The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-09-27
CONFESSIONS OF A GRAvE.ROBBER.
A Convenient Understanding With Under
tsIxers-A Small-Pox Subject.
From the Louisville Courier Journal
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From the Louisville Courier Journal
"In this business, as in all Others
said he, there is the expert and the
amateur The auxiharies absolutely
necessary to the professional body
snatcher are spade, a key-hole saw and
piece of rope. Thus equipped he is
ready for business. On arriving at the
grave the spade is first called into use.
One-half of the grave is marked off and
the dirt from the upper half of the cof-
fin is thrown out. This work can be
performed by professional in about
eight minutes. At this point the saw
comes into use. The saw is started in
to one edge of the coffin, and soon, with
noise resembling sobs and groans, has
cut through the upper board, and often
through the shroud and flesh of the
subject.
"The further work of opening the
coffin is easily performed. The manip-
ulator of the saw raises his body with a
hand on either side of the grave foot
above the coffin lid, and, loosening his
hold upon either side, precipitates his
whole weight upon the lid, which gives
way with crash. The broken lid is
removed and rope lowered to the res
urrectionist from above by an assistant.
This rope is arranged with slip-knot at
the end, which is thrown around the
head of the corpse and word given to
the assistant to hoist away
As soon as the subject is above
ground the shroud is quickly torn from
its body and thrown back into the
grave. These precautions are taken to
avoid some technically of the law that
makes it felony if any article of APP
parel is taken, while if the body alone
is taken it is only punishable as a mis-
demeanor."
Il remember once" said resurrec-
ZIONIST, that the whole head of a woman
whose neck We tied rope around came
off in our grasp. This doesn't occur
often, and neither does the getting hold
of corpse like that last winter with the
smallpox, which, if you remember,
spread among the whole class and killed
several students"
"Were you ever shot at?" asked the
reporter.
"Oh, no. We let private cemeteries
alone Once 1 was chased through the
lane leading into 'Potter's Field near
the almshouse. 1t was in the moonlight,
but they never overlook me-"
Most of the bodies are brought from
Potter's Field, presume?"
Eyes, nearly all. About $50 are put
in pickle during the summer season.
How much are we paid for a subject,
you say? Oh, SO as a general thing;
sometimes $12. Many good man has
paid his way through college by this
business. could name plenty of good
doctors who were resurrectionists."
How do you know when the subject
is fit one?'
"Can't always tell; sometimes we are
fooled, but generally go by the under
takers mark"
"What is that?'
"Oh. we fix the undertaken: he marks
good one and lets the bad ones
alone"
Then, all You have to do is to dig up
the subject?"
And carry them in town. We double
up the body, nose and knee like, and
dump it into sack, put it in a wagon
and come to town"
do the police stop you?"
The fellow laughed.
"You said something about the Cath
Ole part of Potter's Field, what is
that?"
"Oh, the priests, ! believe, pay
guard to look after the Catholics who
die and have to be buried in this
place"
Isn't the other place guarded too?'
Not so closely; and then the under
taker, who is Catholic, rarely marks
one of his own class. This was how the
smallpox fellow was picked up last
season. He came from the Catholic
part and wasn't marked"
"What is done with the bodies?"
They are carried to certain place
where there is vat of considerable
size. A vein in the neck is opened,
arsenic run through to preserve the
body and then the stiff is stored in the