Ottumwa weekly courier., 1878-06-19
Special to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
A A l.

Special to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
ANN ARBoR, Mich, June l2.-Colo-
mel Snelbaker arrived here tonight
in search Of the body Of young Devin,
whose disappearance led to the dis
covery of the body of Scott Harrison.
Gaining admission to the medical col
lege, the janitor went to three large
watts, full of dead bodies, floating in
brine, and the inspection began.
First he hurled from their places
huge rocks which had been placed
above to weigh down and keep in
place the bodies. Then, with barred
arms, and an expression of fiendish
satisfaction, he began reaching down
into the watts in search Of the bodies.
As the weights were removed they
floated to the surface, and were seen
to be closely packed in tiers in the
vat, like so many slaughtered hogs
packed for market.
First, next to the front was the BODY
Of a young and handsome woman Of
about %, with long golden hair, mat
ted and discolored by the filthy brine
into which the body had been rudely
thrown. The face was one of great
beauty, and, although discolored by
the process, still showed that it was
the face Of one who in life had known
no want, and upon which the cares Of
life had left no traces. Along side of
it, naked, as was the first, lay the body
of a large negro, in an advanced state
of decomposition, the black skin in
large clots slipping from its place,
and revealing the discolored fiesh.--
AS the body floated to the surface the
short kinky wool was falling from
the head and floating in the water,
mingled with the golden tresses of the
woman at its side.
Next in order, beyond, and press
ing against the body of the negro,
was that of an old man, his feet incas-
ed in rough, filthy, wooden socks, the
body again naked, the eyes sunk deep
in the sockets, the mouth opened and
filled with the liquid in which it float
ed, the features distorted and discol-
ored beyond recognition, and the
shaggy, gray. y.whiskers were loosening
their holt and slipping from the face.
| As old Negley made q dive at the
body, preparatory to hauling it out of
the vat, aided by a stalwart student
whom he had pressed into the service,
the old man prepared to remove the
bodies from the vat, in order that we
might see whether or not those for
whom we searched were there. Seiz.
| ing the first roughly by the head and
shoulders, his assistant grasping the
feet, the body was lifted to the edge
of the vat, and, without word oi
caution or show of tenderness, OF
even the consideration one would
use toward a dead animal, it wat
tumbled rudely to the stone floor, the
shapely limbs and well rounded form
throne prone upon the cellar filth and
bones, and the golden, streaming
, hair, sodden with the filth of the VAT
falling as veil upon and over tn,
body, hiding it and its face from it
shame.
!. He followed with another and an
other, until within few minute
. there lay upon the filthy stone floor
mingled with the bones and frag
I ments of the apartment, pile o
about twenty corpses, Of all sizes ant
f colors, and all ages and conditions
q the old, the young, the emaciated, n
a well rounded figure, the shapen an,
\ misshapen, black and white, paupc
n and honcred citizen alike, in one pro
e miscuous heap.
1 For perhaps an hour longer thi
fiendish, sickening work went on, un
2 til the watts were emptied, aud no les
K than forty corpses lay in heaps upo
o the floor, of all ages, sexes and ma
1 tionalities, thrown promiscuously to
q gether, without the least order or al
q tempt at order, a sickenilg mass O
/ human corruption. The skin slip
ping from the limbs and bodie
where they had been roughly han
died, the hair falling from the head!
: or saturated with brine, dripping il
filth upon the bodies below. Th
8 dead, distorted, meaningless face
g looking out through the dim, ghastl
n lamp-light in all forms and in al
= terrible positions of countenance O
|, the fiends who were disporting wit
II their sacred flesh.
The the work OF inspection begaI
q Col. Snelbaker carefully inspected al
e the bodies which bore resemblance I
9 the dead for whom he sought, au
's succeeded, he thinks, in identifyin
I several of them. Young Devin
l. body he has very accurate descrip
IS ton of, and has found one which 8
d closely corresponds with it that ther
n seems but little doubt, from the DEF
y cription, that it is the one long sougt
l. for.