GUITEAU’S BONES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1234, 2 September 1884, Page 3

GUITEAU’S BONES.

In a small room in the upper storey of the Army Medical Museum, formerly Ford’s Theatre, in this city, are two wooden trays similar to those used by housekeepers for kneading dough, but in this instance the contents of the trays are of a more ghastly description, being the highly polished bones of the assassin Guiteau, While inspecting these remains of the notorious criminal, attention was directed to the extraordinary whiteness of the bones and ibeir resemblance to polished ivory. No attempt has been made to articulate the skeleton, and the trays bear no number by which they could be distinguished from similar receptacles in the Museum. “ Look into that box over there if you want to see an interesting skull,” said the guide, pointing to a deep box on a small table strewn with bones and tools used by anatomists. There was a highly polished skull in a box, and on the right side was the deflection which the insanity experts wrangled about during the trial. The attention of the guide was drawn to the fact, but he laughed at the idea of its being aa indication of insanity. “ A perfectly symmetrical head,” said he, “ would be as rare as a white blackbirg. Out of 1800 skulls examined at the museum during the dispute about Guiteau’s head, only one was found perfect, and that is bow down stairs in the exhibition cases.” It was ascertained that in preparing the bones of the dead murderer more than usual care had been taken to preserve them, and consequently the skeleton when mounted will be the best in the collection of the museum. It has been deemed advisable for prudential reasons to keep the bones in a secret place until they can be exhibited to visitors, but all talk about their identity being lost is all bosh. One of the first questions of the tourist doing the museum is to be shown Guiteau s skeleton, and in order to escape being bored the surgeon in charge has declined to ’ ascertain its location in the building. The process by which the bones were treated insures their perpetuation for an indefinite period, and Anatomist E. F. Schofist gave his personal attention to the work. Not a bone has been lost, and as before stated, when articulated the skeleton will he the best in the museum. The plaster cast of Guiteau’s head gives a good idea of the appearance of his skull, as the indentation is veiy perceptible in the fac simile , The coffin in which the remains of the assassin were removed from the gaol three days after burial is retained at the museum, but the outer box is still in the ground at the gaol, A trusted official has the key of the room in which the bones are kept, and no one is allowed to range at will in this apartment.—Globe Democrat.