The sun., 1909-11-10
VICTIM OF POLICE BLUEDER
GIRL SENT TO WORKHOUSE NOT
DRUNK, BUT MORTALLY HURT.

Inquest Shows That Dorothy Byrnes was
BrutaIly Assxulted-Dr. 0'Hsnlen
Names Magistrate voorhees, and
Poiice-An Invcstlg gafien WIN Follow.
An autopsy on the body of Dorothy
Byrnes. who died Monday night in the
Blackwell's Island Hospital. was per-
formed yesterday by Coroner's Physi-
cian O'Hanlon and Prof. John II. Larkin
OF Columbia University. The doctors
found a fracture at the base OF the skull
and number Of body bruises which they
say could not possibly have come simply
from the girls falling from an automobile.
1t Is the opinion Of the doctors and Coroner
Hamburger that Miss Byrnes was brutally
assaulted in the machine from which
she said she had jumped. The police
and the Magistrate who handled the case
were denounced by these men. who stated
that in all their experience they have
never known of a worse outrage in dealing
with police case.
DR.. O'Hanlon said that the commit
ment OF the unfortunate girl to the work
house by Magistrate Voorhees, was the
most damnable outrage" he had encoun-
tered during fifteen years OF experience
as a Coroner's physician. He said that
any ordinary person. had he taken the
trouble to investigate, would have seen
instantly that the girl was suffering from
a terrible injury and not from intoxi-
cation. as the police reported. Both
DIR. O'Hanlon and DR.. Larkin stated that
they found no trace of alcoholism.
Thus far the police have been unable
IN. GynH traS ~ hA fOsnR hrN
according 10 the story Miss Byrnes told.
were in the automobile with her. Her
story was that while she was on her way
home from Coney Island last Thursday
she heard her name called. She found
that the call came from an automobile.
There were four men In the machine.
Miss Byrnes said. and she thought that
she had met one OF the men: so she went
along. They said that they would take
her home,
She had not been in the auto long be-
fore the men began to insult her. She
asked them to stop and let her out, but
they refused. Finally, Miss Byrnes said,
she could not stand It any longer and
jumped from the car. That was the last
she remembered
She was found by Policeman Whelan
Of the Grand avenue. Brooklyn, station
ton. Whom she was arraigned in the
Fifth avenue court the next morning
Magistrate Voorhees, finod her $40. Miss
Byrnes did not have the money and was
80 dazed that she was unable to tell any
thing about herself. They sent her to
Blackwell's Island for ton days.
At the island the attendants saw that the
girl was very III. DR.. Etkin, the house
surgeon. ordorod her sent to the hospital.
She was so terribly hurt that her life was
practically dsspaired Of by the doctors
there as soon as they madc an examina-
ton. She died Monday.
Coroner Hamburger said last night that
as soon as he receives the full report OF
the autopsy he will put the case In the
hands OF the police and will insist on a
rigid examination OF everybody involved
He limited that Magistrate voorhees, will
he made to tell what he knows about the
treatment the girl was submitted to when
she was In such a pitiable condition. Tho
Coroner said that some timc ago he had
the J. Hood Wright Hospital. but nc
couldn't recall the name offhand. He
said that tho whole trouble lies in the
system.
There is a possibility that the girl did
not jump from the automobile, hut the
physicians say that when she made the
statement her mind was clear and there
10 not much doubt that she remembered
0orrectly. But IL was emphatically
stated last night that Miss Byrncs received
body bruises that could not possibly have
H.
The Byrnes family live in small frame
house at los East Third street. Brooklyn.
John Byrnes, the father Is employed in
the Knox hat factory. The news OF her
daughters death has left Mrs. Byrnes.
who had been III. in a very nervous con-
dition. Mr.. Byrnes is doing what he can
TO find the four men with whom the girl
is reported to have taken the autobmobile
ride.
Magistrate voorhees, told his side OF
L. -
pnstic IN stating tat that when Miss Byrnes
appeared before him in the Fifth avenue
police court on November 4 he asked
her IL she wanted to go to a hospital.
He says that she answered that she did
far far as he % could observe % the girl was @ not OF
suffering with a fractured skull, but
looked as though she had been intoxi-
Gated. He said that SO far as he knows Miss
Byrnes was not attended by any ambu-
to the police station. That responsibility
lies with the police. he says. and not with
him.
when she was arraiRned before me"
Magistrate Voorhees, said. Miss Byrnes
spoke ooherently She said n9thing about
was sick at her stomach, but did not
care to 20 to a hospital.
when asked her IL she had any par
ents she did not answer. Instead she
asked to be sent to tho workhouse. II
am almost positive that she had no frac-
ture OF the skull at that time.
1 am always very careful about women
prisoners the Magistrate said. -and
had she complained to me about the auto
mobile affair or any maltreatment on the
part OF the police should have certainly
investigated.
Inspector George Holohan OF Brooklyn
is working on the case, but late last night
the police had learned nothing further
about the men in the automobile. Neither
Mrs. Byrnes nor any member OF the FAM
lily is able to furnish information that
will aid the police in their investigation.
1t. Johns Guild Annual MEETING.