The broad ax., 1926-04-03

Some of the head ott1cials OF the
various public institutions of Cook
County have experienced much pleasure
in the past dealing out shabby treat
ment to the colored inmates of those
institutions who are poor, sick and
are unable to either help or take care
Of themselves. 1t will be recalled that
only recently colored man who was
sick unto death was turned away from
the County Hospital and shortly after.
wards he fell dead on the public streets
of Chicago.
At that time Hon. Oscar Wolff, the
head Coroner Of Cook County hon
estly felt that his Chief Deputy Cor
oner, Of the Cook County morgue, had
become color blind when it came
down to dealing with sick colored peo-
pie and near that time Coroner Wolff
penned a copy Of the following letter
to his late Chief Deputy at the Cook
County 1norgue, Mr. Sam. L. Davis.
Copy Of letter BY Coroner Wolff:
My Dear Sir:
Il have repeatedly cautioned you to
be absolutely impartial in your con-
duct when conducting inquests. 1t
appears from recent cases that you
have paid no attention nor given any
serious consideration to my advice and
caution.
MY attention has been called to the
case Of Alex. Whitman Cease No. 28)
upon whom an autopsy was performed
by DR.. Foley, Coroner's Physician. In
his official statement, made to the Cor
oner of Cook County, DR.. Foley states
that Alex. Whitman died from Acute
Alcoholism and Exposure. 1t is evil
dent that you paid no attention to the
statement of facts given you by DR..
Foley, duly signed in accordance with
the law, and it further appears that in
transcribing the verdict for the jury
you laid special stress upon the opin-
ion of two doctors who were not pres
ent at the post-mortem and rendered
a verdict contrary to the findings of
DR.. Foley's post-mortem. There is
wide difference between acute alco-
holism and chronic alcoholism and in
your twenty-one years. experience at
the Morgue you no doubt are well
aware Of that fact. The verdict also
omits the word. exposure" SO that
the verdict is not in accordance with
the post-mortem but rather written in
accordance with the opinion of two
doctors who were not present at the
post-mortem. do not know whether,
in this case, accident insurance is in
volved, but if it should appear that
accident insurance is involved in this
instance, the widow in this particular
case would be compelled to engage a
lawyer and give him one-third to one
half of the amount of the policy, in
stead Of collecting the amount due her
upon the Coroner's certified verdict of
death.
Il have just completed reading the
testimony Of one Harry Horton, in
which three policemen were exoner-
ated for shooting him to death while
he stood with his hands in the air, a
sign Of surrender. 1t appears to me
that in this particular case the rights
Of the person who was shot by the
police officers were not given the
same serious consideration that would
have been given to the shooting had
that person been white instead of col
ored. The police officer who arrested
Harry Horton should have arrested
the woman who made the complaint
against Harry Horton for gambling,
instead Of Harry Horton. 1t does
not appear from the evidence that the
police officer had personal knowledge
that this man violated the law or the
city ordinance in any manner whatso-
ever. This woman should have been
arrested and not Harry Horton. You
should also have called the juries' at
tention to the fact that il the gamb-
ling had not been allowed by public
officials, this shooting would not have
occurred. Your attention was also
called to the mental condition OF
Harry Horton. On numerous occa-
sions he was taken into custody by
the police who turned him over to