Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1869-01-30
An Extraordinary Theft.
Il Young Nan Steals the Dead Body gt Il!
Slceetheart.

Il Young Man Steals the Dead Body gt A!s
!Sceetheart
The strangest case Of thieving which we
have ever heard of took place in the adjoin
ing county of Cheathem, few days ago.
The narrative, as We have heard it, is sim.
ply this A few miles from Ashland, and
not far from Cumberland River, live fami
ly named White, who are in what is there
termed comfortable circumstances. On
Christmas eve a young girl, some fourteen
years old, died in the house after brief
illness. She was not long home from an
educational institute in Indiana, which she
was forced to leave by reason OF On unac.
countaUle indisposition. The house Of the
Whites IL situated in rather remote section,
SO that the night following the decesse of
the young lady there were no visitors to
watch up with the mourning family, save
! one-a young gentleman named Higgins,
who had come on horseback in the early
part OF the day to visit the sick girl He
found her sinking, and appeared to bo more
overcome by grief than the parents of the
young lady. When her eyes closed in death,
he was uncomfortable in his SORROW, and it
was found necessary to bring him TO diff
ferent part of the house and try to cheer
him up by doses of strong drink. 1t was
found exceedingly difficult to induce him
to take any liquor, and in order to encourage
/ him the only brother of the deceased girl
imbodied freely himself of the stimulsats-
SO freely n fact that he was overcome a3d
| fell into a sound sleep about nightfall from
which it was thought best not to wake him.
The young girls mother had been in very
delicate health for some time past, and TIE
children of the house were OF too delicate an
| age to sit up all night in chamber Of death.
! Hence, when the hours waxed late there
were no watchers in the house but young
! Higgins and the girls father. Up to about
| l2 o'clock the young man seemed to be In Il
| semi mi.lethargic state, and was not at all COM
municatiye, but sat brooding over his sor-
row in the gloomiest possible manner Short
| II after midnight there was change per-
| ceptibe. He became talkatiye, suggested
| to the old man the propriety OF taking II
! little stimulsnt, and of shaking off some OF
his grief BY judicious application OF the
bottle, aud an exceedingly ingenious way OF
| recommending its beneficial qualities, he
succeeded in getting the old man asleep
sent him into 30 sound u sleep that he did
not wake up until between five and six in
| the morning. When he woke he found
young Higgins occupying exactly the same
position, as he thought, that he dio IN the
a corner with his bowed head resting on his
hands but he observed that the young iel-
, lows boots were muddy, and when spoken
to he himself appeared weary, and even
exhausted. He easily accounted for these
changes to people who had no object in
making inquiries into them. The coffin,
whose lid had been screwed down the night
before, was all right. Everything appeared
to be gloomy and sorrowfully right. Not
much notice was taken Of anything until tue
hour approached for the interment OF the
corps, when Higgins showed signs Of great
agitation, which we're considered the natural
result of his great grief. The little funeral
arrangements being easily and quickly
made, the coffin was carried to its destined
resting place by three men, followed by the
neither and the children ; but as the melan-
choly cortege approached the grave, Higgins.
whether from exhaustion or trepidation,
shook SO violently that he lot 60 his hold and
the coffin fell to the ground.
A rafting, very strange, sharp noise in
side of it, so astonished the few mourners
that their first impulse was to fee but the