Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-11-14
MAUK'S CASE In
HANDS OF JURY
[Continued from First Page.]

nave the jury return u verdict or ac-
quittal was made by Mr.. Geyer. but
this was overruled.
| Mauk was placed on the stand yes
terday afternoon. but Mr.. Stroup
could not complete his cross-exam-
ination before adjournment and the
| undertaken was called again this
morning as soon as court opened.
BIames Assistant
Mauk yesterday placed the blame
| for burying the body in the box and
without shroud on G. E. Coles, u
colored undertaken whom he en-
ployed at various times. This morn
/ ing he repeated this charge. When
Mr.. Stroup asked him whether Coles
had not been out OF the city since
last October. Mauk said he was sure
| Coles was in Harrisburg until July,
| this year.
John Mccormick, 1852 North
Sixth street, an assistant in the Mauk
| establishment, on direct examination
said he had embalmed the body of
Howard McCracken, May 29. On
May 80 and May 81, he said he re-
ported to Mauk that the body was
decompoSing because of coagulation
of the blood which made embalming
difficult, and on Saturday, May 81,
Mauk directed him TO bury the body
using casket such as the brother,
Millard McCracken, had ordered and
the shroud which had been laid out.
Mccormick testified he called Coles
and instructed him to prepare for
the funeral, then left and did not
return until about 2.30 o'clock Sat
urdaY afternoon when Coles told him
that everything was ready for burial.
Not at Cemetery
Questioned about what he saw in
the Mauk morgue, Mccormick said:
II saw what l thought was Il coffin,
wrapped in brown paper, and L
drove to the cemetery with Coles
and we buried the body. | thought
he carried out my instructions, Sc
cured the casket from the ware
house, dressed the body, and got the
minister"
why didn't you attend to it?"
Judge kunkel interrupted. rs that
the way you do business up there?"
Mccormick answered that he had
confidence in Coles and thought
everything was all right. lie said
he did not know what had been used
until Monday evening, June 2, when
Coles said he had placed the body
in box similar to the ones used
during the FLU" epidemic.
Questioned on cross-eXamination
about this. Mccormick was asked
whether he inquired why Coles
used such box and did not use the
Shroud.
Took Coles Word
McCormicks answer was: "Coles
said he wasn't feeling well and used
flu box instead of the casket."
when you heard that why didn't
you go and satisfy yourself about
it?" Judge Kunkel queried. ITO
this day you don't know whether
what he said was so. do you?" Nc
Cormick answered that he did not.
1t also was shown that Mccormick
was in the East Harrisburg ceme
terry on Monday, June ., when Mr..
and Mrs. Millard McCracken We're
having the body exhumed. McCor-
mick stated he was only driving
through the cemetery and didn't
take time to stop.
But you called up Mr.. Miller
that afternoon and asked him what
was wrong, didn't you?" Mr.. Stroup
asked.
Yes. called up Mr.. Miller be-
cause l thought that they were
raising the body and would take it
to Altoona and l wondered why we
didn't get the job" was Mccormick s
reply.
'You didn't ask Mr. Miller that.
Cracken's were stopping in the city,
didn't you? Why did you do that?"
mo, l asked about raising the
body, and Mr.. Miller told me they
buried it again"
Calls Up Cemetery
Joseph A. Miller, an official of the
East Harrisburg Cemetery Associa-
ton, was recalled to the witness
stand. He had testified yesterday
afternoon. Mr.. Stroup asked him:
What did Mccormick say to you
when he called you on the phone on
Monday"
"He asked me where the Nc
Crackers were stopping in the
city"
A few other witnesses We're called
by Mr.. Stroup in rebuttal and were
only asked a few questions, after
which he stated that the Common
wealth closed. Mr.. Geyer imme-
diately began his address to the
jury. He was followed by Mr.
Stroup, court adjourning when the
latter completed his argument.
Check For Minister
Mr.. McCracken testified that he
came to Harrisburg May 80 with
W. l. Stine, also of Altoona. and
went to the Mauk undertaking es-
adjustment. He said he contracted
with Mr.. Mauk to furnish a casket
and shroud. embalm the body, have
a minister at the grave and bury it.
Upon asking Mr.. Mauk whether
the funeral could be held that day
or Saturday he told the jury that
Mauk replied it could not be held
before Monday.
"I went home then. and came
back to Harrisburg on Monday with
my wife. We went to see Mauk
about the funeral and he told us
he buried the body on Saturday. We
asked him who the minister was
at the grave and he said he didn't
remember his name.
Then he finally admitted that
there had been no minister secured,
and gave me a check for So as q
refund" Here Mr.. McCracken pro-
duced the check which was offered
in evidence. The check and receipt
for the coffin, shroud and services
also were offered.
Il became suspicious then and
went to the State Board of Health
to get a permit to eXhume the body.
At the cemetery the grave was
opened. There was no casket. The
body was crouched in a box that
was wrapped in brown paper. The
box was made of plain boards. Two
boards were nailed on the top
lengthwise and one strip crossing
the chest held the one arm down.
There was blood in the box and
there was only suit of underwear
on the body. The box was not
Hped aitbar U'I,era u,oS N I;+.Io