Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-08-24
A Curious Case.

A gentleman named Charles McGrath,
a resident OF lockwood, Ontario, was
stopping in the city yesterday for few
hours, TO await the departure Of train
over the Great Western Railroad, and he
put our reporter il possession of the facts
connected with rather curious affair
which he had just succeeded in satisiacso-
rily arranging
On the l6tn of July brother of Nc
Grath, named William, aged about TWEEN
ty-se- en- years died at Rock God, b ing
an inmate of this gentleman's family. The
mother lives at Amboy, Ill, and as other
members OF the family are buried there,
McGrath determined TO take the corpse of
his brother there for interrnent. He &C.
cordingly telegrsphed the mother 10 that
effect, and the body was sent by express
on the 18th, McGrath following the next
day. He arrived at Amboy to find that
the body had not yet reached there, nor
did it appear next day, nor the next
Knowing that some mistake had occurred,
McGrath questioned the express agent
more closely, and to his surprise found
that family of his mothers name, living
about three miles from the village, had
taken from the Office his brothers body,
The agent finding among his papers the
receipt given by them The coffin
box was marked wv McG.," with black
paint, while the express receipt read
that the body of one wv. Nc
Grath" had been received at Rock
wood for shipment to Amboy. Procuringa
conveyance, McGrath rode out to the
locality indicated, and found that the body
received by the family had been buried,
y no I'd 70,
weep He broke in upon their grief with
the assertion that they had been burying a
strange corpse, and there was an immedi-
ate excitement. The strange McGrath
INN ediately denied the statement, and
brought out letter from one Thomas
McGsath his son, at London, Ontario,
saying that his brother Walter was dead,
and that he should express home the corpse
for burial. They claimed to have looked
at the body, recognized the features of
the deceased, and were for having the in
truder arrested at once. He held to this
statement, however, and desired the body
exhumed, Offering to point out certain
scars which would convince them that
William McGrath could not be Walter
McGrath, although there might be a
resemblance between the two. The family
took counsel of lawyer. The express
agent was again consulted, but he could
give 40 further info nation than that his
records showed that the body OF w,
McGrath " hal been received and turned
over That it was shipped at lockwood
instead Of London was u point in favor OF
the claimant but the McGraths still held
firm, as the letter did not state particularly
that the corpse would be shipped at Lon
don.
The lawyer was puzzled to know how
to proceed. If Charles McGrath was COZ
rect the body could be recovered without
serious difficulty; if he was wrong i.
would be hard with the man who dare
disturb the sane ity of the grave While
waiting and bordering a letter arrived Tor
the strange McGraths, and they were not
slow in making iJs Conten known. The
writer stated that owing to the difficulty
OF finding an embalmer it was thought
best NOT to forward the remains, but 10
inter them at London. This was evidence
enough to them that they had buried an
unknown man, and they readily conseu.
| ted TO opening the grave. After the cot
| fin was taken out, it was Op ned u sat
! sfy them that they had b en- grt ally dc
ceived They, however claimed that they
had NOT en- their dead son for abOu
eight years, and were, therefore, prepare"
| to believe that his features had undergone
! change enough to make them resemble
! those of the corpse before tn m. They
| had gazed long at the face Of the dead
went bitter tears over the sons untimely
| fate, and never once dreamed that the face
was one which they had nevers seen before
TIE body was removed 10 the village snG
next day buried by its proper friends. Nc
Gratn was yesterday returning home from
his Western journey, and not only had
with him copies of the two letters to the
McGraths, to show that his statements
were true, but copy of the express re.
ceipt and receipt fer the services of the
undertaken who buried the body the sec,
ond time.-Detroat Tribune.