The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-05
A Couple OF Stifs.

The Southern Express. delivery wagon
was driven, up to the establishment ofB.
F. Avery & Sons" and a large kerosene
barrel, marked "B. F. Avery, Druggist,
Atlanta, Ga.," turned over to the firm.
The Averys receive their articles usually
from the factory in Louisville, and are
generally notified when shipments are
made to.their house. They were not ex-
pecting any thing in their line on yes
terday and we're somewhat surprised at
receiving the barrel in question. Their
surprise grew into astonishment when
they were informed that the express
charges upon said barrel were S14.20.
They could not imagine what the barrel
contained, hut concluded it must be some
thing of much value from the heavy
charges. For some time they hesitated
to take it, but thinking it must contain
something in their line forwarded from
the factory in Louisville, they paid the
charges and the barrel was rolled into
their store. A porter was ordered to
knock the head in, which he accordingly
did, when, TO his utter horror, he discov.
cred that the barrel contained two dead
bodies. And then this colored man, al
most pale with alright, dropped his lit
tie hatchet, aud rushing into the Office
Communicated the awful fact to Mr.. Avery.
That gentlman and his clerks rushed out
to the open barrel, and sure enough there
were the two. bodies doubled up and
packed in with charcoal. The upper
body WAS evidently the corpse of boy,
and was in frightful position, being bent
entirely double, with the legs pressed
firmly back over the shoulders. The
lower body was the corpse of man, and
had been packed in without the slightest
reference to grace of position.
The corpses were white, they emitted
no bad odor whatever, and to all appear
ance in state of excellent preservation.
There was symmetry and freshness and
smoothness about them which plainly
showed, even to the most casual observer,
that but a short time had elapsed since
the spade of the ghoul had done the
work. The discovery ofthe bodies crea-
ted big sensation, and throngs of peo-
pie visited the store to gaze on the ghast-
ly spectacle. Mr.. Avery, being in the
plow business, felt certain that there must
be some grand mistake about the bodies.
He felt, too, that it was grave subject,
demanding immediate investigation by
the police; so he dispatched g note to Chief
Anderson advising him of what had hap
pened and asking for an investigation.
The Chief of Police at once repaired to
his store room, and having examined the
address upon the barrel and, concluded
that the barrel and its content must
have been intended for Mr.. Arch Avery,
the. druggist, and that mistake in the
initials had evidently been made by the
sender. Mr.. Arch Avery was accordingly
sent for. In short time he appeared
upon the scene and at once laid claim
to the barrel and the bodies. The chief
then gave him an order on B. F. Avery
G. Son for the resurrected freight, which
was gladly delivered TO him upon pay.
ment Of the express charges.
The reporter dropped into the drug
store of Mr.. Avery to find out if possible
what disposition had been made of the
barreled stifs, and while he was received
and treated with marked courtesy by
the gentleman:.t therein found, regrets to
state that the conversation was exceed
ingly pleasant, but remarkably unsatis-
factory. Not a whit Disconnected, but
fairly quivering with that hot and ex-
quisite sensation which is born of detec-
tive fever alone, the reporter pushed his
inquiries and learned from perfectly
reliable source that the bodies had been
consigned to Mr.. Arch Avery for the
Southern medical college at this point,
and had been promptly turned over to
the functionaries Of that new institution.
1t seems that Mr.. Avery has brother in
that institution, and it is thought that
the whole thing was worked through
him for the benefit of the college. This
is at least clever surmise. At all
events, the bodies were sent to Mr.. Arch
Avery, and by him turned over to the
Southern medical college.--Atlanta Con-
stitution January q.