GUITEAU'S BONES.

Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 65, 13 September 1884, Page 1 (Supplement)

GUITEAU'S BONES.

In a small room in the upper story of the Army Medical Museum, formerly Ford's Theatre, in this city, are two wooden trays, similar to thooseused by housekeepers for kneading dough, but iv this instance the contents of the trayß are of a raoro ghastly description, being the highly polished bones of the assassin Guitoau. While inspecting these remains of the notorious criminal, attention was directed to the extraordinary whiteness of the bones and their lesomblanco to polished ivory. 'No attempt has been made to articulate the skeleton, and the trays bear no number by which they could be distinguished ft om 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 nnd tools used by anatomists. There was a highly polished skull in a box, and on tho right side was the deflection whioh 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 an indication of insanity. "A perfectly symmetrical head," said he, " would be as rare aft a white blackbird. Out of 1800 skulls examined at the Museum during the dispute about Guiteau's head, only one was found perfect, and that is now down stairs in one of the exhibition cases." It was ascertained that in preparing 1 the bones of the dead murderer moro than usual care had been taken to preserve them, and consequently tho skeleton when mounted will be the best in the collection of the museum, It has been advisable for prudential reasons to keep the bones in a Becret place until they can be exhibited to visitors, but all talk about their iden» tity being lost is all bosh. One of tht 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 de* cliucd to ascertain its location in the building. The procesß by which tho bones were treated insures their per* petuation for an indefinite period, and Anatomist E. F. SohoGst gave his personal attention to the work. Not a bone has been lost, aud as before stated, when articulated the skeleton will be the best iv tho museum. The .plaster cast of Guitau's head gives a good idea of the appearance of his skull, as the indentation is very perceptible in theatre similo. 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 tho gaol. A trusted official ban the key of tho room in which the bones are kept, and no one is allowed to range at will in this apartment. — Globe Democrat.