South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1876-03-31
The Most Horrible Revelations
Yet Made.

yOt xkoOOs
The Times. Washington corre.pon.
dent says: The National Cemetery
Ring is the vflest Of the whole. 1t is
the strongest that has located about the
national capital-thoughl Heaven knows
the others are strong enough. It had
its origin just after the close Of the war.
when they got contracts to remove bod.
les from the battle fields i'm various
Southern States to the several national
cemeteries. or all the frauds in the
world. this shocking schomc ia one OF
the most wicked. The contractors re
ceiyed certain sum for removing each
body; and to make the job profitable,
they actually cut tho body into pieces.
anu made several OF it, thus increasing
their pay. Often, whore q great NUN.
Der wero found. buried in a ditch, they
would take out half dozen bones and
nail them up in box, and get paid for
it as one body.
IL do not telegraph this On hercsay.
have positive knowledge that these
things were donc-were Of daily occur
renee. A rule was afterward made that
nothing less ti,au nineteen separate
bones would be paid for as body, but
this did not break up the fraud carried
on at the graves OF oar hero dead. The
work of barying these bones Was another
job, by which many thousands OF dollars
were robbed from the government
This finished, then the furnishing OF
headston . came, AMI it is estimated
that the IN oney cut Of which the govern.
ment was swindled in these ansactions
counts up in the millions And vet
these chiefs OF the Cemetery Ring are
allowed to retain their i'll gotten gains !;
and If one word is said against them.
the old cry OF disloyalty is raised.
The Timex Middletown correspondent
referring to the frauds reported to exist
in connection with the burial Of the sol.
diers who died during the late war, and
TO the published stories Of mutilation Of
bodies. says:
But have worse story. as told by
sub.coutractor in this locality, who
was engaged in the business. This sub.
contractor says that straight lines, q
mile in length were given by the sur.
veyors to the contractors, whose bust.
ness it was to place the hnadstones. In
placing the hsadstones, it was found. in
order to keep them in line, the stones
would be placed on the breasts instead
of at the head Of the bodies, and it would
therefore be necessary to break through
many Of the collins. The contractor
says that the expense was greater to dig
through wood, and the Government
therefore paid him for all such cases
$50 extra, over his contract.
At this point the fraud, which had bees
practiced on the Government in the
burying OF dead bodies by former par
ties. was brought to light. In breaking
through the collins, instead of finding
the remains Of some gallant sollier, legs
OF mules were found In hundreds OF in
stances; and to-day, headstones, which
IRE supposed to mark the last resting
place o! some defender ofthe Hag. stand
but as monuments to the remains Of
animals.
In Conversation with one Of the burial
corps that gathered the remains Of SOL
oiers and buried them ut Grafton, in
1866, he told us that S. tue contractor
received so much each, he filed as many
collins as he could. and frequently divi-
ded the bones of one man into two or
three collins. The large number OF
besdboards in Grafton cemetery, that
are marked unknown" must have at.
tracted the attention of every person
visiting it. The facts that are coming
10 lightin regard to the manner in which
this burial business was carried on, may
account for this circumstance. Those
who go there every year TO strew flowers
on the graves Of the gallant dead and
water them with their tears, are just as
likely 10 pay those honors to the bones
OF a mules hind leg. as nything else -
Fdrmont West Va.,) i,dsx.
. "