Elizabeth daily monitor. [volume] (Elizabeth, N.J.) 1868-1880, 1873-08-28
A BODY ROBBED AND SOLD.


his home in Washington county, twenty
five miles from Pittsburgh. He lived
Oh farm of one hundred acres. He
had been for a long time partially de-
ranged, and strict watch was therefore
maintained upon his movements. He
escaped about the first of July and was
traced to Pittsburgh. 1t was found
that he had purchased ticket for Phila-
delphia and taken the Cincinnati ex-
press about nightfall. On the fifth in
slant following, Captain Herns, chief of
the detective bureau in this city, receivs
ed telegram from Chief Irwin of Pitts.
burgh, as follows
Thomas Munce, an insane man, six
feet high, sixty-fiye years of age, scar
above the left eye, left here on We'd
nesday for Philadelphia. Detain him
and telegraph me- All expenses will be
paid. JOHN IRWIN, Chief of Police of
Pittsburgh.
The police of this city were informed,
and despatch from the Second district
announced that man answering his
description had been locked up in that
station. This information was at once
telegraphed back to Pittsburgh, with
the request for additional description,
but none was sent. The case was placed
in the hands of detectives Means and
Galloway. They hammered away at it
without securing any developments, and
were upon the point of giving it up
when postal card was received from
Pittsburgh, saying that one thousand
dollars reward would be paid for the re-
r,f x.yl,., Ia
at the Union depot, Pittsburgh, add
ing:
He is seventy years of age, large spare
form, stopped shouldered, unsteady
walk, hair slightly gray, bald on top OF
head, no teeth, smooth face, scar inside
of right eye, hard of hearing, partially
deranged, had hunting case gold watch,
number of watch three thousand four
hundred and fifteen. name of Thomas
Munce engraved on case.
| A printed description of the watch,
with the number, was sent to every
pawnbroker's Office in the city, with the
request that the department be inform
ed of the presentation of the tin e-piece.
Meanwhile, on the Sd of July, about
midnight, m Italian sailor on foreign
bark, moored at SAMSON street wharf on
the Schuykill river, saw man in the
water splashing about. He cast rope
to him, but the drowning man disap-
peared. A Schuylkill harbor patrolman
was informed, and the body was found
standing erect in the water. After be-
ing taken ashore, it was temporarily
deposited in the station house and the
Coroner summoned The next morn
ing short paragraph, that an unknown
man was found drowned at SAMSON
street wharf, was published in the even
ing newspapers.
The undertaker's wagon, driven by
Mr.. J. McEven, henchman of the
Coroners' Office, was despatched to con-
vey the body to the Morgue.
After depositing the corpse in the dead
house in conjunction either with the
man Baxter, superintendent of the
morgue, or Deputy Coroner Lees, he
despoiled it of what valuables the
pockets contained. Upon the body was
business letter addressed to Thomas
Munce, Washington, which had evident
ly been written by an agent of the lat
ter. 1t mentioned the sale of lot of
wood belonging to Munce and father,
and that he could draw at his option
for one thousand dollars upon the
agent at Washington city. Whether
the people at the morgue, forged the
name, has not yet been ascertained.
But nothing could have been easier.
An inquest was held, however, upon the
drowned man, and, as every one sup
posed, his body was buried in the Pot
tors field. But the insane farmer was
not buried, but instead was carried
away to medical college.
At the beginning of this month the
detectives learned that watch answer
ing the description had been pledged
by man at Tenth and Parish streets
Five dollars had been advanced upon
the timepiece, while its real value was
one hundred and seventy-fve. This
led to the supposition that it might be
redeemed, and guard was set upon
the establishment.
The man called one day last week
and was locked up. 1t was McEven,
the driver of the undertaker's wagon.
To Capt. Helms in the Central office he
told the following:
On the morning of July he was sent
to bring two bodies from the Schuyl-
kill harbor police station to the Morgue.
One was that of an Irishman and the
other that of man about seventy years
old, six feet high, slightly bald, with
dark grey hair. He recognized the lat
ter by photograph that was shown
him. He did SO, and on going home
with the team he found the watch I'M
der gum blanket.
He also said that the body had been
taken to the medical college at Ninth
and Chestnut streets and sold, and that
the man Baxter had removed a fine
pair of gold spectacles from the vest
pocket of the body. The next day
Capt. Helms went to the Morgue, and
inquired of Baxter what had become of
the body of the unknown man who was
found drowned at SAMSON street wharf.
Baxter was surprised, but replied I'M
hesitatingly that it had been buried in
the Potter's field.
He also declared that he had given
the gold spectacles to Deputy Coroner
Lees. This the latter denied Helms
then put the question to Lees, who con-
firmed the assertion of Baxter, and as an
endorsement produced certificate of
burial of the said Munce, signed by the
Superintendent of the Potter's field.
Helms contradicted the declaration,
and declared that it had not been in
tered, whereupon the Deputy G roner
| la,,obo1 o,,J eo;J FrLo,, H., .xo,>o