The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-27
'CORONERS ABOLISHED
IN PROPOSED BILL
Board Of Physicians, Police. Dis
trict Attorney and Courts
TO Share Work.
HAS WHITMAN'S APPROVAL

bill TO abolish the Board OF Coroners
and distribute their functions among
the police. the District Attorney. the city
Magistrates and board OF medical
examiners will be introduced into the
Legislature next week. The bill has
been drawn under direction of Corpora
ton Counsel Polk and Is approved by
Gov. Whitman. Mayor Mitchell, Commits
sioner OF Accounts Wallstein all the city
departments involved. the New York
Academy OF Medicine and the City Club
Robert $. Bnkcrd, secretary of the
latter organization, outlined the proposed
law yesterday to the Subcommittee on
criminal courts of the New York County
Lawyers Association which has been
hearing testimony on the Coroners Com
missioner of Accounts Wallstein sdvo-
Gated the bill, and said he thought neither
the Mayor nor anybody else could find
men who fulfilled the requirements fot
the present office of Coroner.
The new bill MIR Bn<erd and Commits
sioner Wallstein yaid, will legislate that
once out OF existence and create a board
Of medical examiners, who must be Ii
censed physicians and whose duties
would be simply to ascertain by on
autopsy the cause of death They will
be Obliged also to he pathologists and
microscopes. Appointments would be
made by the Mayor from the civil SER
vice list. although District Attorney
Cropsey OF Kings county. himself a former
Police Commissioner, has suggested that
the Police Commissioner have the APP
pointments, and the change may be made
The District Attorneys office and the
Police Department will do the work Of
investigation OF suspicious deaths hitherto
done By Coroner while the preliminary
hearing on homicide charges will be before
/ 4
II the Magistrate considers the evidence
sufficient he will hold for the Grand Jury
Mr. Blnkerd told the lawyers commit
tee that only by abClishing the Coroners
could the present abuses he removed.
THE removal OF any specific individual
would do no real good he said This
| situation is not the product Of any in
! dividual. The present Office Of Coroner
| requires an impossible combination Of
legal. judicial and medical knowledge"
| Commissioner OF Accounts Wallstein,
who agreed with Mr.. Binkerd, had a little
! tin with Wlfred ONell. a member OF the
| committee. over a question Of Mr. ONeill s
| whether "a youthful Mayor. an ineS-
/ perenced man. could select 2 better man
| for Coroner than the people would elect
! as that question asked in good fa,th%'
asked Mr.. Wallstein.
III there's any question Of good faith
| we'll stop the PROCEEDINGS" snapped Peter
| r. Gatens, the chairman. whereupon Mr..
| Wallstein apologized and explained he
, thought Mr. OMEN was Joking san
! he said. he did not think the Mayor could
select proper man now. nor could he be
, elected, because he could not be found.
Tho committee then heard Justice Cor
nelius +. Collins OF Special Sessions, who
/ spoke for Justices McIrerney. Salmon and
! Forker, who were present and the other
Special Sessions. Justices against
| A bill the Charity Organization Society
| intends to introduce at this session OF the
! Legislature merging the Board OF City
/ Magistrates and the Justices Of Special
| Sessions and giving the combined body
| summary jurisdiction over misdemeanors
The bin also would separate the Chill
dren's Court from Special Sessions.
Bronson Winthrop and Lawrence
Veillsr nj the Cha riiv Organization So
ciety and Chief Magistrate McAdoo viii
address the committee in favor of the
bill al a time to be announced later