| Show developments AT THE jorenson JOrt INQUEST THE investigation into the mysterious death of richard M johnson who ws found dead in the city jail on sun day january I 1 I 1 th has haa dex developed eloped a adly gusting state of facts the deceased was arrested on priday friday jan jtb on a charge of f drunkenness on saturday jan he was by the police justice adjudged guilty and a fine of live dol lars was waa imposed he reque requested eted mr oreilly PK eilly the desk officer in the city marshall Marahs ls office to notify his bis brot brother ber edwin johnson John Bon that the latter might appear and pay the fl alne ne and he be liberated mr oreilly claims that lie spent pent some time in an attempt to find edwin johnson and failed the next morning richard M john son eon was found dead on the floor of his cell the marshal was informed of the fart fact and looked at the body the coroner was notified aud and also gaad on oil the corpse but decided that an all i inquest was not necessary ilk dr Xea chaLiA woe was sent for and viewed the remains and gave it as his opinion that death had ensued from acute alcoholism the body was consigned to undertakers evans evana BOSS and b by them coh keyed to the city cemetery where it was burled on monday jan 12 the first intimation that edwin johnson hadlof bad of the death of his brother was as through the columns of the monday issue of a morning paper which an bounced the fact the feelings of this relative of the deceased may be presumed by those who care in imagination to put themselves in his place at lick instance the body was exhumed and an inquiry dl airy which ought to have been made before burial instituted at this investigation it was developed that the body had been consigned to the grave in a nude state with the exception of a shirt and a pair of socks and in a filthy condition dit lori also that there were two cuts or incisions of considerable length in the region of the abdomen in a nutshell here tire are some of the disgraceful and disgusting features of this the coroner failed in his duty in not holding hading an inquest if anyone needs any more more evidence to convince him of this than the facts facto of the exhumation after burial and the subsequent investigation lie must be hard to satisfy the genius and we think the letter of the law also sustains this views view the deceased who was a native born american had resided in this thi TeI territory tory thirty fi five ve years and had two brothers living in this city it does not appear that any effort was made to 11 find ad those relatives and inform them of the death of their brother in con lection with this neglect ata of a alida duty it should be remembered that it was known at the city cily hall that the had bad a brother in town and officer tried to find him OB the day before the death occurred the latter has stated also that he informed several of the officials concerned of the fact such neglect has bw not only the aspect of ordinary care less nees but of downright inhumanity the nude and comparatively filthy condition in which the body was interred reflects no credit upon those to whom it was consigned for burial now comes soother another striking feature of the case marshal young coroner harris dr meacham and the undertaker saw the body as a matter of curse course all of them testify that they did not see the cuts cute to in the abdomen and some of them swore that the incisions were not ther when ewhen they examined the remains As a matter of course it if the cuts were made while deemed deceased was alive it aou would id prove post poal that the coroner and city physician were guilty of criminal neglect it was their plain and direct duty to examine it it if the cuts ex toted and they failed to observe them they made no examination whatever the cuts certainly were made this athla side ride of the cemetery because there was waa no do opening of the coffin after it left the undertakers hence if they were inflicted after death it was done in the CRY city jail all or in the office of the under tera those being the only places where the body was retained except when being conveyed from the former latter laUer point and from the office of the undertakers to the cemetery with regard to those cuts cute discovered to the he examination of the body however h there Is ia no re relief let for the officials connecter connect eJ with the affair whether they were made before or ahm death jf before dissolution dimo lution an of the body would have dise kyed themi them if after death they made without authorization and the peidon inflicting them hem would be guilty of mutilation of a corpse our towry ia they were made before death but ut not by any of the officers not mot this thia opinion we also hm bold viewing the occurrence as a whole that the officers immediately concerned ned are censurable for a glaring neglect et of duty and for an onteme against the better instincts of humanity |
