Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1909-11-27
FREEHOLDERS TO
PROBE SKELETON
CASE NEXT WEEK
Committee on Hospitals Will
Meet on Thursday to Investi-
gate Present Record System.
DIR. DILL DENIES THAT HE
HAMPERED PROSECUTOR
Superintendent Declares He
Aided Inquiry and Calls
Charges Groundless.

Investigation of the system of keep
ing the records at the Essex County
Hospital for the Insane viii be made
at the Overbrook institution next
Thursday by the Freeholders commit
tee on county hospitals. The commit
tee will rectify errors in the system,
If found to exist, and. incidentally.
Prosecutor Mott hopes that the inquiry
may be helpful to him in clearing up
the skeleton mystery.
Personalities have crept into the
case with astonishing force and rapid
ity. The prosecutor week ago
promised to expose lot Of ugly fea-
tures.' With the grand jury and a
corps of sleuths at his command the
prosecutor, instead of exploding a
sensation, as promised, writes letter
to the Freeholders asking for assist
ance. This letter was summed up by
one of the Freeholders today as fol-
lows:
"Dr. Dill won't tell me anything, and
it's up to you freeholder to spank
him."
Opposition to DR.. Daniel NJ. Dill.
superintendent of the hospital, is said
to have developed when Freehoider
Pierre Black, according to an admis-
sion to STAR reporter today by Free
holder Theodore Gottlieb. at yester-
days meeting prepared a resolution
calling for the superintendent resig-
nation. Mr.. Gottlieb says that MIR.
Black asked him to second the resolu-
tion, but that he refused, arguing that
the prosecutors charges against the
superintendent ought to be investigated
first. Accordingly, MIR. Blacks reso-
| luton, which would have acted like .
| thunderbolt at the meeting. was mol
offered.
| DIR. Durs Champions declare that this
fletter written BY Prosecutor Mott was
| indiscreet.
| A close friend Of Dr. Dill. in COM
menting on the letter, said;
'It was the most amusing bit OF OIL
fcial literature / have read IN long
| time. There is criminaiity involved in
the skeleton case, or there Is not There
Is criminality involved in the keeping
OF the asylum records, or there Is not.
Both are subject to the prosecutor
scope Of inquiry. Instead OF delvine
| into them or asking the grand jury 70
insert It's all-powerful probe into the
case, he sidesteps and throws the en-
Tire matter up to the freehoiders.
The prosecutor. in his letter. says
.outside of one particular line OF IN
quiry little progress has been MADE
IN solving the mystery
The zone particular line OF inquiry
is not made known In the prosecutor
letter. but 1t Is generally believed that
the prosecutor. refers to his discovery
that more complete system OF re-
cording the patients might be insti-
| tuted at the asylum.
The freeholders intended for some
| time to look into that matter and the
| members of the hospital committee
quite recently paid visit to the asy-
lum at Central Islip, Long Island, and
intended at an early date to adopt son1s
| OF the more modern ways of record
keeping.
| Freeholder Gottlieb, member of the
| hospital committee, told STAR re,
porter today that he did not approve
| of the attitude DIR. Dill had shown tc
| the prosecutor.
He added: "Of course, If the charges
made In the prosecutors letter are cor
rect, the superintendent should have as
sisted the prosecutor in every way he
could and not tried to hamper him in
| the inquiry. don't say that DR.. Dill
did, but it will be the first act of the
committee to ascertain the truth OF
these charges DR.. Dill may have beer
misunderstood by the prosecutor"
| DIR. Dill was asked by STAR re-
porter II he cared to reply to the
charges made by the prosecutor He
said:
Everything that was possible for me
! to do to assist the prosecutor in his
investigation have done. have not
tried to conceal anything. and II will
be remembered that I willingly threw
my books open for the scrutiny OF
STAR reporters on Sunday last. All
care to say at this time is that the
charges made by the prosecutor are
without foundation, and the committee
when 1t investigates next week. Will
see that I have simply done my duty
| AS for the records at the hospital
| am always ready to receive suggestions
| <o- -