Library Collections: Document: Full Text
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The State Wards
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12 | WEDNESDAY'S PROCEEDINGS | |
13 | At the investigation Wednesday morning, Mr. Loring said that the respondents would admit that bodies had been sent to colleges, but that they were sent under the law. The Governor said he proposed to prove that bodies were sent under law and contrary to law; that even skins were sent away to be tanned; that bodies were sent to medical colleges and elsewhere; that he proposed to spread those facts over the | |
14 | (Continued on fourth page) | |
15 | THE STATE WARDS | |
16 | (Continued from first page) | |
17 | country, that he would show that funeral services were held over supposed remains; that he would go into Tewksbury graveyard and show what was or was not buried there, and that without violating the grave of any human being; that the officials were paid for the sales of dead bodies. | |
18 | Mrs. Charlotte A. Thomas was put on the stand again, and testified that there were 18 persons in the family of the officials, beside the eight members of the Marsh family; when the trustees made a visit, the officials were notified two or three days beforehand; but few visitors came to the institution who were not led to Honora O'Connor to hear her relate how kind the officials were; she was paralized in the legs and was kept in one room for years; she was fed from the Marsh family table, so as to keep her looking well, and Thomas J., Jr., used to put flowers in her room, all for the purpose of making a favorable impression on visitors. | |
19 | Thomas Hall was next called and sworn; he said that he got $100 at one time for carrying bodies; he went to the almshouse July 14, 1874, and left about the middle of April, 1877; his wife was there only a short time; he went to driving the double team of the institution; he buried all the dead that were buried; he took them from the deadhouse under the orders of Thomas J. Marsh, Jr.; Manning used to take the team to the deadhouse and get the bodies; witness helped to load them; witness was paid $2 for every body; he began the transportation of the dead in September, or as soon as it began to be cold nights; about all the dead bodies which were not called for by friends were carried off; the digging up was done at night and under the orders of Thomas J. Marsh Jr.; sometimes the coffin was left in the grave after the body was taken out, and the bodies went to the Harvard medical school and to the female college; one went to I.J. Wetherbee at 46 Dover Street; witness did not know where else the bodies were taken; he used to see in the papers of persons who died at the State prison: "Buried at Tewksbury; died ___" on such a date, but they never got buried. | |
20 | Adjourned to Monday next at 9 a.m. |