the efforts OF the Medical Society
Of the State OF New-YOrk. and other OrganiZaLlons
whose cooperation Il secured has greatly reduce4
these abuses and secured for the organization lh9
esteem Of the public -.
for Il suitable celebration % the organization
centennial anniversary. in which the various county
bodies and other similar bodies Throughout tnS'
State will take part
P EJODxfns president. William A. Moore. wee
president: Frederic c. Curtis, secretary anu U =
Ball treasurer. ,-,, srL--,.
Heads Of cOmmittees-Hernan Bendell, AloanyS
II n EIr0fra J..
r PrfstOpv Brooklyn. A JaCObi Ne7y-4 ork' r.. -
Curtis Albany. and Frank Van Fleet NeW-1OFA
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

was present, objected to such irregular proceed
ings. This resulted in scufhe between the cOro-
ner's clerk and Mr.. Jerome and a general melee
ensued. After continuing the farce for some Time
however, the coroner charged the jury to go out
and bring in a verdict. The jury accordingly re-
tired. to return with verdict to discharge the
men Nevertheless the coroner ordered the men
held without bail on the charge Of homicide. Mr.
shaIer and Mr. Bracken at last obtained their re-
lease but poor McGrath was locked up. AS they
were taking him away, he is quoted as saying:
Faith but this Is worser thin Ireland. There.
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

when a man gets in jail, he knows what It's fur-
1t was afterward found that all McGrath had to
do with the explosion was to get Knocked down.
The utter uselessness Of the corOner's jury trial
is to be seen in the fact that it in way affects
the ultimate trial. Coroner's juries often acqUt
man only to have him rearrested and held by the
District Attorney On the other hand. corOners
iury will hold man who will be subsequently
found innocent. For example. a coroners jury in
the case OF Petro PoIucca who stabbed Francisco
siglio in saloon in the italian quarter on January
g. brought in a verdict that the accused man had
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08


AT Joint meeting the other day OF the
yorEvilIe Hudson and Murray Hil IocaI I'M
movement boards decision was reached 10
widen F7ifty-ninth-st. from Columbus-aVe.. 10
saoou6-ave. on the north side. Their decision
&c Ifbelv TO be adopted by the Board Of Estimate
.r7a. E;oard of Aldermen and the Mayer, and then
forty feet would be sliced off the frontages along
the north side Of the thoroughfare. The street
has already been widened across the south emo
OF Central Park Taking all the ground needed
from the north side OF the street would make
the curb lines continuous with those already
esta bIished along the Park front. and would
avoid an offset at Fifth-ave. and another at
Eighth-ave.
Several large buildings, beginning with the
Hotel NetherIand. al Fifth-ave.. would be ma
terially reduced in size by the proposed improve
nent The hotel which is the property Of Will
lam Waldorf Astor. would lose 40 feet of its
frontage of 10G feet in Fifth-ave.. and would be
reduced 10 about three-ffths Of its present Size.
The lots fronting Fifty-ninth-st. along the
north side are all 100 feet in DEPTH and would
therefore be reduced to 90 feet by the change.
The Hoffman Arms, a large apartment house
at the northwest corner Of Msdison-ave. and
Fifty-ninth-st, would Iose1 about half Of its
width by the Improvement The Tuxedo. an
APARTMENT mouse and office building just across
Madison-ave from the Hoffman Arms would
suffer in the same way. The Aanhanset apart
ment house, further east In the same block.
would be cut crosswrise almost through the mid
die, and the AguilsF Library. in the next block
would he similarly divided. On the northwest
corner, at Third-aye., extending along East
Fifty-ninth-st almost to- Lexington-ave.. is the
large department store OF BloomingdaJe
Brothers. This part OF the building was recent
ly erected, and further additions are in process
Of construction OF course. the change would
take forty feet Of the south side Of the store.
But the owners are not worried. They are
among the most enthusiastic advocates OF the.
plan. z. ". Blooninsdale. however strongly
urged the taking of the requisite ground from
the south side of the street
The cost OF the Improvement has been roughly
estimated at S4.21z.00O. Mr. BIoomingdale as
serted at the meeting Of the local boards which
indorsed the plan that IL would cost 81, 100000
less e take the land from the south side of the
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

street instead of the north. In connection with
the widening Of the street, Commissioner Liv-
fnEston, Of the Department Of Public Works
thinks the Grand Circle, at Eighth-ave. and
Fffty-ninth-st., should be enlarged and i'm
proved. He is preparing plans it is said, for
rcondemning the Hotel Virginia site and the
DurIand Riding Academy site for this purpose
He desires TO transform the latter into small
park, to remove to 1t the Columbus monument
now in the centre OF the circle, and to run the
street railway tracks straight across. His plsu.
New-York tribune., 1903-03-08
BIG CITY IMPROVEMENTS.
Mann Millions To Be EIpcndcd It
the Plans Carry.

Take her any way you like, New-HorK is very
much alive. She has just 0ecloeu 10 eNLei'U
nelrIy ST.ODO000 for new muhlclpaI
"a -,ot ,,on+enr with that. she proposes to tear
-, ,tbor buildings to the value Of about
ssnnnnoo The following new buildings were
recently authorized by the Board Of Estimate: