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Post by dem bones on Nov 16, 2023 18:13:29 GMT
— The Sketch, 14 October 1931
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Post by dem bones on Mar 1, 2024 12:00:55 GMT
Fortunino Matania A Cart load of Corpses captured by the Police AuthoritiesIN Chicago, one morning recently, the police made the arrest of a brace of body-snatchers in charge of a cart containing several corpses. The men were crossing a bridge at the prescribed slow pace, when the policemen's suspicion was aroused, owing to the fact that the cart seemed to be laden with hay, and as hay-dealers do not generally come to market so early, and bring hay in such small quantities, the policemen thought they would question the two fellows. Officer Grubb approached the cart, and asked the men if they had not a load of corpses, to which he received an affirmative reply. He told them that he should have to arrest them, and ordered them, if armed, to give up their weapons. The men offered no resistance, and immediately handed over two revolvers. The policemen mounted the vehicle and drove with their charge to the Union-street Station. There it was discovered that the cart contained no less than five corpses — two males and three females, one of the latter being that of a girl not over thirteen years of age. All the bodies, from appearances, had been interred but a few days. The implements found with the resurrectionists consisted of two "picks," two shovels, a lantern, and two long black masks. The prisoners, Jerry F. Schaeffer, a medical student, and William Pembroke, an employee of his, have been before Justice Scully, who sent them for trial. Schaeffer, on his way to the station, told the officers that body-snatching was an every night occurrence, and on that account begged the policeman to make the "case" light. The Coroner was notified to hold inquests on the remains. — The Day's Doings, 27 April 1872 Resurrectionists at WorkSeveral cases of body snatching are reported at Prescott, Ontario. A few days since signs of a visit of human ghouls were visible at the burying ground, and it was resolved to open recent graves and see whether the remains of the occupants had been removed. On several graves being opened it was found that the bodies of the late Daniel M'Nutt, who died suddenly here a short time ago, and also that of the late Mr Dinsmore, of Prescott, who died about the same time, had both been carried off. It is believed that the work of robbing graves in the cemetery at Prescott has been carried on systematically for some time, and the probability is that a large number of corpses have been removed after being interred by sorrowing relatives. The cemetery is located in a lonely, out of the way place, and grave robbers have every chance of carrying on their ghastly work without much danger of being disturbed. — Dundee Evening Telegraph, 25 December 1880 Wholesale Body SnatchingA Philadelphia correspondent telegraphs: Philadelphia is just now excited over the capture of a band of grave robbers, who were caught with six bodies, intended for the Medical College, in their possession. An investigation shows that these ghouls had almost cleared one of our cemeteries of its occupants. The recovered corpses have been identified. This capture was planned by some newspaper reporters attached to the Philadelphia press, who carried it out successfully as amateur detectives. The men captured are now in gaol awaiting their trial. — Evening News [London], 7 December 1882 Tragedy in a Cemetery Further detalls are to hand of the tragedy in Louisville, Kentucky, which resulted in the shooting of a grave robber and the arrest of a prominent physician. An American paper, recording the incident, says: "While a thunderstorm was at its height a horrible tragedy took place in the Northern Cemetery of New Albany, just across the river in Indiana. A party of grave robbers were surprised in the act of desecrating the resting places of the dead, and one of them was instantly killed. Three others were arrested and placed in gaol, but a fourth man escaped. The party consisted of three Louisville physicians, Dr. J. T. Blackburn and Dr. W. E. Grant, another whose name is thought to be Graham, and two coloured assistants. They had gone over to rob the graves of Thomas Johnson and Edward Pearce, and had deliberately planned the affair, but a little carelessness on their part spoiled everything and led to the death among the graves. Dr. Blackburn went over to New Albany late in the afternoon. He had evidently heard of the two recent funerals, and went straight to the Northern Cemetery. As it happened he could not locate the graves, and calling William Deeble, who lived near there, he tried to obtain the desired information from him. At first Dr. Blackburn offered the boy two dols. to point out the grave of Johnson, and then increased the bid to 20 dols. Deeble took the bribe, and pointed out the graves. Dr. Blackburn then added a careless word or two, and cautioning him to say nothing, drove back to Louisville. Deeble did not intend to keep the secret, however, for he had guessed the intentions of the doctors. He went at once to Daniel Shrader, the sexton, and told him every detail of the conversation. Boiling over with indignation, Shrader in turn went to the office of Mayor McDonald, and