WRONG CORPSE BURIED.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17316, 30 November 1921, Page 5

WRONG CORPSE BURIED.

UNDERTAKES'S QTJEEB MISTAKE. (raox ou* oww ooßassroNSiMT.) SYDNEY, November 23. An extraordinary and regrettable funeral mishap, involving the burial of the wrong bocfy in the presence of a large number of mourning relatives and friends, exhumation and subsequent reinterment, „ occurred at Rookwood Cemetery, near Sydney, during the week. The bodies oi two women, one 63 years of age, and the otner 29 years, Had been lying in the mortuary of tot. Joseph's Hospital, Auburn. The undertakers, instead of taking 'that of the young, woman, took the other, and the mistake was not learned until the following day. The deceased women, both of whom were married, died in the hospital on the same day. The bodies were removed from the ward to the mortuary, that of the oider woman in the main section, and of the younger woman in another soction used for post mortem purposes. It was arranged that the funeral of iihe young woman should take place next day. r i)he -undertakers arrived with the coffin, but the wrong bcdy was placed in it. Nobody, of course, was any, the wiser, and the funeral duly took place. Mfianwhile arrangements' had been made for the funeral of! the older woman to take place on the following aiternbon, and the usual tvess notice were published. Before tho undertakers had reached the hospital, however, the dead woman's son went there and asked t,5 be allowed to pay his respects to hiu> mother's remains, and. gaze upon her ft>r the lest time. He was taken to thy 'mortuary and shown tho body of the young woman. He iuis astonished and greatly agitated, and declared, in dismay: "This ip not my mother." After discussion atfnong the hospital authorities and the , police, the only solution was that an unfortunate and regrettable mistake Jind occurred. To add to the general confusion, the sorrowing relatives ant\ friends commenced to arrive at tho hcepital, in accordance with the funeral riolices. The relatives subsequently consulted with the Board of Health, and application was made for exhumatioti. In the meantime the relatives of the younger v.'oman were notified of tho mistake, chd the next day tney had to once participate in the last rites of a most sorrowful funeral. The necctssary permission for exhumation oft the other body was granted, and aftef a member of the family had definitely established identification, the deceased: s death-bed wish to be interred in the same grave as her husband was caiiried out.