The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1868-12-11
A Marvellous Adventure Of three Body
gnatchers of Louisville.
From the Louisville Courier, Nov. 90.l

1t has been stated repeatedly tina the
medical fraternity in Louisville, though a
large, wealthy and powerful class, arc often
reduced TO extremities for subjects for the
dissecting room. Often they have been
arrested and forced to pay heavy fines; not
~unfrequently they have been fired on; and
il is n common practice to import bodies
from Chicago. Only last week we recorded
n case in point. The present is even more
startling.
Three students, whose names we shall
for the present conceal-one from Alabama
and two from Tennessee - resolved to sup
ply themselves with q subject, and obtain
inc information of the sudden death Of an
Irishmnn, lately released from the Indiana
State Prison. who had just been inferred
in an old field outside OF New Albany by
some charitable persons in whose house he
had died. they arranged for n nocturnal
excursion.
The plan was simple. They had only 10
procure q boat, cross the river, proceed to
the designated place Of burial, exhume the
body, wrap it in n blanket and convey 1t to
the dissccting room. They provided them
selves mattocEs and spades, secured a good
yawl aud Just after twelve o'clock vet from
IA point near the ferry, reaching the oppo-
sit0 shore IN safety.
AntN were III hlAnIAf VI tNuAHlF una WIZ
agreed to make a fight If molested.
Fortune seemed 70 favor them. They
were not observed as they sped ucross tue
| shining Ohio. rippliug bright and clear In
the moonshiue. aud muded in an obscure
nook which they had explor d in the after.
noon. Thence they touka by.path around
the town. and were soon brought TO the
lonely, of cast, new made grave.
Daring, a. well % enterprise, IL n char
nctelistic OF medical students. One stood
on guard while his W. companions twho
had learned the art and practice OF digging
luting the famous campaign from Dalton
10 Atlauta) set to actively with the spades
and very soon they struck the coffin. Hav.
ing shoyelrd the dirt away, they placed
this rude pine box upon tern iirmn, and
were preparing TO take of tho iii when n
noise startled them. IL was a very dreaiy
place, near "a clump OF tree8, and not iat
nom a btick-kiln. and a cluster Of work
peoples dwellings. The clocks had inst
struck two; but there was q stir OF APP
preaching footsteps beyond the grove, and
no time was TO be lost
What shall We dor said Alabama.
knock of the lid"
'tNo, we haven't time. The noise will
hetny us. Pick the thing up, and let's be
of"
Hastily the three students lifted the cof-
tim on their shoulders luckily they were
al str0pping fellows who had carried many
a poor fellow 10 the rear on II strctcl-r--
and made for the river as last As possible
just az they turned the angle Of u hill they
saw lights in the grove behind them. But
they did not stop 10 reconnoitre or learn
whether it was a party in pursuit. They
hurried forward over uneven ground and
up and down out-of-the.way lanes and
alleys, and finally gained their boat, in
which they deposited their loathsomc bur
den.
Now for the other side, boys -
"All right Pull away r.
The yawl dnrted out from land into the
channel, and was struggling up stream
against the current, which is swift and tur-
bulent Mt this point. 1t was the object of
our students to land as far up as they
could row their bont, and so they turned
her head directly for the ferry, and were
soon tossingnmong the waves. They were
elatci with their success. To cross the
river, olude detectives and police, secure a
fresh body, (which is to n medical student
what n nosegay Is TO n lady, and to find
themselves 10 safely sped on their journey
back was indeed n triumph. They had
not, up 10 this time, paused forrest OF rec
%reation, and had quite neglected q iagon
of brandy which they had provided. This
they now recollccted. IL was produced,
and lying on their oars they-as they have
related 70 us-dmnk several toasts. They
drank to the University, 20 their sweet
hearts, md to poor Pat, who lay uncon-
scious in the coffin, fiat on the bottom OF
the skill. How It a they could not tell;
but suddenly, as if impelled by n strong
arm, the boat upset and It's contents were
enptied into the river.
Horrible
As the skiff capsized, submerging our
three students for n moment the coffin lid
fell of, and the corpse was rudely thrown
into the water. The moon, though on the
wane, was shining bright and clear. The
waves Of tho river rising and falling ranged
round white and weird as ghosts, "a they
danced from shore to shore. The church
spires Of the two cities glittered among the
where the cold, uncomfortable daylight
lawned, fogs were stealing upward, and
the houses along the banks showed like
u feet becalmed This was a vague out
lino Of the situation as It appeared to our
Adventures when their heads came to the
s%nriace; but mother sight quickly arrested
their attention, appalling in every sense.
Thore before them in an upright position
was tho corpse, half clad, az they had
found It in the coffin, supported by tho
boat, over which, it being turned upside
down, au arm was thrown, while from the
side Of the body q little stream of blood
peeled on. The face was livid and stark.
Tho eyes were wide open. Tho toeth
seemed TO chatter: and 10 Il moved away
with the current, Il thing OF life, vet dead
IA corpse, yet floating with the stream, as
Greet az a human being
Gun students were COMPOUNDED.
They were brave and hardy fellows, who
had seen death on the battlefield and
faced dead bodies in dissecting rooms. 80
But this was horrible. 1t loated away with
heir boat and they dared not pursue il; it
Heated away as ifan angry spirit possessed
II, as II il took q grim, sardonic pleasure in
their discontinue, They turned their
faces away from the CHASTITY sight and to.
ward the Kentucky shore. II was not fan
distant and they reached It numb and
lazed, but perfectly sober. They then
turned again to the stream aud the coips,
clinglng Ia the bottom Of the boat. passed
on into the mist and out Of sight, still Iig-
ID and erect.
A SPmITUAL PERFORMER CAUGur.-C. W.
yNNAAoHi WIZ thtlLus 70 De u spiritual me
dunn, has created quite a sensation in St
Louis in the tying-up business. He was
challenged to an exhibition Of his skill by
Hartz, the magician, and on his first trial
succeeded in freeing himself from his
bonds in a few moments, to the great de-
light Oi the spiritualists Of that city. On
Friday night last the tIinl was repeated,
when the gentleman selscted 10 tie him
insisted upon searching him before com
nencing operations, They found a sharp
penkniie concealed in one shoe aud a coil
of rope wound round his body. His trick
consisted imply in being tied with a rope