The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1877-06-02
A.YoICEHRoM THR GRAVE.


Gyster1gus Dea4h oR an Orphan Giri-An
1nvestieasion b Grand .t1rylThe COT.
nn Exhu.asa-0uesr DevelsDmeats. :,
From tho baltimore Gazette. 3
The Grand Jury began an inyestiga,
ton, yesterday, into the charges against
r. F. Caples, Of having murdered, by
burying alive, . young girl In his en-
ploY. r. F. Csples, the accused, is q
man about SO years Of age, and rather
prepqssessipg appearances. with g frank,
open faceS Hell married and has sir
children, and lives about three miles
north of Reisterstown. He stated that
the girl was taken from the Baltimore
County Almshouse about six years ago
by his mOther-in-law, and employed as a
servant. She was known only by the
name of s'Christie," and was always
weak and delicate, but had never had
but one serious attack of illness until
that which caused her death. He
thought she was about Is years old.
About the middle of April she complain
ed very much of severe pains in her
ankles, and short time afterward her
feet and ankles commenced to swell.
The swelling gradually progressed up
ward until nearly her whole body was
swollen. Under the treatment of DIR.
j. F. England she was, however, much
relieved, and was able to walk about the
house, but could not lie down with any
degree of comfort. This continued for
a week or ten days, and he had no
fears of her ultimate recovery. On
Thursday night, May 4, she retired to
her room in the second story without
any apparent evidences of a relapse.
Nothing occurred to attract his atten-
ton to her during the night, but upon
calling her Friday morning he received
no reply. Upon entering the girls
room he found her dead upon the bed,
the body being still warm and a quanti-
ty of blood upon the clothing, which she
had evidently emitted from the mouth
and nostrils. The corpse was prepared
for burial, and at noon on Saturday in
TERED in the cemetery adjoining the
Church of the United Brethren in Christ,
at Black Rock. There were present j.
L. Caples, his father, Mrs. j. L. Caples,
Charles L. Caples, his brother, William
Whitaker, Mrs. William Blouse, Mrs.
George Baker and husband, two daugh-
tiers of John Naylor, Napoleon Teale,
colored, the grave-digger, and himself
and wife. Nothing occurred to disturb
the burial, and he positively denied the
assertion that a voice was heard in the
coffin, and a request made that he should
take the coffin up and open it. When
he heard of the subsequent disturbance
of the remains he questioned Jacob
Couch and Levi Bosley, who said they
had found nothing wrong, and thought
the matter had better be dropped, as
they had probably acted hastily.
Mrs. Blouse was not before the Grand
Jury yesterday, but her husband stated
that on the nj light of the burial she SEEM
ed to be much excited over what had oc-
Cured 1T the funeral, and said she was
afraid the poor girl had been buried
alive. When the remains were lying in
the church she asked Mr.. Caples to let
her see the body, but he declined to
open the coffin, saying that the corpse
was too much decomposed. She thought
it little strange, but did not persist in
the request, and followed the corpse to
the grave. After the earth had been
thrown over the coffin and all were
turning to go, they were startled by a
noise as of some one crying for help in
a heavy, muffied voice. Every one near
seemed to hear the sound at the same
time, but young Mr.. Caples suggested
that they had probably been deceived.
The lonely grave was thus left as the
shades of night were gathering, and the
few persons who had assembled depart
ed for their homes. Many, however,
had serious misgiving that all was not
right, and the report flew rapidly from
house to house in the little village
of Butler that the young girl had been
foully dealt with. The excitement in
creased to such an extent that it was
finally determined to exhume the body
and examine it thoroughly. Accord
ingly, on Sunday afternoon, May 6,
Levi Bosley, Jacob Couch, VIM. Blouse,
and Charles Brooks, accompanied by a
crowd of anxious and excited villag-
ers, repaired to the church-yard and
dug the grave open. The body of the
girl was found lying little to the right
side, diagonally across the coffin, but
bore no marks of personal violence such
as she would make in an agonizing
to free herself if buried alive.
Blood was running from the nose and
the face was streaked with black
and blue marks. The body was not de-
as had been alleged. The
corpse was poorly clad and did not pre-
sent a cleanly appearance, as if it had
been decently prepared for burial.
After all present had seen the body the
coffin was carefully replaced and the
grave filled. Mr.. Blouse said further
that since that time various rumors have
been afloat rejecting badly upon the
Caples. Some said the girl gave birth
to child previous to death; others
that she contracted disease from expo
sure and i'll usage; and others that the
old colored man, Teale, had been heard
to remark that when they had the body
they should have turned it
over, and they would have found that
the back of the girls head was COM
plctely crushed in as if by a heavy blow;
and others again that she was heard to
call for help before dying, but her cries
went unheeded by the family below.
DR.. j. F. England, brother-in-law of
Caples, and who attended her, says death
was caused by rheumatism of the heart
and consumption, which would account
for the blood from her nose.
Not being satisfied with the evidence
before them, the Grand Jury decided to
postpone action for the present, and an
was issued for Mrs. George
Baker, as stated above. Mrs. Baker
was present at the funeral, and is re-
ported as having stated that she heard
The voice in the coffin, and requested
Mr.. Caples to open it Her testimony
will, it is believed, throw some light on
what has thus far proved deeply mys-
ferrous affair.