The New York herald., 1863-03-28
Tx IYsrERIEs OF me dlak
Curious Discoveries In tho Graves n
Two Of Our City Churches.
EIlnofdinary Preservation Of WsnaA
BHricd Over Thirty Years.
THE BODY ALMOST PETRIFlED.
CoNJECTURRS AZ 70 yHE CAUSE,
h.. ~. -


The mania which seems exist lust now for selling
suated church property and removing ths remains of
tho doad from their old resting places 70 make for
the upward tendency cf business has led TO curious
developments which have startled che community, and
In many instances gwen rse 10 sspcions not much 70
tho credit Of certain parties holding high Positions
cnurchgoing folks and virtuous members Of society.
Tho of tho Sullivan street church tho first
that attracted tho attention Of tho public. Tbs
degraccfu details Of the manner In which the
bodies removed from she vaults Of that
church must be s,ni fresh In the recollection
OF readers therefore unnecessary
them more fully In this connection. II win be remem
bered however, that many collins discovered in
state OF perfect preservation while all that left Of
the mortal forms which they contained httIe
dust, and instances few pieces Of bones, which.
upon beng handed crnnbicd into powder But the
remarkable discover Ia tho vaults of tho Sullivan street
church was strong conn which, upap being opened, dis
closed nothing but Immaculate white shroad.
containing about shovel fun of dust. This
singular fact naturally enough occiolod suspicion
the body must have been sid surgeon par.
poses Of dissccton and generally believed tho
time that certain parties bad carried very proHtahs
business In the bodies OF mo dead Inferred In the vaults
under tho roorns cf the church.
But II tho Developments which were brought 70 light
by the removal or tho from the Sullivan street
church Ia be considered strange they nothing
compared with what has since been discovered In tho
graves Of the old Baptist church Of Wooster and
Amty streets. About month AGO the trustees u the
latter church concluded that II would be adynable 10 re-
tho rem,ias Of the dead 10 Cypress hills Cemetcy
preliminary " ceiling the property Men hirod
do tho work. The slade struck into tho earth and
tho dead, who had slunoered there for quarter
OF century, again placed above tho old ground
wber. years beore they had moved blhy members
of the cngrcgatlnn. Hero la the Suiiyan street
vaults collins were found deprived u their tenan,s
"A lhp NnpI lII aysA
completely away, white tie traces n humanity attn
'et mingled with old mother earth scarcely distinguish
abIo from the SOIL
ono day, while The aborcrs were engaged In their work
grave was discovered which had contained I've
SIX connr, vita their remains. All bot one of these
collins very nearly The two nearest tho
face " the cfh s had ,i,oir plates aissd 10 them
ana from tho daca contained thereon ascerainsd
that thoy had boon laid IN the earth about
thirty ycars since Tho third coffin sii In . good
were ;te than SPELLS. Ths Curious part u
the story rcmans 10 BE- told The bodies 10 all the cons
the sas S mir .'a as ssss = s.S
AMI bones. The body Ia the taird conn sui lcft
perfect ia form, tho sockfng and hrond IN good sata
tion
qn- sight surprised ihc wortmen 20 suc dagres that
they scnt Tor Mr. VIM a. Burger, the superintendent of
the gioupd VINO had the conn carefully pu until
Colonel DcavaD, the Gy inspector. could bs noincd u
Upon hearing an the particulars counsctsd with the A.
fpr Colonel neaya caused the conn to bs borod and
preserved further snsnnapn Dr rsyre tbs
Don't physician, was invited 70 WOW tho b,dy and
ptesa" the greatest sorpfsse Al what b. Witnessed Tbs
| shroud covered tho entire lepsth with smooth
white subsiancs resembling wsI I'm examination tho
body proved u he iiiss of fdinaie
About eleven o'oiock yesterday morning party,
ssting 81 dozeb senoncn including ~
porers and Two ihc physbrans visited she cnsrb,
At tho ny,ta,on a The cy inspector Tor tbo papo "a
view ing ibis phenomenon NY permission u the ssStou
Mr.. ~ Browplow, The eSaininstos To place n a
th. cisxroorns Ia tho ba~cnant of the church Ibs
bos containing the opfln laid AoDs Of tho
beaches Mr.. travcs the inspector appointed by Colo
nei ielas An 70 salefinieud the removal ~ tbs
trafl lrnn rtAs H..