explained the matter to that official. Mr. McDonald resolved to catch the ghouls in a trap, and sending for Chief of Police Stonecipper they quickly arranged their plans. It was decided to keep everything quiet, but when night came on to station a guard in the cemetery and await the coming of the grave robbers. Officers Hennessy and Cannon were selected for this duty, and were given as assistants Nathaniel and James Johnson, brothers of Thomas Johnson, whose body was one of the objects of the proposed raid. Elwer Hopper, a friend of Edward Pearce, the other dead man, was selected as a fifth. Mayor McDonald and Chief Stoneclipper Instructed the guards to arm themselves, then go to the cemetery and wait the approach of the marauders. The party went to the cemetery soon after dark. It lies a short distance out of New Albany, between East Eighth and East Fourth streets. It is a spot that has frequently been visited by medical students from the Louisville schools during the last few years. The guards divided into two squads. One party concealed themselves under a tarpaulin by the cemetery gate, and the others went on a short distance beyond the grave of Edward Pearce. The grave of Thomas Johnson was near the cemetery gate. Nothing was heard by the watchers until about midnight. A storm of wind and rain had been prevailing most of the evening, and at this time the rain was coming down in torrents. There were frequent flashes of lightning and peals of thunder reverberated over the hills back of the sleeping town. New Albany people keep early hours, and hardly a soul was abroad when the stillness of the night was broken by the sound of wheels. A waggon was being quietly driven out of Eighth-street. It had come over the bridge, and was being drawn at a leisurely pace by the two horses which a negro was driving. Five men were in the vehicle. The waggon stopped at the cemetery gate and the occupants alighted, leaving their team hitched to the fence, and came on into the cemetery. The watchers, alert to every noise, had concealed themselves, and the grave robbers passed the first division and proceeded to the Johnson grave. They had barely reached it when the Johnson boys and their friends broke from their cover and called out, "Throw up your hands." Taken utterly by surprise the men started to run, and as they did so there was a volley. One of the men fell, and as he dropped to the ground the lightning flashed on a pistol he had half drawn, but he had not tried to use it, and he died with scarcely a struggle. The other men stopped, with the exception of one, who broke away, and scaling the low fence of the cemetery, got into Eighth-street in safety. A minute later he was heard to drive madly away in the direction of the Kentucky and Indiana Bridge, over which he soon escaped. The guards closed around their prisoners. One of them had a hatchet in his hand, the terrible use for which it was designed being easily guessed, but he made no attempt to use it. He was one of the physicians, and both he and his companions carried revolvers, though neither made any attempt to use a weapon. The third man caught was a young man, who was terribly frightened. The guards examined the body of the one that had been killed. He was a mulatto, apparently only about 18 years old. He was neatly dressed, and he held a revolver fast in his stiffening fingers. To the excited questions of the officers the two white men answered calmly that they were Dr. J. T. Blackburn and Dr. W. E. Grant. They admitted that they were from Louisville. The name of the dead man is George Brown, and he was assistant janitor of the Kentucky School of Medicine, of which Dr. Grant is demonstrator of anatomy, and Dr. Blackburn is his assistant. The captured coloured man was William Mukes, head janitor of the college. Dr. Grant is one of the most prominent physicians in the city, and is about 45 years old and unmarried. He has a very large practice. Dr. Blackburn is a young man just beginning practice. The New Albany authorities were so indignant at their action that the two doctors were treated with the utmost rigour. They were shut up in dark cells, and not allowed to see anyone. — Bucks Standard , 22 March 1890 Artificial GhostsLuminous harness has been patented, so that a horse being driven at night looks like a sheet of lightning. There are luminous match boxes, and luminous ghosts to scare away grave robbers. After every great grave robbery metallic coffins come in by the score, and I looked at one coffin surrounded by bars of wrought iron, binding the casket and extending out from it at such a distance that when set in the earth it would be impossible to move it except by a derrick. — Jersey Independent & Daily Telegraph, 30 August 1890 Articles; F. Matania - Old Tales Re-told: Murder in Auld Reekie. The Crimes of Burke and Hare: ( Britannia & Eve, 1 August 1939). Anon - A Headless Corpse: ( The Day's Doings, 31 August 1872). Scanned pages with excellent illustrationsMurder in Auld Reekie (via MediaFire). Text only
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Post by andydecker on Mar 1, 2024 15:32:20 GMT
Always thought that this was more a British problem, guess I saw The Body Snatcher once too often, and Sean Bean's grim The Frankenstein Chronicles did also its part.
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