The Sun.
London, England, 1831-11-24 00:00:00

EXTENSIVE SYSTEM OF BODY STEAL.

ING.-NIYSTERY SOLVED

In our last Paper we gave some proceedings re-
lative to the dead body of a man, seized on the
Courier coach, in Leeds, in its transit to Edinburgh,
which had been exposed at the Court-house for pub-
lic inspection for several days, without being owned,
which, combined with some marks of violence about
the neck, led to the suspicion of his having been
murdered. Under these circumstances, it was
thought proper to hold an inquest upon the body,
the proceedings of which we gave in our last Paper,
and which, as far as they went, strengthened the
suspicions which were afloat of the deceased having
come to his death by foul means, as Mr. Chorley,
the senior surgeon of the Leeds Infirmary, stated it
as his decided opinion that he had died of strangu-
lation.

With the view of affording further time for the
identification of the body, the inquest was ad-
journed for a few days, and subsequent events
showed the expediency of this measure, as the body
was identified on the day but one following (Satur-
day,) when it was clearly made out to be the body
of a man who had committed suicide, at East
Ardsley, by strangling himself with a handkerchief,
and who had been buried in East Ardsley Church-
yard, on Monday, Nov. 7. At an early hour on
Monday, the brother and sister-in-law of the de-
ceased, the sexton, and the parish clerk of East
Ardsley Church, were examined, who clearly made
out that the deceased, whose name was Robert
Hudson, was found on Sunday hanging in a coal
cabin, at East Ardsley; that an inquest was held
upon his body on the following day, when the Jury
found that be had strangled himself, being in a state
of insanity ; that he was interred in East Ardsley
Church-yard on Tuesday, November 1, and that on
opening the grave on Saturday, November 12, the
body was missing, and the coffin lid broken open. The
Jury found a special verdict, embodying these facts.
The following is an outline of the various facts
detailed in the course of the evidence. The
head of the gang of the Leeds resurrectionists
is a Mr. Hodgson, an attorney's cle k. He
kept several people in his employ, to whom he
gave " rounds," that is the names of a number of
church-yards they were to visit, written out on a
piece of paper. On reconnoitring the places thus
pointed out to them, when they observed any new-
made
graves, they repeated their visits in the night.
Having opened the graves, the coffins were sawn
across the head, and the bodies extracted by means
of ropes passed under their arms. The names of
the gang are, besides Hodgson, their chief, Mr. John
Crabtree Pickering, schoolmaster of Bond•street,
Leeds, and formerly of this city; Wm. Germain
Parker, York-road; Wm. Henry Bradley, joiner;
James Norman, butcher, Wade-lane ; Thos. Pear-
son, cloth-weaver, New-road-end, all of Leeds; and
John Wood, shoemaker, Buslingthorpe, near Leeds.
Hodgson had a card in his possession, at the top of
which was a triangle, with a cross on it, under which
were Hebrew characters for the words " the bones;"
and then followed John Hodgson, missionary. This
had been explained to one of the witnesses, by a
person to whom he was a stranger—to be Hodgson's
oath, that the triangle meant secrecy, the Hebrew
characters stood for dust; and that the crucifix sig-
nified, they were sworn on the Holy Evangelists to
betray no secrets; that if any of them were to be
apprehended in getting a body, they were not to in-
form—if they did it would be in peril of their lives
Mr. Hodgson was bound for his appearance at the
Yorkshire .Assiz2s, in two sureties, housekeepers, in
150/. each, himself in 100/.; Mr. Pickering in two
sureties of 501. each, himself in 100/. ; and all the
other defendants, except Pearson and Wood, each
in two sureties of 25/. each, and themselves in 50/.;
all the parties to give twenty-four hours' notice of
their bail. Pearson and Wood have been discharged
on account of this business, but they still remain in
custody.—York Courant.

WHAT WILL MR. IRVING DO ?

The " Interrogative System" has been much in
fashion of late; and we have had " What will the
people do ?" " What will the Commons do ?"
" What will the Lords do ?" " What will the
King do ?" asked and answered in various ways,
and at an extraordinary expenditure of paper. We
have heard another question, touching the doings in
Regent-square, of scarcely less importance, after the
proceedings of Sunday se'nnight ; and it is this—
" What will Mr. Irving do ?" The answer is
briefly given in the following extract from his " ex-
planation" last Sunday morning :—" The disturb-
ance in the church last Sunday was caused by indi-
viduals not members of this congregation, who
banded themselves together for the purpose—wicked
persons who came here in hundreds; and the won-
der is that the Lord preserved us as he did preserve
us. I then promised that the gifts of the Spirit
should not be heard in the church this evening; and
it is not for man to break his word. What I then
pledged I will stand to, and therefore I have re-
quested that those persons who speak in the tongues
should not come to the church this night. I have,
nevertheless, examined the Scriptures—l have
availed myself of the opportunity to see how the
thq Ghost would order their services, and I find
it is his will not to confine what is witnessed by his
word to the faithful in Christ, but that it shall be
made to the scoffer, the hypocrite, and the unbe-
liever also. The gift of prophecy was sent not only
for the refreshment of the believers, but for the
wicked ; and though the worst and vilest of the po-
pulation—though Atheists, Deists, and reprobates,
should assemble here—l dare not—l dare not for
my life—say to the persons who are endowed with
the gift of tongues, You shall not deliver the com-
mandments of the Lord to the people.' On this
Lord's night, then, according to my pledge—how-
ever painful it may be to me—there will be no
manifestations of tha Spirit, but hereafter the voice
of the Spirit must be heard." Mr. Irving then
proceeded to lay down the following regulations for
the morning service :—" After having read a
chapter, and expounding it, we will pause—it may
be for a minute or so—and you will reflect on that
which you have Just heard ; and in th;s way we will
wait to see whether the Holy Ghost wishes to
speak unto us. If this be the case, receive it thank-
fully--be glad ; if not, let us proceed reverently and
peaceably in the service. At the conclusion of the
sermon, in like manner, we will wait for the mani-
festations of the Spirit, if the Holy Ghost be pleased
to send his word amongst us ; and let us, I again
beseech you, receive it with thankfulness and reve-
rence.', In accordance with the order of proceeding
thus laid down, the Reverend Gentleman proceeded
to read and to illustrate the 15th chapter of St.
John ; after which he observed, by way of introduc-
ing the ladies anti gentlemen of the " cloven •
tongue,"—" If it now please the Lord to speak to
us, hear, I beseech you, in silence." A short pause
followed, and then Miss Hall (we believe), pitching
her voice at its highest key, proceeded in manner
following :—" 0 übo! 0 übo ! 0 übo ; 0 übo !
* 9 tt ik ♦ *
(hiatus valde deflendus—we cannot master the
tongues)—you shall receive—you shall receive—
you shall receive—you need it—you need it—you
need it," &c. Miss Hall having brought her nut-
Infestation to a close, Mr. Irving warmly congratu-
lated his congregation on the very proper spirit
which they had just exhibited—" You have heard,
and you have heard reverently; take, then, the en-
couragement thus given, and bless the Lord that
you have heard his ordinance." The usual Psalm
came next; then the sermon, Mr. Irving winding up
with—" And now, having fulfilled the dice of
Pastor, if the Holy Ghost manifest himself amongst
us, I beg you to hear the words in silence." But
" they did not come when he did call them"—Miss
Hall, Miss Carsdale, Mr. Taplin, spoke not, and the
service terminated in the usual manner.—Morning
Herald.

DEBT.—If you boast of a contempt for the
world, avoid getting into debt. It is giving unto gnats
the fangs of vipers.