Documents of the City of Boston

They were not read from March 19th until the 30th; yes, sir.
A witness who testified here in regard to the records:

Q. Did you ever ask to have the records read when General Donohoe refused to read them?

His answer was:

A. No. General Donohoe never refused to read them. General Donohoe used to come to me frequently and say, "Don't you suppose I can get our records read up?" and suggest that I speak to the chairman some time when he was in good-humor, or something of the kind, and get the records read up.

That was Ex-Commissioner Prescott. Can you tell the committee whether that is practically true?

A. That is practically true, I presume. It is very possible, and I think that perhaps I did ask every member of the Board at one time or another to let me read up the records, for my own sake. It was a good deal of work to put the records from the small book into the large book, and I always wanted, as soon as the records were read, to put them into the other book the same night, if I could; and when the records were not read for four or five weeks, it took me two or three successive days to do it, and I didn't like it. But as to saying to Mr. Prescott or anybody else, to speak to the chairman when he was in a good-humor, I don't believe it.

Q. Oh, well, that is altogether immaterial.

A. I preferred to have the records read often, and do now.

Q. If there was a meeting of the Commissioners to-day, so far as you are concerned, if they had another meeting to-morrow, you would prefer to have the meeting of to-day read and approved to-morrow? A. I would.

2. Now, will you explain to the committee what is your idea of an executive session ?

A. The executive session of this Board is one where the records are read and business transacted.

Q. That is, the only difference in the meeting of the Board?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. That if at any meeting the records are read, that you consider to be an executive session?

A. Yes, sir — always refer to it as such.

Q. That is, what according to your idea makes an executive session? A. Yes, sir.

Q. Can you tell this committee what method a prisoner who comes to your office, the office of the Commissioners, and announces himself as a pauper what method you take to have him sent to the island?

A. If a person comes to the office where I am and says that he wants to be sent away, that he is a pauper and has no home, I send him down to the settlement clerk, Mr. Gilman. Mr. Gilman inquiries into his history, take his name, age, etc., where he has lived, and all the facts that he can possibly get from the prisoner, in order to determine whether it is a city case or whether it is a case for the State- whether he shall be sent to Long Island or to Tewksbury or Bridgewater. He settles that question; and they are sent accordingly.

Q. Well, how are they sent ?

A. To Tewksbury we send them

Q. No, but to Long Island, for instance? Say that is to be the prisoner's destination how are they sent?

A. They either walk, or if unable to walk, are taken to the boat în a carriage the steamer "Bradlee - with a permit from Mr. Gilman admitting them to the institution at Long Island.

Q. Mr. Gilman, the clerk, gives a permit?

1. He is the settlement clerk and sends all the paupers.

He gives them a permit?

Q. What record does he make?

A. A record of the man's name and where he is sent to on a card. Then, on a sort of library index he makes a full history of the man, so far as he can get it, his name, age, birth-place, father's name, mother's name, mother's maiden name, where born, where they have lived, whether they are dead or living, and if living, where.

Q. This is put on to a card ?

On to a card that is kept in the library index.

2. No put upon the books?

A. Those particulars are not put upon the books; no, sir.

In his name entered upon the book?
Yes, sir.

Q. He goes down to the boat and takes the card or permit with him, does he ?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. And I suppose he gives that to the captain or somebody on the boat?

A. He shows it to the captain in order to get on the boat, and gives it up when he reaches his destination.

Q. Well, suppose that this party should die at Long Island and somebody should come to your office and claim the body, what would you do in that case?

4. Tell them, if they didn't know, to go to the Board of Health and get a permit for removal. That permit is brought in and shown in our office, whereupon we send to the superintendent of the institution, wherever the death occurred, to send up that body, and the undertaker or person who inquired about it is told to meet the body at the boat at whatever time it will be up.

What record do you make?

We make no record of that thing, sir. Q. You make no record?

A. That notice is a printed notice or a blank notice, filled out to the superintendent of the institution, simply saying to him, you will please send the body of- on the A.M. or P.M. boat on such a day as may be, and they retain that there. There is also a further account of it, inasmuch as every two weeks every institution sends a report of deaths to the office, on which the fact of the death, the date it happened, and the occasion of it, is put. A notice is also sent from the institution immediately upon the death of the person - a notification to the chairman, besides an account on the regular daily report.

Q. Do you make any record on any books in your office of to whom these bodies are delivered?

A. No, sir. That comes from the Board of Health.

Q The party asking for the body gets a permit from the Board of Health ?

it ?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. And comes to your oflice and shows that they have a permit for

Q. But you have no record that you can refer to to show to whom that body was delivered?

A. Not in our office.

Well, is there any in any office?

4. The Board of Health.

Q. How does the Board of Health know that they got the body? They have got a permit to get it, but how do they know that the party has got it?

A. I don't know that they do.

Q. And your office doesn't know?

A. The yellow ticket at the other office will have to be delivered to somebody, and in our office we issue a permit for burial or removal.

Q. So that you would take a man's body, a man's live body, and take him to Long Island, and you have the custody of that body, and the man dies, and you have nothing to show on your books where that body has gone?

A. Oh, yes, we do.

Q. Is that right?

4. The books at Long Island show that the body was taken for burial, if it was taken for burial.

Q. But it doesn't show who has taken that body?

4. It doesn't show the individual; no, sir. It shows the undertaker who took it, though.

The CHAIRMAN. - Does any other member of the committee desire to ask the general any questions?

