The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1874-12-10

Wholesale Graveyard Robbe-ies in Flint
Mich. FortytO FiftylCorpses Piled Up Like
Cord Wood.
A story which i. so bideous and frigh,ful
in liz detaii- as almo,i to be beyond beiief
has come 10 ligh: in tie town of Flint Mich.
There have been Efforts on all sides 10 sup
p,e,s the horrible tale, and up 10 this time
the public have been kept somewhat 10 the
dark as to the irue facts which are about to
be narrated. Although from time to time
rumors have leaked out, and the State pa
t.ers have even affected 10 give some details
of the story, it has remained for the .omni-
present Tunes 10 uncover tie t,uth, and pre-
cent The mystery in the full light OF lie
blCod.curdiing details. Such story Is Is
told dIsgraces the name OF humanity, and
the trait. of character or fsndi-hness reveal
ed are such as devils themselves must be
Mortified to see exhibited. 1t appears that
up to within month back there has been
living about three miles from. the town in
question.
FAMILY By THE NAME OF M'NAMEE,
consisting Of father, an old nsn Of fifty or
sixty years Of age, named Joseph McNamee,
O son OF twenty years, also named Joseph,
and another ron called Doctor w. J. Nc
Nance, the latter supposed to be studen,
At Ann Arbor UDiversi,y, and daughter
whose name il not given. This family OF
five have not been held in good repute for
nsny years past, the father having te.n Ar
rested during the war for running an Illicit
distiilery, and as none of them are known
TO have done any work since. and yet lived
in good shape and had plenty Of money,
suspicion attached TO them and they were
Stunned by their neighborp, and generally
considered 10 be bad characters. Suspicious,
however, assumed no definite share until q
short time sgo stories tegsn TO foa, around
TO the effect that
oRAvIs HAD BEEN ROBBED
at the dead Of night, and portions of bcdi.,
ard shrouds Lad been found in differen,
places. Tombs were opened ard fourd to
he despoiied Of their eacred sshes. The
McNamees, father and son, haG BEEN seen
at suspicious hour in the proximity Of ths
grave yard, and suddenly it became clesr
that the whole family had existed for years
by the horrible, shocking Ismorseless crime
of body-snatching. They had the contract
10 supply the medical school of Ann Arbor
Mich, with rubjetts, and in the prosecution
OF their ghoulish trade they spared no GEM
eteriss in the surrounding counties, and had
no -aIe for the feelings of any father. moth.
er, .on or daughter. Scarcely was a grave
dry, and IFS still untainted occupant Lett in
his last quiet sep, before these vampire,
were hJvering over the damp clay and sua..
ching the body from its peaceful re.,. Ola
and respected citizens, young girls and it'll.
children, young men in the prime OF thei,
years, and grandmothers in the white hal,
were taken from the abode where their sor.
rowing friends had laid them down. and
were borne to the houses of this Company
OF monsters, hastily thrown into the oa,-bins
ID the stable, and left there until emporium
ity offered to ship them OF.
THE FIRST DISCOVERY
Of the business of the Mechanics wa, mad
by farmer named Goodrich, living in the
neiehbo,hood. One night not long since he
had heen TO attend q grange meeting, and
was detained until midnight. o. his vav
home he had to pes, what is known As the
old graveyard in Flint, I'd II was we'll NIGH
i O'Clock when he reached il, Just before
arriving there he wss surprised to see q
team coming toward him, and on drawing
nigh discovered that there were four occu.
Pants. These were McNamee, the elder.
sitting one one side Of the seat, Joe, the
younger boy, driving, the girl reclining in
The back part OF the wagon, and
FOURTH FIGURE
citing between the young and old man ON
the wagon seat. This latter wore a BLACK
hat ana clothes, and did not speak in res.
ponse to the inquiry Of Goodrich. No won
der, for it was the dead body of a voung
man named Wilbur Hill, eighteen years Of
age who had been buried that very day in
lhe OLD cemetery. A number of spades and
picks were lying in the wagon. and the girl
was dressed an mems clother. Goodrich
1ohced this, and his suspicious we're aroused.
lie communicated his discovery to neighbors,
and The grave was opened and the BODY
iound TO he gone. The matter was taken up
by The father Of the youth, and he made in.
veStigation and foand the body of his son at
Ann Arbcr.- Subsequently an attack was
made On him in q newspaper, it il asserted
Win The intention of crushing him and
hushins up the story, 10 which he replies in
The following communication, which gives
SOME FURTHER FACTS
relative % the first discovery:
My son Wilbur was seventeen years and
eight month, old. He die and was buried
In WhigvIlle Cemetery on the 23d Of Octo-
Der, and reside twelve miles from that
burning ground. l was sent, word the next
tay, by Mr.. Milo. Goodrich, of Burton. TO
look to my son's grave, a. he met the Nc
Names, the night previous with ehovels,
Nc, IN their wagon, coming from the Gene
ery. The McNamee family had long been
of body snAtching, from the cloth
NJ 0, The dead being recognized on them
mi their having plenty o. money without
e-raing to work for it, got Messrs. To-
Der, Day and Hiram and John Clapsaddls
% accompany me 10 the grave. which had
30! any appearance of being disturbed; but
~ my wife felt 80 badly about it, l deter
mined to safety her by getting, her some Of
AIS hair, and proceeded 10 dig, AMI found
he coffin ,plit in three pieces and the body
zone.
81 got officer Gregg and q search warrant,
md searched McNAmee's house, whsre |
ound my dead boys pants and vest that
we're buried on him the day before. Officer
yrego and myseif then went to Aun Arhor
;ollese and were slown through the dead
lotlse nv DIR. Froihins lam, Who said kind
J he did MT want 10 hurt my telling, but |
| would 60 home he would try and find |
he body and 8 md it 20 Flint ia good shape. |
D.. Saturday got dispatch from Tim thai |
10 hsd found il. AID l would E.t il on |
ioadsy by express. l had another ,el.-
ram from him saying the body could not |
'e shipped until O'Clock, on Monday, al
ernoon, and the body came on Tuesday,
II discoiored from being in the I've, I sup
,ose.
81 know nothing Of McNamee but by re-
'utation. / never Was in his house until |
'ent with the search warrant, neither has
e ever been in mise. know him By sight
r to psss the time Of day, bat never was
Intimate with him. Ny con was Q good. in
ustrious boy and worked on nv farm; snd
think the robbery Of my child's body was
fiiiction deep enough without the painful
ggravation Of seeing myeelf and him so
icisssly slandered in the public prints BY
nonymous scoundrels."
At the Hill discovery
HE HxcrrKAExr IN NILES BECAME INTENSE
nd the elder McNamee was at once arres-
ID, and begged for double file of officers
, protect him from violence. He il now
, Jail at Miles. Dr.. Vim. ]. McNamee.
rho vas in charge of the dead-houee at Ann
.rbor, fed; and though q rewsrd Of $500
as been offered for him, has no, yet been
ken. He eent letter to the authorities
st3d White Plain, N. Y. November 20,
omplaining that b father VAS in Jail for
le deeds he had Done, ard condonins his /,
lime a. . medical necessity. immedi ately