Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-05-10
Treatment OF the Dentl.

While examining our English files of news
not merely struck by their gratutons anxiety
in relation to the United States, but by the ev.
,raordnary abuses to which they submit them
selves
II appears that for some time past there has
existed in London one of the greatest abomina.
tions tha, ever dsgraced a metropolis. There
is burying ground in the Spafcds of a very
limited size, where the dead have been inferred
for about halfa century in the NEST exiraord-
nary manner, In consequence ofits smallness,
1t has been the practice to resort to the most
horrible means to obtain room for the newly
brought dead.
Scarcely is a corpse deposited in the ground
before it is taken out the coffin broken up into
| firewood, and the body tumblcd into a hole.
/ FIRES are kept burning day and night to con.
sumo the wood thus obtained hy the disln,rr.
mrnt of the dead, and dreadful pfIlnvium fills
the air. On recent examination in London,
/ the following facts were ELECTED.
| According to the statement of surgeon,
Mr.. Walker. a watchman of the ground, per.
formed the double office of calling the hour of
! the night, and burning the collins in the bone
house. The relief guard Of grave dicgers com
mcnced their daily work in the yard, as soon
as the watChman went off his duty. The man
frequently let his fire 90 out and excused him
self for it by declaring the wood was too wet
The humane sexton would then tell him to save
all deal wood cof1ins so as to keep up the fire.
a respectable family residing near the bury
ing ground, bought a site for their own use, of
double the ordinary size. Having occasion to
inspect i, short time afterwards. they found
eight or ten cofiins lying in every direction a.
round and in it. The shells and bodies in them
were bored and cut through to hasten the de-
composition, and the original occupant of the
grave, one whose memory dear TO them,
was actually found doubled up and thrus, into
the mud at the bottom, where most sckcning
compound of pu,reiaction was deposited, to the
extent of forty poiIs full
The manager of the ground had always some
one stationed at the wicket of the large gates,
~ give nth'Ce Oh Tue hpNrNhcn oI u 'uheTal. IN
that case, the grave diggers ceased work, after
scattering little earth over the place of their
temporary examinations, so as to prevent detec-
tiOE.
Mr. Macv, Superintendent of the London
Police, said that he could prove that the corpses
were tumb!ed ont of the coffin in hea ps, thrown
upon mound of clay, then beaten and chopped
thrown into pit mad" for the purpose
The person who offcatcd at the ordinary bu
who dressed himself in canonicals, mumbled
over the service, and received eighteen pence
for each act OF this horrd PROCLAMATION aud false
hood. I. appears by careful estimate, found
ed on the number of burials in the Spafeds ce
metcry, and the sx" of the grounds, that during
the last twenty-five years upwards Of fifty thou
sand bodies had been thus displaced aud man
gled, in order to keep up the pecunlary receipts
, of the managers, and enrich the officials con
ncc.ed with the place. But We will not 90 in
To- any further details ofthis revolving discovery
We only mention them TO show what is goIns
on in "Mcrre England" and what is the lal'
OF the midding and poorer classes who fall int,
the hands ofeven the attendants Of consecratC
burial grounds.-N. y. Tuc Sun.