The New York herald., 1878-11-18

FORMAL examination.
do you think. Mr.. stiner, that the evidence ad-
vanced by the police in the private examination will
hold good to morrow
The lawyer looked quizzicaly at the reporter as he
answered, "What ev.dence?"
THE evidence connecting your clients with the
robbery of Mr. Stewarts remains?
I'VE will see." was the evasiye
lis it true that the men were originally charged
with completely in the Manhattan Bank robbery?"
No." answered Mr. stiner; "they are charged with
the robbery Of Mr. Stewards grave, but really you
must excuse my talking the subject; and the law
yer hurried to catch a car.
DIGGING FOR THE BODY.
From an old ex-patrolman of this city. now resi-
dent of Jersey clew yesterday obtained by the
reporter relative to the prisoners vreeland and Burke
that led him to follow it up with good results. His
informant stated that Thursday night last at
late hour he surprised at seeing Captain
Byrns and Detective Dolan of the Fifteenth precinct
in Jersey City. They accompanied by two men.
evidently prisoners The four drove off in carriage
With this starting point the reporter traced the
course of the vehicle until he located its destination in
lonely patch Of woods beyond Orange. The two men
in the coach with Captain and Detective Doan
were Vreeland aud Burke. The captain had in the
after midnight when the coach halted and the four
men were seen proceeding along the wood mentioned
d,n:, ,nen oeSan uigghg ass,dnonsy soon the
tween the police and their prisoners. after which
all returned to the coach and were driven back to
Jersey City. There can be no mistake to the
The reporters informant had known Captain Byrne
and the detective for years. The explanation of the
mysterious affair is undoubtedly that the prisoners
Vreeland and Burke. at first agreed to dvulge the
place where the body was buried but afterward
refused ss'n to do. 40 50. That the detectives YES
men seems positive. One reliable gives that
the police have witnesses who overheard the prison
ers make statements which go to show them guilty
beyond doubt They were heard to make use OF such
expressions as planting the stiff and "hiding the
heard spoken by them. This was the day before the
robbery OF the grave Other evidence is said to be in
the possession @ Of the police going to positively con-
1t IL further said that the prisoners away from
their homes the night Of the desecraton.'
1T CHRISTIAN?
From the inception of the search for the stolen
body circumstances have at intervals come to the
surface which confirm the original suspicion
that the body snatchers were adopts in their
nefarious arts. Reference has frequently been
made in the columns Of the HERALD to
and the tendency Of several of the most promising
clews handled by the police to confirm it, The
ordinary cracksman does not differ from the rest Of
humanity in his aversion to interfering with the
tenants OF the tomb and there nothing in his every
day experience calculated to train him in mortuary
matters He is not at all free from superstition either
and would in most instances prefer to take his
chances with active blood and sinew muscle than
to delve after putrd relics he neither knew how to
handle nor dispose Of. The belief that some one well
acquainted with the CHASTITY. kind Of work they
vaders Of st. Marks graveyard remains un.
shaken in the minds Of most people and keeps
alive the original suspicion that overshadowed pro-
fessional body snatchers Happily the ghou has of
late become rarity in this city. il he still plies
his dreadful craft he does it secretly that detec-
from other parts Of the country to show that
they are not tree from the ghastly visitants The
up in this community and suddenly stumbling upon
scheme novel to his calling, but apt to prove far
more lucrative than his ordinary ventures has sug-
gested itself to many and in this connection the
name Of Christian the Washington resurrectionist
has several times of late before the public In
the HERALD alluson to hts crime and IMPRISONMENT
has several times been made the fact Of his being
at large exposed. As interest naturally fixed upon
him among other strange characters whom the
Na lIGat IN
man possessed himself Of Christians portrait taken
while prisoner in Washington. The manner Of man
and the picture fully concided with the word paint
ing He had sat for 1t in the early days Of his i'm.
prsSnment S and I'll the I lines Of the gaunt face had
marked him just before his liberation His hair and
whiskers were unkempt too and his clothes
istics in the face that impressed themselves
upon ones memory. In scrutinizing it the
in common with it and the picture which, until yes
tertay. appeared in the Rogues Gallery, under the
ras o ss ysn Ine M%a. the
identified ~ the Aekton-seeking stranger, who
called on him the day of the first attempt on the
grave.
A sIRIKIxG SIMILARITY
1t was very poor photograph Of the youth. how
fecon Of the shadows and lines of the picture made
the resemblance barely perceptble The lower por-
ton Of the face which was more accurate furnished
the only means OF recognition, and by that he
had been identified when sought for. But there was
> marked though accidental similarity in the upper
portion Of the face in the Rogue's Gallery to that
which came from the Washington Prison, and
which was claimed to be q fair picture Of
Christian the 70 'urrectionist. If Mr.. Middleton
identified the portrait IN the Rogue's Gil-
lery that OF his visitor, most probably
the one Of Christian would be equally familiar. with
shts view the picture was taken to Mr.. Middleton.
He saw ut glance the features common in the two
but SAID that the shaggness of the hair the length of
the beard and the uncouth attire would natu-
rally interfere with identification His visitor
was spruce, clean shaven and with short
cut hair The salient features OF Christians face
however, corresponded to those of the who
called Oh him. and the peculiar twitching and awry
twist Of the mouth. which Christians keepers noted
was another characteristic he possessed in common
with the stranger.
"He had peculiar way of turning down his
mouth. said Mr.. Middleton in speaking of the latter
in his first interview with the HERALD Ipan,
When talking his large mouth would be worked
into different shapes" said General John G. Crocker
speaking or Christian who was in the Jail of which
There was nothing hard looking about my
visitor. Mr. Middleton said during the conversation
referred to- but he could not look you straight in
the face, and kept looking on the ground and all
around him while he spoke
Christian was man who had pleasant address, :"
said General Crocker. but while talking he would
roll his large eyes in way which very annoying
to person conversing with him.
The points Of similarity peculiar in their way will
readily be seen and their significance appreciated
The connection Of Christians name with the
has not escaped the officials engaged il, have
they been unmindfu Of the possibilities suggests
This was illustrated last night when the
nfHALp man 10 ponce omc1al he
conversing with in the Central Ofiice and
producing the picture. said There is Chrisan the
wsshingten resurrectionist "And tferr he is
again. the Official at once returned, drawing
photograph from his pocket, where IL alone
seemed to have been. The new picture was
good portrait Of Christian. but it was
not Christian slovcnly, unkempt and unshorn. 1t
was spruce. good dlooking fellow. with trimmed
mustachc and well combed hair-just such one
as Mldlcon's MYSTERIOUS stranger might have been.
Since his escape from Police Headquarters in WASH
ington Christian has not been seen though evidences
OF his sinister hand reported time since in
Cincinnati should he have como East since that
feld for the theofist is opened.