Handwritten Notice of James Rutledge Sr Giving Permission for Photographs of his son’s body (C-54)

James Rutledge, Sr. wrote this note, giving the Perry Funeral Home the authority to permit photographers to take pictures of his son’s body after he was gunned down by city and state police on July 16th. A photograph of James Rutledge, Jr.’s body in the morgue was distributed throughout the city and gained notoriety with the Essex County Grand Jury. According to photographer C. Danny Dawson, “The body would have looked worse if it hadnt been opened for embalming.” Rutledge was shot 39 times. — Credit: New Jersey State Archives