The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1857-11-19
Robbihg Graves of their Dead In Chicago.

The Police of Chicago, on the 9th inst,
arrested NJ iRTfx ORlSLAS, the City Sexton,
OF Chicago, in the act of carrying of two
dead bodies. one male, and the other fe-
male, which he in company with two medical
students had exhumed. The first intimation
that this horrible business was carried on, is
stated by the Chicago Times. as follows:
About two weeks ago. four bodies were
in one day, inferred in the Chicago Cemetery.
One was the body of q fireman who was
killed by an accident at the Rock Island
railroad depot the Others were bodies of
persons who died about the same time. On
the day following their burial. the grave
digger, Joe, observed appearances about the
graves which led him to suspect they had
been opened. To satisfy this suspicion he pro
ceeded 10 open the graves, and found that
his suppositon was correct. The coflins
had been violently broken open, and the
bodies were gone, with the exception Of that
of the fireman. which had evidently been
taken out and afterwards replaced in the
grave. The grave,dgger proceeded AT once
to inform the city undertakers, Messrs
Wright Il Mcclure, Of what he had dscov-
cred, and these gentlemen went to one Of the
city aldermen ard laid the facts before him
Knowing the inefticieucy of the city police,
and that il would be- useless 10 expect them
TO ferret ont the robbers, the alderman
thought it best TO seek the assistance of the
private police of this city.
The police kept up secret watch for
several nights, without discovering anything
until Friday night, when they discovered a
buggy with these men, in leaving the neigh
borhoOd of the graveyard, which they fol
lowed, and in good time arrested two Of the
men, and iound the two bodies put up in
Government mail bags, such a. Mayor
WENTWORTH, of Chicago, was recently ar
rested on the charge Of stealing. In con.
nection with this discovery, We give the fol-
lowing paragraph, which leaves no doubt
but systematic robbing OF graves has been
carried on for years:
aooul TWO wears ago stranger from the
East died IN this city, upon whose person
papers were found which showed him TO be
the owner Of considerable property, and it
was deemed proper 10 cause Inquiries to be
made in regard TO his relatives, il be had
any. Information was sent to the G. ief OF
police Of an Eastern city. where il was sup.
posed the deceased belonged, who soon re-
turned word that person was on the way
TO Chicago who would probably identify the
body which meantime had been buried in
the Protestant Cemetery. The person ar
rived here and proceeded TO have the grave
opened. II was found empty. Thinking
that possibly they had opened the wrong
grave they PROCEEDED 10 remove the earth
from another. This likewise was empty
Curiosity now led 10 the opening one after
another, Of eleven new-made graves in the
pnbhc port.sn Of the cemetery. and all but
one OF them were found 10 have been robbed
Of their tenants. The one which remained.
fortunately for hi peaceful repo-e and ,alety
IN his lat resting place, hal died Of couf'l-
ent smallpox. The robbers had opened h..
grave. broken oPn the coffin, ard placed a
rope around the neck Of the corpse for thc
purpose Of removing it, when the peculiar
''nell discovered 10 them the cause OF death
The rope AMI everything were LEFT b,hind.