New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-15
Gross Fraud i'm
Burial of War
Heroes Charged
Federal Investigator Finds
Many Cases of Two and
Three Buried Together;
Gives Daugherty Facts
Prosecution Is Considered
Undertaken Says Govern.
ment Was Slow Pay and
He Had to Economic

Evidence gathered in connection with
alleged profteering in the burial of
unclaimed bodies of soldiers dying in
hospitals here indicates, according to
Colonel c. X. Haskell, of the United
States Public Health Service Inspection
Department, that gross fraud has been
practiced against the government.
Colonel Haskell, who has been in
vestlgating the burial Of two and three
soldiers in one grave, said yesterday
he had placed the facts before the De-
partment of Justice and is preparing
report for Surgeon General Hugh Cum
mings. While he declined to disclose
what recommendation he would make,
1t is understood that immediate prose-
cution of those involved will be urged
upon the Federal authorities
S100 for Each Burial
According to DR.. Haskell, it appeared
that William A. Skahill, an undertaken,
of 1858 West Fiftieth Street, who had
contracted with the government for the
proper burial of unclaimed bodies of
soldiers, was mainly to blame. The
contract said DR.. Haskell, called for
the burial of each body in a separate
grave, and coffin with name plate,
handles and other specifications. Ska
hill received approximately $1OO for
each burial, he said, and had handled
about 100 bodies SO far. 1t is known
that in at least two cases two bodies
were placed in the same grave, and in
another case three bodies we're buried
together.
This was clear violation of tho
governments agreement, says DR.,
Haskell. Skahill has admitted, adds the
doctor, the burial Of several bodies in
one grave and that this was a violation
OF the contract and offered a fimsy
defense for his action
It is possible that many exhumations
will result from the investigation.
Only one body, however, has been re-
buried in separate grave, it was said
at st. Michael's Cemetery, Astoria.
The cemetery authorities declare they
have received no orders as to the dis
position of the other two bodies re-
naming in this particular grave or
what was to be done with the other
cases of wholesale burial.
Legion Demands a Check
In the mean time Colonel C. w.
Wickersham, chairman of the American
Legion committee charged with the in
vestigation of the care and treatment
OF ex-service men, has brought the
matter to the attention of other Fed
eral authorities with a view of pre-
venting a repetition of the incident.
1t is the general idea that some sort
of checking up system should be estab-
lished by the United States Public
health Service to see to it that under
takers carry out their agreements
Nothing further was done by the
joint legislative committee Investigate
ing the city administration in connec-
tion with the matter yesterday. While
the committee brought the disclosures
to the attention of Colonel Wick
ersham, the Federal authorities had
been inquiring into the matter for
more than ter days on their own &C
count.
Lacked Money, SkahilI Says
Skahill. in the course of an informal
questioning by Commissioner of Ac-
counts Hirshfeld, asserted that the
government had not supplied him with
enough money for proper burial, and
that the officials at Fox Hills Hospital,
on Staten Island, had refused to- give
an American flag to drape on Il casket,
an honor awarded all war heroes. In
addition, he said, the government re-
fused to pay for the embalming of the
bodies. They agreed to provide a flag
only few days ago, he said.
The government had delayed his
payments to such an extent, Skahill
pleaded, that he had become financially
embarrassed and unable to buy indi-
vidual graves for the soldiers. He said
he had the bodies disinterred and
placed in separate graves as soon as he
got money from the government. He
said he never got more than $S2 for a
case. The Federal authorities still owe