The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-09-20
DEATH OF BOY IS KEPT
SECRET FROM CORONER
Health Board First to learn OF
Fatal Shooting
ARRAY.
TAYLOR SCORES RI
RETREAT
Hospital Authorities Charged With
Suppressing All Information Of
Affair for Ten Days and of Emil
ing to Report Death.

Coroner Taylor yesterday called the
attention OF the Police Department to
what he termed the persistent refusal
Of the Retreat for the Sick to cooper
! ate with him and the police In investi
eating the cases OF patients brought to
them suffering from bodily Injuries.
which may have been caused by acts of
violence.
The specific cause of the coroncr's
arraignment of tho hospital authorities
yesterday arose from the death of AL
len Nj. Smith. an eleven ycar-old negro
boy, of Cullen, Va, from q riGe shot
wound In the abdomen. The boy died
early Friday morning, ten days after
he had been brought to the hospital
for treatment. During that time tho
hospital authorities are alleged to have
made no mention of his presence there
to The police, and 1t was only after he
had died and the Board of Health had
been asked for 4 permit to ship his
body that the fact of his death became
known.
The Board of Health refused TO grant
the permit. and at once notified Cor
oner Taylor that the boy was dead.
The hospital, not only neglected to in
form the police that Smith was in tho
hospital, but 1t is stated also failed
to inform the coroner OF his death.
Coroner Taylor emphasized the fact
last night that the authorities in
charge of the institution also main
tanned the strictest silence with re-
gard to the nature of tho wounds OF
their patients, and that he found it
exceedingly difficult to learn anything
whatever from them.
NOT THE FIRST TIME
INFORMATION SUPPRESSED
This Is not the first timo Coroner
Taylor has felt it necessary to call at
| tcntion to the methods employed by
| several of the local hospitals. He has
frequently complained of the fact to
the police, who have several times also
| found 1t difficult to obtain information
upon which they could base their in
vestigations. AS In the case OF the
! Smith boy, 1t has often happened that
| the patient has died before they become
! aware of his injuries
IT was primarily due to the com
plants of the coroner as we'll as those
| of the police that the Board OF Police
Commissioners recently requested the
City Attorney to draft an ordinance re-
curing hospital authorities to report
| Immediately to the Chief OF Police the
| receipt in their institutions of persons
suffering from bodily injuries This
| ordinance has already been Introduced
I'm the Council, and has been referred
| to the Committee on Ordinances
1t requires the superintendent, or
| board of managers of all hospitals TO
! report the receipt of such patients at
! once, and holds them responsible for
| failure TO do so. The ordinance pro
Hides for fine of from $40 to 500. re-
coverable before the Police Justice of
the city of Richmond, for conviction in
| each case. 1t viii take effect inme-
diatciy after its passage by the Coun-
Gil.
| In the case of tho Smith boy, there
| is nothing TO lead Coroner Taylor to
believe that he was criminally shot, or
| that the police arc warranted in max
| iu S.iI
| unloading rifle. preparatory to clean
| Ing II, when the cartridge exploded.
| The bullet penetrated the abdomen. and
| the boy died on the tenth day after the
| accident.
DELAY MIGHT GIVE ASSAIr.ANT
AMPLE TIME 70 ESCAPE.
Coroner Taylor in discussing the
case last night said:
The present instance happens not
to be one of much Importance to the
police, but IT serves to Illustrate the
dif1iculty which they have in getting
information from the hospitals Had
the boy been shot in Il quarrel the sit
uation would have been the same and
the assailant would have had ample
opportunity to have made his escape
In that length OF time he could have
gone to California '"' ana n smile i'll
Illuminated the face of the veteran coro-
nor he might have joined the Ger
mans and have killed several other
men before he could have been apprc-
hended. | have had the creates; diff
Guilty in obtaining aid and cooperation
from this hospital, as well as several
others In tho city and sincerely hope
, that the proposed ordinance may ho
passed
| when the police are notified OF such
cases as soon as they are brought in
J they have time to secure information
and possibly anti-mortcm statements
\ CT l.aft i,Nt-
quick and conclusive. IL the mforma-
ton is withheld, as is the practice
here. with some few exceptions. they
are handicapped to a great extent and
often the negligence IL the cause OF
guilty parties escaping Justice
| Detective Sergeant Wiley, who inves-
tigates such cases for the Police De-
partment. has also joined his efforts
! with those of the coroner in having the
ordinance passed. 1t was due to his
efforts that most of the Information
concerning the case Of the Smith boy
| WAS secured