New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-08-07

withdraw the ring with her teeth, caused
the pang which went through the frame
of the evident victim Of trance, and
aroused her to consciousness. On the
finger, just below the ring, the marks Of
teeth were distinctly visible for several
DAYS after Mrs. Bell resuscitation. #
Every effort was made to keep this re-
markable circumstance secret to the
neighborhood; nevertheless, every exer-
ton was used quietly to ascertain who
the robber of the tomb was The gener-
al impression was that the garb Of a
female was assumed as disguise, and
the depredator in reality man, probably
a professional bod -snatcher.
1t was thought that the remarkable cir
cumstances attending Mrs. Bell supposed
death had aroused the desire of some
medical expert to possess the body for
the purpose of an autopsy; that he had
employed a person to steal it, and that
the body -snatcher, discovering the valu-
able jewel, had resolved to gain possess
ion of it for himself
Soon after this extraordinary occur
renee the vicar OF the parish resigned his
living andremoved his FAMILY to Eng land.
Several years passed away, and the in
cidents herein recorded were almost for
gotten. Mrs Bells father died, and Mr..
Bell and his family Quilted Kilma1e and
took up their residence at Toxteth, near
Liverpool.
And now for the sequel.
During the Chartist riots in 1910,
James Binps was arrested for murder and
lodged in Lancaster Jail. He was tried !,
convicted and sentenced to be hanged /.
Before the last sentence of the law was
executed, he made confession of many
crimes, and among the rest Of his exploits
as professional body snarcher, in which
business he had engaged for many years.
The following facts are taken from his
confession:
In July, 1920, he was living in Belfast,
having fled from England to escape pun
ishment for his offences. He had done
several small jobs in Belfast for the doc
tors, and on the night of July 30, in the
year named. we'll known physician Of
Belfast sent for him and told him that he
had very delicate piece of work for him
to perform. A Mrs. Bell, a ladysof great
beauty, and the wife of rich proprietor
had just died of peculiar disease, and
the doctor and his associates desired the
body, to investigate the cause OF death.
The doctor paid him so mnch money
down. and dispatched him to Kilmare
with such instructions as were necessary.
He was to secure the corpse. and coach
would be ready at the churchyard gate,
in which there would be two assistants
who would be ready to assist him at a
given signal. He went to Kilmare on
the day of the funeral, at which he was
present. He examined the lock on the
door Of the vault, and was satisfied that
he could easily remove it.. At midnight
he went to the churchyard armed with a
wrench, a pair Of shears, and picklock
First satisfying himself that the coach
was In waiting, he entered the graveyard
and proceeded to the vault. The night
was dark and the rain was falling.
Creeping up by the side of the church, he
approached the tomb of the Bell family.
To his surprise he saw that the door
was opened and faint light burning in
side. stealthily drawing near he glanced
in. He saw the coffin lying along the
! marble slab, and in front of it woman
was standing. A second glance told him
that the woman was at work trying to re-
! move ring frem the finger of the dead
A sudden thought struck him, and SLOUGH
ing down, he reached in at the door and
with his shears, which he had brought to
rid the corpse Of its cumbersome shroud.
| he cut piece from the skirt of the wo-
mans dress and retired unobserved. As
he remained for an instant peering into
the strange scene, to his horror and as
constituent he saw the corpse arise and
raise the hand which the woman was ap-
parently in the act of putting to her
mouth. The woman gave shrek, rushe
through the door and fled, leaving the
lamp burning on the floor. The body
snatcher guessed at once the woman's de-
sign aud, impressed with the conviction
that she was person above the ordinary
rank, he resolved to follow and see where
she went to. He had no difficulty in trac-
ing the rapidly -retreating figure. It
passed out of the churchyard at small
wicket on the north side of the church
and entered the parsonage. Statistic d that
he possessed an important secret, out OF
which he could make monev, he returned
to the vault. The light was still burning
and he signaled the men in waiting
They were soon on the spot, but on enter
ing the vault they discovered 70 their
utter amazement, that the coffin was
empty. The body-snatcher kept his Sc.
cret, and the mysterious disappearance Of
the body was matter OF unmixed sur
prise. distinguishing the lamp, the men
quit the churchyard, the body-snatehel
returning to his quarters at small inn,