The Sun.
London, England, 1826-07-06 00:00:00

STEALING DEAD BODIES.

During the.whole of Monday and yesterday, the neigh.
bourhOod of tlerkenwell and St. John-street MO kept in
a state of painful excitement (particularly those families
in which deaths had recently taken place), in consequenee
of the body of •ri, female having been detected in teatuitU,
at the top of St. John's-street, no doubt intended for the
anatomical knife. The watchman at the corner of Mid-
dleton-street perceived a single-horse cart driving rapidly
along, in which was a sack tied closely up at the month,
and the driver having refused to stop, he was interrupted
by another watchman, when the package was taken out,
and on examination it was found to contain the body of a
female, which appeared to have been some time entomb-
ed, as it was approaching to a state of decomposition..._
The whole was then taken to St. John's watch-house, and
inquiries were made at the different burial-grounds in the
neighbourhood, but without discovering from whence the
body had been stolen. At eleven o'clock the prisoner was
brought before Allan S. Laing; Esq. the sitting Magistrate
at Hatton-garden Police Office, before whom the deposi7
tion of the watchmen were taken doWn; and the prisoner,
in defence, said that his name was Jiihn Marshall, that he
was a costermonger by trade, and had been out with his
cart at a very early hour on Monday morning, intending
to go to a distant market; and that when passing through
St. John's-street Road, near Islington, he was stopped
by two men, carrying a bundle, which they asked him to
take in the cart as far as Smithfield, promising to overtake
him there, and reward him for his trouble. He protested
he was wholly ignorant of the contents of the sack; audit
he had formed any supposition on the subject, be should
have supposed that the men who employed him were
country butchers, who were bringing fat to town for
sale.

Mr. Laing, however, expressed some doubts as to the
truth of this, and committed Marshall to the New Prison
under 48 hours' notice,of hail. • ,

In the course of the day several persons made applica-
tion to the sextons of different parishes in the neighbour-
hood; amongst the number was Mr. Ward, of Warner-
street, Coldba&square, whose wife was interred in the
Middle burial-ground of St. James's parish, Clerkenwell, ou
Thursday evening. The nurse who attended Mrs. Ward
during her illness, went to see the body which was found
in the cart, and conceiving it to be that of Mrs. Ward, the
hushand was induced to examine the remains, which' were
then left to he owned at. the watch house in Roseman-
street. Mr. Ward was so much affected, on the face be-
-ing disclosed, that he swooned away ; but from the livid
hue it had assumed, he could not speak to it with any
certainty, and resolved to have the grave opened to satisfy
his doubts respecting the dimihterment; the earth ws4
taken off the same evening, and at the depth of IlittB:44
the coffin of Mrs. Ward found undisturbed-
owner appearing during the day who could .ideatiqerffir,
body, it was re-interred on Monday evening, b): .3
771,erk..
1 `
the parish officers; in .the poor's burialgrenna.
enwell.

A small piece of ground in LitieuPt'wo'' iohl lam
week by Mr. ,Widdowson, afiviiiiiicoiri 1f more titaii
'
12,000/. per acre.
1 ONEST I'li I }WES. --0 tje °Abe 'crisoners in New.
1
,gate holy connilained thatjo the tog It somebody inn!
taken hi bueides,tiptiV his shots, " \Vhat, the
,Ilevii r, says an0t0444,t7,110 we then thiroc.,s amonipt
s ? it n'ttist gent be. Suffered. Let us search out the
ue, And pump him to tu death.