Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-06-15
The Smothered Voice that was Heard
from q Grave.
From the Baltimore Gazette.

From the Baltimore Gazette.
The Grand Jury began an investi-
cation, yesterday, into the charges
against r. F. Caples of having muir
dered, by burying alive, a young
girl in his employ. r. F. Caples,
the accused, is man about 80 years
of age and rather prepossessing in
appearance, with frank, open face.
He is married and has six children,
and lives about three miles north of
Reistertown. He stated that the girl
was taken from the Baltimore
county Almshouse about six years
ago by his mother-in-law, and en-
ployed as servant. She was known
only by the name of "Christie," and
was always weak and delicate, but
never had but one serious attack of
illness until that which caused her
death. He thought that she was
about Is years old. About the mid
die of April she complained very
much of severe pains in her ankles,
and short time afterward her feet
and ankles commenced to swell.
The swelling gradually progressed
upward until nearly her whole body
was swollen. Under the treatment
of DR.. J. f. England she was, how
ever, 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 ult-
innate recovery. On Thursday night,
May 4, she retired to her room in the
second story without any apparent
evidences of a relapse. Nothing oc-
CURED to attract his attention to her
during the night, but upon calling
her Friday morning he received no
reply. Upon entering the girls
room he found her dead on the bed,
the body being still warm and a
quantity 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 inferred in the
cemetery adjoining the Church OF the
United Bretheren in Christ, at Black
Rock. There were present, J. L Ca
Piles, his father, Mrs. J. L. Caples,
Charles L. Caples, his brother, wal
liam Whitaker, Mrs. William Blouse,
Mrs. George Baker and husband, two
daughters of John Naylor, Napoleon
Teal, colored, the gravedigger, and
himself and wife. Nothing occur
red to disturb the burial, and he pos
itively 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 subsequent disturbance Of
the remains he questioned Jacob
Zouch and Lew 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 hus-
band stated that on the night of the
burial she seemed to be much excited
over what had occurred at the funer-
al, 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 on the coffin and
all were turning to go, they were
startled by 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,
departed for their homes Many,
however, had serious misgivings
that all was not right, and the report
flew from house to house, in the lit
tie village of Butler that the young
girl had been foully dealt with. The
excitement increased and it was fin
ally determined to exhume the body.
Accordingly on Sunday afternoon,
May 6, Levi Bosley, Jacob Zouch,
William Blouse and Charles Brooks,
accompanied by crowd of anxious
citizens, repaired to the churchyard
aud 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
all agonizing struggle to free herself
if buried alive. Blood was running
from the nose and mouth; the face
was strcaked with black and blue
marks. The body was not decom-
posed as had been alleged. The
corpse was poorly clad, and did not
present a cleanly appearance, as if it
had been decently prepared for bur
ial. After all present had seen the
body the coffin was carefully reE lac
ed and the grave filled.
Slight Mistake,