The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-22

rible Revelations at the Phila-
delphta Morsue.

Seven weeks ago gentleman, while walking
along the banks of the Schuylkill at Philadel-
phia, was startled by an unusual object little
way from shore. At the first glance he was
inclined to doubt his eyesight, but, mastering
the thrill of horror which began to creep
through him: he fixed his vision more intently
upon the object and assured himself only too
certainly that what he beheld was nothing less
than human corpse standing upright in the
water, in the ooze and slime of which its feet
had got entangled To drag the CHASTITY spec
tacle ashore was work requiring something
akin to heroism. 1t was task which almost
any man would have shrunk from, and which
no ordinary man could easily have brought
himself to perform alone. Once accomplished,
however, and the body lying on the shore,
there were revealed to the gentleman's wistful
scrutiny the worn features of q man seventy
years old The body was large, though spare.
stoop was manifest in the shoulders, the
hair was somewhat gray, scar was visible by
the right eye and one OF the hands was crooked.
There were no marks of violence on the per-
son, and no plausible solution presented
itself to the many questions which
flashed through the gentleman's mind.
Proper assistance was called, the body was
taken to the Morgue and On advertisement
was inserted in one of the Philadelphia papers
describing the dead mans appearance. The
next day, July s. a despatch came to Philadel-
phia from the Pittsburg Chief of Police, stating
that q man named Thomas Munce had left his
home the previous Wednesday, July g. and
desiring that any information concerning him
might be Immediately forwarded Somehow
no one seems to have identified the body found
on the morning Of July 8 with the description
sent by the Pittsburg Chief of Police, and it
was not until the posting of placard Offering
one thousand dollars reward for definite in
formation as to the whereabouts of Thomas
Munce, alive or dead, that any connection be-
tween the Schuylkill corpse and the Pittsburg
requisition seems to have been established.
The minute description on this placard in
cluded mention Of a gold hunting-case watch
worn by the missing Thomas Munce, and
numbered 3,415. BY judicious maneuvring
the Philadelphia police finally discovered that
such watch was in the possession of an up
town pawnbroker The story of the pawn
broker had certain air of mystery, but forms.
an important link of very singular chain to
which several, perhaps many, other important
links are wanting He says that on
July 16 (about two weeks after the dis
covery Of the body a young man
brought him the watch and asked him to loan
him five dollars on it, refusing to take more.
The money was loaned the young man went his
way and the pawnbroker saw him no more up
to the date when the police made their in
quiries. This must have been about the Sd
or 4th of August, for the detective who was
Immediately set to watching the shop watched
night and day for two weeks before the young
man returned there, and this brings us to
August Is.
With the temperance of the young man,
who returned to claim the watch, the plot
thickens He was, of course, Immediately ar
rested If the pawnbrokers story is strange,
the young mans is still more So His name
is William McEwen, and his occupation is
what? Nothing less than that of driving the
''dead wagon and removing dead bodies to
the Morgue He it was who drove the body of
Thomas Munce thither. But then there was
another corpse in the wagon, and this second
corpse was in box. The box was 80 large
that the remains of Mr.. Munce were pushed
against the driver, and the dead mans watch
fell out almost into William McEwen's hands.
McEwen kept the watch, held his tongue and
got new works inserted into the timepiece, in
place of the old ones, which were damaged.
And now comes third point, which is
more remarkable still, William McEwen
drove the body to the Morgue; but who drove
it away from there? No one appeared to
claim it, and after certain interval it dis
appeared and was found only day or two
ago. For oil such details as are yet known
we refer the reader to o full report published
elsewhere in to-days 3EnAID. Enough, that
after good deal Of careful mapi,