Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-17
REMARKABLE ADVENTURES or a CORPSE.
Funeral Procession Scattered over
Blk states and the District
Of Columbia

Six States and the District
Of Columbia.
We notice an item going the rounds OF oar
exchanges concerning the adventures OF a mis-
directed corpse. This case, though rather
curious, Is very much surpassed by a very re-
msrkable affair OF the sort th at occurred here and
hereabouts, in December, 1865. Reference was
made TO II in the local columns OF THE STAR at
the time, but we have now some data before US
completing the history of the singular occur
renee. On the 18th of December 1865, a ter
rife explosion occurred at the Washington Ar
senal, in the building used for sorting liked
ammunition, causing the death OF ten men,
Among the victims was Johnny NJ, good
humOTed. companionable native of the Emer-
aid Isle, much liked by his associates, who de-
termiDed to give him a nice genteel funeral. IL
was at first arranged that he should be buried
here, but some of his kindred being inferred at
Psrkersburg, West virginia, il was finally de-
cided that what remained OF poor Johnny
should be sent to that place. Accordingly, after
wake" zone of the good old sort, } the re-
mains were accompanied by his sorrowiny
friends and relatives to the depot to take the
cars for the place OF burial. The funeral
lime before the departure of the train i'm
which the remains were to 60 and the
mouIners spent the intervening time in drown
ing their grief at the neighboring bars then so
abundant in that vicinity, the corpse mean
while remaining on the platform ready to be
placed on the p. m. train, which would con-
bOCN az inc heldy mouse With the Western
ualn. lie mourners meantime drank so many
hhations to the memory of the departed that
thty returned TO the station in a very mellow
condition, and the railroad officers, being ap
prthenslve that they would be incapable of
taking care of the corpse, telegraphed to the
agent at the Relay to see that il was taken OFF
at that point. Shortly before the time of starting
the corpse was placed OF the train, and an at
tempt was made to muster the mOurners, when
it was ascertained that one or two of them had
got so obfuseated as to have taken the New
YORK train = The rest Of the party, however,
Ms body was again "marching on"
AT the Relay the corpse was transferred to the
Western train, but two OF three of the mourn
ers were too far gone TO get out in time, and SO
proceeded to Baltimore, while the remainder OF
the party with the corpse was hurried on with
extra speed Westward. AT the points along the
road where the engine stopped ''to water"
the mourners invariably stopped to "wet,"
and not being up to time, quite as inva-
riably brace or more were left behind
at each watering and wetting place, aud
by the time Grafton was reached, where
the corpse was to change cars for Parkersburg,
but few of the mourners remained with it, and
these were so bewildered that they failed to get
in the proper train or to have JOhnny's corpse
properly transferred, and il went on to Wheel
ing without them. From thence by some means
1t was sent TO Columbus, Ohio, the wrong state,
while the mourners were scattered through
Maryland and West Virginia, and along the
line OF the Baltimore, Wilmington and Phila-
delFhis, and Camden and AmbOy railroads By
luls lllut Ine Telegraph was put lnU0 excited ops
GRAFTON, and numerous messages were whisked
over the wires in various directions In regard to
the missing corpse and scattered mourners,
making confusion doubly COMPOUNDED for awhile.
FROM Grafton an anxious mouTner enquired,
" Where in the ID is the corpse ," This des-
patch was crossed on the way by loud en-
quiry from Columbus as 10 the ownership of a
stray corpse arrived there unconsigned. A Bal
timore- scattered mourner telegrsphed to post
pOne that funeral until get there;'' and the
squad OF lost mOurners by the New York train
were sending wildly confused messages to Par
kersburg, Grafton, Relay House and Washing
ton, all helping TO intensity the prevailing mud
Gle. The corpse, meantime. had resumed its
travels, and, like poor Joe, not being wanted in
any locality, had been kept moving on until it
arrived at the Little Miami depot, where it Gre
ated no little excitement, being without any
marx for identification, and foul play being at
once suspected. A coroneT's inquest was held
without throwing any light upon the mystery;
which was however, cleared up a little later
by telegram for the missing corpse. The rail
way ofhelals then got the corpse in motion East
ward, while the mOurners were at the same
time headed Westward, and finally, after the
most eventful history of any corpse or set of
mourners on record, JOhnny's body was duly
committed by them to mother earth, where we
trust it rests in peace, undisturbed by the body
snatchers.
The following letter gives the finale OF this
curious affair:
PARKERsBURG, WEST VA, Dec -, 1865.
III. r. Heckert, esq, agent, Cincinnati: DEAR
SIR:-The corpse came safely to hand last night
uves, who have been looking and waiting auxi-
ously for it since last Thursday, at which time
ii should have reached here, its proper destiaA-
ton. I mustreturn you the thanks of the friends
OF the deceased and of myselffor your attention
in sending 1t on, and am sorry that it gave you
so much trouble.
was informed OF its leaving the Relay House
by the man in charge OF it, Barney M, the
uncle of the deceased, who stated it was in
plain pine box, with rope around it. l immedi-
ately telegraphed along the road for 1t, and was
unable to get any tidings of it. Wheeling re-
ported to me that it was not there. i sent
special messenger after it, who, unfortunately,
went East from Grafton. supposing it might
have been returned to Washington. All the
time it was laying at BenwoOd, and no notice
sent in regard to it. l was informed by our
agent at the Relay House that the man in charge
of It was very much intoxicated when he came
from Washington, and gave very little attention
TO the remains, which l suppose is a solution of
the whole difficulty. They have received the
corpse and paid the charges TO the express COM
pany. | regret the publicity which this circum-
stance has caused, and think it might be proper
to give published statement of facts concern
ing the matter, to correct any false statements
which might be circulated ABOUT it.
Very respectfully, &C., j. W. CURTIS.