The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-04-03
Exclamation and Excitement at the Grave
Yard.
.c,,.;jersble excitement was eau


Considerable excitement was caused IN Jersey
CITY +. short time since, by the announcements
n. the existence of system OF tenement graves
sv.-al bodies being buried in one g ave. SO that
a small plot 81 cemetery ground i made 10 yieiu
,ee l.rcrs; amount Of revenue. In one case, al
lassr II vas shown tha, whitewood coliin Rad
b.en substituted fer mahogany one alter the
remains had been iaterred. The affair came u
reLt in this manner: few weeks since, TWO
Garmans. Christian Yost and WA. Fautner. both
,a.iI~nrs of Jersey CITY, having lost children
sho-, time previous, and tuEied them at the
Nrw York Bay Cemetery, were tslSins about
a-artinr head-stoncs and beautltyins The graves
Further conversation revealed the fact that
both bodies were buried in the same grave Inc
next dav Yost and Fautuer proceeded to the
cemetery, and were then informed that II was
customary In the strangers ground TO MI the
raves with q number o, collins, the price being
| N a less rate than for single grave. The par
| ties ordered the remains of their children To be
disinterred for the purpose OF removing them 10
| the Jersey City Cemetery. The thlrd CONN
taken out Mr. Wood. the Superintendent, ln-
/ formed Nj YoSt was that Of his little gill The
latter said that could not be, as the coffin in
which she was buried was a mahogany one,
while this was wildwood one. Mr. Wood
felt positive. and procured screwdriver with
which lie raised the lii, and Nj. lost declared
that it was the body OF his child.
| The bodies were then taken 10 the Jersey
CITY Cemetery. and buried. lost then brought
.ut for damages against the undertaken, Mr.
Edward Hope, jr, OF Jersey ci,y, on tie above
charge, " h.ch resulted in disagreement OF the
iurv. A second suit has been commenced before
Recorder Bedford. and is eel down tor trial a
week hence.
Mr. Hope, in his investigations preparatory to
i, the coming tIial. came in possession OF tacts
~Liai. lod hin, q boliOv- that Mr. loSt had re-
moved the body of little boy 6 months old
son of Joseph DIN of Gtecnvilic, which was
, buried on the same dIv or the following one
with tina: of The body Of NJ. Iosts child
81 Accordingly, il va, decided that Dn Saturds,
morning al the parties Interested should WISH
the cemeteries and cause the 5ode. 10 be disin
tered in order. if possible to set the matter
, right. Accompanying the party Was DIR. Morris
Mr. Speer, undertaken in Jersey City Mr.. Stew
, ard, undertaken at No. 49, Grand Street, New
York; VIM. ii. Jefe, counsel for Mr.. Yost
: Mr.. Wood, Superintendent of the New forl
Bay Cemetery apd a number Of others.
, On arriving at the Jersey City Cemetery, Mr.
: Yost declined to deliver the order for the ex
, huming of the coffin, without assigning any rea
son for so doing Finally the grave was opened
, and upon removing the entire lid Mrs. Olin an'
. her husband at once exclaimed that that va
f their child. while the other parties said the chill
a was not theirs (YOsts.) Mrs. Yost who ID quit
, a large woman, thereupon became very frantic
= and denounced Mr.. Hope in vehement manner
:, calling him a odd thief" "you are a grave
! robber," "you have stolen our child" at tn
: same time following him up and brandshing he
;. fists winding MP by saying sho would throw hin
. down in the grave and then spit upon him. Tn
body was very much decomposed, and to all ap
pearances had never been removed from tn
coffin in which it had first been placed. Dr
Morris and Mr. Steward were very positive tina
t, such was the case. The coffin was a whitewoO
e one, the same kind purchased by DIN, and fror
k which Mr.. Wood split piece from the lid O
:. the time Mr.. iost first caused the grave to b
r opened. The grave digger says the grave ha
' only been opened once since the interment-an
l. that at the request of Mr.. YOst in order to pro
f cure portion of the lid to be produced at th
II trial.
e The party proceeded to New York Bay Gem
etery, and took from the vault another coffin
which was exbumed on Friday, and, upon ben
opened, Yost identified the body, beyond
f doubt, as that of his child
n The proof that the body could not have bee
e changed from one coffin to another was NOR
n convincing than in the first case. A thick whit
mould was attached from the shroud and side
of the head to the coffin, which could not hav
q been the case, had the body been disturbed
a and in both cases the positions were natura
l. which does not seem ~ be possible in their ad
;. vanced state of decomposition had they bee
n tempered with.
|. The investigation before Recorder Bedfor
, will probably take place.
;. On the other hand, Mr.. Hope has suilere
|. much from the publicity Of the case, and sgn
n fes his intention to prosecute the propretors q
r two or three papers that gave the matter prems
ture publicity.
4 The coffin in which Mr.. Yost's child was foun
. was mahogany one. The party returned t
Jersey City about noon.-N y. Tribune