American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1826-11-28
LIVERPOOL, Oct. 16.


LIVERPOOL, Oct 16.
| TRADE IN DEAD BopIEs.-.On Tuesday last
singular and disgusting discovery was made in Ills
town. On the preceding afternoon h &c casks were
shipped On board the Latona, one OF the smscks
that trade between this port and Leith. They
described in the shipping note as containing litter
salts. AS they arrived at the vessel late in the day,
the casks were merely put into the hold, the men
intending to stow them away, as il is called, early
on the next morning. Accordingly, the next morn
ing the crew proceeded with their work but the
stencil which from the casks was ntoiera .
BILE, that they speedily dessted and resolved to
wait the arrival OF the captain besnre they slowed
the casks away. When the captain arrived, he was
Informed of the circumstance, and his cwn oaclo-
ny nerves soon convinced him of the nuisance which
had been shipped on board his vessel He went ill.,
to the hold resolved 10 examine the casks infinitely.
From hole in one oil them lie drew forth whisp
of straw, which had been PUT into IL and. thrusting
his hand into he cask, was astonished TO find that
II touched, not cbymica preparation. bat fleshy
substance. No doubt now remained ct The contents
OF The casks. On opening one, ii was found to
tain number OF dead bodies Of men, women, and
children, all dry sailed in order to preserve them
from putrefaction. The two remaining casks were,
on exam alton, found to contain dead bodies also,
preserved in similar manner, and making, With
those which were in the FIRST cask not less than ee
ing been sent to the police, Boughey active off.
cer soon discovered The carter in whose cart The
casks had been conveyed 10 the vessel The carter
stated that on Monday afternoon, man hired him
on the stand at the Dry Dock and that he loaded
his cart with the casks from cellar under the
school-room OF the Rev. James hlacgowan, in HOPE.
street.-The officer Immediately proceeded to the
school room, the door of the cellar underneath
which he found locked. Boughey then burst open
he n1 Nm il
the cellar, three casks and three sacks, completely
filled with dead bodes were found. A number of
empty casks were also found, and two Others full Of
rough salt Three canvass dresses hung against
he wall and every thing denoted tbs place the
nightly rendezvous OF gang OF resurrection men,
who had here deposited the fruits Of their depreda-
tions on the abodes Of the dead There were no
less than 90 corpses in the cellar. These found 10
the sacks were quite fresh ard appeared to have
been exhumed in the course Of the pret cling CHI.
All the dead bodies found in the cellar and on board
the Latona, amounting 10 So naneiy--15 men, 10
women, $ boys, and sris-wefe conveyed TO The
dead house, and after an inquiry into the subject te
fore coroner were inferred on Tuesday afternoon,
ia the Parish cemeIy. The stencil nom ,he bodies
was great, that the air in the streets through
which the cart that contsined them passed,
completely impregnated with the offensive ef4iuvla.
This disgusting discovery has caused deep sensa-
ton in Liverpool. There cannot be doub that an
extensive traffic in corpses has been carried on be
tween Liverpool and Lei,h, and that the anatomical
schools in Edinburgh have been largely supplied
with subjects from the former. The casks were
directed TO " MIR. G. III. bronson, Edinburgh"
The following particulars transpired, in the court
of examination in the Police Office, held before Ri.
chard Bullin, Esq coroner:
Thomas William Davis surgeon, Opposed that
he went to the dead house in Chapel street, where
he found the three casks which had been seized by
Boughey he Immediately Opened them and found
them 10 contain human bodies in salt The first
cask contained one man and two women; he third
three and one woman. The cart containing
the casks and sacks brought from The cellar soon
after arrived In three casks and three sacks he
found nine men, five women, five boys and three
girs. Total number oil bodies SIS. The bodies
whole and in perfect state. Those in the casks
appeared to have been dead six or seven days -
those in the sacks might have been dead Two or
three days. The whole OF the bodies were entirely
naked there was not the leas, mark OF any eSter-
nal violence on them; nor was there any reason to
suppose that ths persons had not died natural
death Deponent supposed, from the circumstance
Of discovering the remains OF a thread on the toes
Of one OF the young women, (Which practice is used.
10 some families, keep the iest OF 'he deceased
persons together,) that the bodies had been disin-
TERED.