Q. (By Ald. LOMASNEY.) General, I just want to ask you one or two questions. Section 13 of the Revised Ordinances says:

Every officer and Board in charge of a department shall keep records of the acts and doings of the department, in books kept specially for the purpose, including a book in which he shall record all contracts and all changes and alterations made in contracts, etc.

Do you have a book in which you keep a record of all contracts?

4. The records of contracts made. We make only the contracts for fish, stone, coal, beef, and mutton.

Q. Have you got a book in which you keep a record of all contracts made?

A. They are kept in this book

a part of the records.

Q. Haven't you got any other book?

A. No, sir. We don't keep any other book. We have a copy of the contract, and

Q. Well, I will read this again. (Reading:)

You have no such book?

A. We don't make any contracts for work of that kind.

9. Let us see. Supposing you want to get $1,800 worth of plumbing. How is that done?

We don't make any contract for it.

Q. Well, I mean for repairs?

A. I have never known of a contract to be made for any such thing.

If there was, it would be on this record book here (pointing).

Q. You don't keep any such book?

A. The contracts are kept in this book. It is kept specially for that purpose. That is one of the reasons why it is kept.

QYou don't keep a book that answers this purpose?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Where is it?

A. I have a book, with copies of the contracts, but it is only from

hearsay. Those contracts the Architect makes, and we get the information from him.

Q. A.

Are you sure it was a year?

About a year.

year; yes, sir.

I don't know exactly. I should say it was a full

Q. You are sure of that?

4. It may have been a little less. I don't know about the exact time.

Q. How did you come to keep that book?

There was a discussion between the Architect's Department and our department, and the doctor went and talked with the Mayor, I think, about it, and the Mayor sent a letter that we should keep such a book as that.

Q. Have you got that letter on file?

letter?

I think we have.

When you come again, will you please bring us a copy of the

4. Yes, sir.

Q. Then do you put upon that book, which you keep now by order of the Mayor, all contracts for fish and supplies made with different

persons.

4. No, sir; that is kept upon that book. (Referring to record book.)

2. Yes, sir; upon the record book?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Now, in reference to the disposition of bodies. Supposing a physician applies for a body at Long Island, will you be kind enough to explain to the committee how he goes to work to get the body?

A. He makes an application to our office. A bond which we have there, a blank bond for $500, is filled out, in accordance with the law, in relation to that matter. It is then sent to be signed by him. He signs it, returns it, and if we have that material to furnish him, it is furnished him by a vote of the Board, and he signs a receipt for it; and that receipt is sent to the institution from which the body is obtained.

Q. About how many bodies did the Board vote away last year?

4. Eighteen hundred ninety-four?

Q. Yes; take last year.

4. We have given none away since last January.

Q. You have given none since last January?

I think not. I think in January the last material of that kind was sent up.

Q. Take the year 1893, from January 1 to December 31 of that year, about how many bodies were given away?

A. Oh, say 12 or 14.

Q. Have you a record of the doctors to whom they were furnished?

4. Oh, yes, sir. We have a bond from everybody.

About 13 or 14?

I should say so. I can give it exactly.

Well, take the year 1892. About how many that year?

A. I don't know. I should say a few less.

Q. Well, you would have no difficulty in presenting to us the names

of the doctors and a copy of the bondsmen ?

4. There are no bondsmen. The doctor's own bond is sufficient.

He qualifies in the sum of $500?
Five hundred dollars.

And he has to swear to it before a Justice of the Peace? 4. He signs a printed form made by the Law Department. Q. Do you have many applications for these bodies?

A. Oh, a great many.

Q. About how many are there on file now in your office?

A. Well, they are not generally made by written application. The representatives of the various colleges come there personally, and sometimes they apply by telephone, but that is somewhat rare. I got one today, a very earnest call for material of that kind, from a medical college in this city.

Q. Well, do you have most of the demand from medical colleges, or mostly from physicians or graduates?

4. Mostly from the colleges.

Q. Mostly to the colleges?

A. Yes, sir; I don't recollect more than two or three to physicians. Q. Does you Board ever give bodies to persons or colleges outside of the limits of the city?

Q. I would like, general, if you could give us the facts, to have a list of all the bodies given away since 1889, and the colleges who secured them ?

A. I will.

Q. And the names of the persons who secured them or the colleges at the next meeting. I would also like to have the date of their death, and the date the Board voted to give the body away.

A. Very well.

Q. (By Mr. REED.) You have stated, Mr. Donohoe, that the records in that book have been kept in accordance with the directions of the Commissioners. Now, I will ask you if they have been kept in accordance with the facts, and in accordance with the votes of the Commissioners ?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Another book has been spoken of a little book.. I understood you to say that that is the book in which you make the minutes of the proceedings?

Yes, sir.

Q. And nothing is put into this book which you have here till it has been read to the Commission and approved by them?

4, Nothing put in until it is approved.

Q. And that book contains the records that have been approved by the Commisioners ?

A. Yes, sir; for that period.

Q. For that period; and those records have been attested by you as correct?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. You say that you have at various times suggested to the different Commissioners that you would like to have the records read and approved, that you might place them in that book?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. But I understand you to say that the statement attributed to you by another witness that you would like to have him approach the chairman when he was in good-humor and see if something could not be done in that line was not correct?

A. That is not correct. I am not that kind of a chap. I have asked the chairman the same question, the same as I have the other members. Q. I would like to have you turn to the record of the 20th of November.

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Documents of the City of Boston, Volume 6