mnsiion. The bos bruGen open thu na ~ ths
eorln removed and there lay tho body ocvofeNnh tie
was coated with thin, White tnolldy snb,sooe wbph
ngai have resued ron The dsrst q the gasas IN the
conn, nnslt have been tbs residue u anti
septic matter sprnked therein for the purpose q
serving The body on removing tho shroud tho body
discovered io ec snn,c~ hat altered than ~hsn
b. nrst y,evei after dslntermrnt. The skin of
dark reddish color, resembling difly leather
tbe covering % csd .isssre Tho legs, abdomen,
chest, .rms, hand, sad 10 fact syery portion
os the body, excepting the bad. which Vas ds
and az remarked above vaa assumed hardened cond
approaching very hearty 10 p~ifnacton I'm being
struck With an gsn s'i.r the body eri.,sd sessd ss
that which would proceed from si0ne struck wh sispi
ar nrirumcut Al tbe colinsf and acipo~e tssoes
converted nio sao'ispes Resembling drssd m crumptsS
taio~. The kin was cut inrorgh with some dsfesty
the t~Ddops and cuar hires found 70 to
about a strong a. ,ry would be 10 an ofsnAry healthy
IN eramining the abiorniBsi resioe nmistaksbss
ssIaenoss that post rncrtsm srsmnAisnn had
been p-riamed were discovered Midway ss
large piece Of the ss.h, four sy three in~h&s
IN cxteni cat cot, AID ,hs ,rSk u tbs snrSsoss
knife stfll plainly ytsble. The maternal ogsns,
conslr,ing ~ the uterus, fspass tbrs, ovssIs~ and
EsmsBt mad sssn sIIacssdpsrhass innss1hsfsiy
after d@stbfof dss~ctS,D analysis. u suggested
ny nsdcs examiners that tns body night 10 that ~
suoftunsts ~bo had bssn tho victim u
poison ike Mrs. st~pbsns, wkcss bvdy, will bs 70
incmbsr.d, p~rccty ssiuf ated wnh srsesic rros
the that The bar sy bi~r and ths, the t<eh
persec,l, sound condi,img, oosjsrtnred Mat
the ~ofnsn whoeyef che clffd sos hsss bs~u moe
than ihr'y or thiy ngs ys~rs Old 81 ths s'ss Of ~
death
ho~svsr tsi ssy be- Il "a pretty certain that tbs
b.ye been isisrrcd over thirty ysss ego.
from The fact ,ha, e coins ycDd above the shsb
esnts,psd h.r Doi noncd W the dsiss their pais
thst they had aiD bebeain he earth for that fnh pssd
Tue ynly way that tns length iins bar rsmsiss
been slfisf ss arrived a. nssrngeh a. hofs
- 10 plate bef cDrin ~ speak fof ts@f tHs
msrksbc fact that there not tie sssbtssf stspch
ircrs The body from The hesd, ~heb mad dsesyed
Thc discovery has Ce1ici qlrs - rkcits'n~ns in
tho neigsbOshpsd the clIfruyAd ard, -
qsusl IN IN ~ 0hkh itGi1 mystery
.t,srbes caro.s stres slf~ady circslstbou IN.
das b. ts.t there foul play
isat a " 1.raiy DessssYy a. add tiass u y yiits
slide ths sxusordisary psse~ystk1 ssy ~ dos 70
sares whieh .ssn Al The trne ~ ue isnnes asfh
- prevent socgsllsslog. After lntffmsIt a
thGty years u wogid - casy matter ~ fi-
ogvsg u lDll psyt sottbns tb> sna
syer la4ellasd Perhaps ths oniy cgoous'on that tns
sNtDrt~s Ni " aAs y arrive al ~lA - sbal "A
ths nYsso6y IMmlstsbst there stranger things 10
heax~t. aad Earth lsruthy ever