The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-01-07
LOCAL. MATTERS.
The Alleged Dissertation Of Graves NJ
lakewood Cemetery.

O0kN0Ou
In Justice TO the joint Committee OF tue
Board Of Aldermen and Common eouncu
on Cemeteries, the following. from the re-
cords az the committee, shows that action
was promptly taken upon the only Official
no,lGcation made to II BY the keeper OF YAK
wood Cemetery. The name OF the doctor
referred 10 below Is omitted, rs he does not
now belong to the college:
Ata meeting OF the Committee on Gene.
ferries held at the City Hall Monday, De
cember %, 1873, there were present the
following members OF the committee: W.
]. Mcdowell (chairman), ard Messrs. l.. ID.
Kelley, A. w. Pierce, and L. u. LipscomD,
Mr.. Hayes being absent on account OF Sick
ness, but afterwards stated that he heartily
concurred In the action oil ihe committee.
After transactiUg some routine business
the committee visited (as Is their frequent
eustom, Oakwocs Cemetery. After inspect
ing the grounds the committee proceeded
10 the Office Of the keeper, Mr.. w. l.. Smith,
who made the following communication
He stated that DIR. - had requested him
in case be saw any one employed by the
Medical College engaged In procuring any
remains from the cemetery that he would
not interfere with them and that he had
replied 10 him (the DoctoI) that he would
pro ect every grave in the cemetery 10 the
yefy be- st of his ability. After some con-
yersation on the part Of the members, in
which all expressed the greatest indigna-
ton, Mr.. Lipseomb offered the following
resolutions, and the same were unanimously
adopted:
"Resoired, That the Keeper OF Oakwood
Cemetery be, and he is hereby. instructed
10 guard and protect to the very best OF his
ability every grave within said cemetery,
o~A lao rfnoNal of rpmalns from
the same.
" Resoired further, That DR.. - be
respectfully informed Icy the secretary that
his REQUEST To the Keeper OF lakewood Gem.
etery not 10 modest or interfere with aDy OF
fbe agents OF the Medical College that he
NAV detect IN the effort TO remove dead
bodies from The cemetery meets with the
unqualified disapproyal OF the committee,
and that they will use all the means in their
power to have the law relating to this sub
iect executed"
Mr.. Ii. +. August. the secretary OF the
committee. immediately wrote q letter to
DIR. -, informing him Of the action Of
the committee. and enclosing copy OF the
resolution. The Doctor met him and ac-
knowledged the receipt Of the letter, but
never communicated the fact that he had
received II 10 the committee. The records
Of the committee do not show that they were
ever Informed by the Keeper Of the Gene
terry that graves had ever been robbed, and
this was The first time that they had ever
been notified that the graves were likely TO
be robbed.
OTHER CEMETERIES THAN LAKEWOOD.
when the colored paupers and others were
buried OH the hillside north and east OF the
Hebrew Cemetery they generally fell into
the hands # the resurrectiOLiss. That
ground was used for more than fifty years,
and OF INTERVIEWS made in recent years
very few skeletons will now be found in
the graves. No burials are made there
now. The paupers-white and cOiored-
are now Inferred at lakewood, Captain Big
ger haying made the following recon-
mendatioD:
"Thai portion OF tie cemetery allotted to
the cOlored poor is by its locality and ar
arrangements (heng an unenclOsed field lily
fitted for burial place, and its now over
crowded condition renders it impossible TO
make any interment therein without dis
turbing some previous burial. thus making
il both repuIsye and inhuman. The Su-
perintendent would therefore suggest that
some other near location be selected, and
that it be enclosed and placed under the
same rules ADD regulations governing The
other city cemeteries. II this plan does not
meet with approval, the superintendent
would then recommend lakewood Gene
terry"
A good while ago q man from Washing
ton died at All institution in this city, and
was buried 10 Sbockoe Cemetery in large
lot used al that time for paupers. His grave
was robbed the night following the day OF
burial.
The grave digger reported the fact, but
no particular effort was made 10 discover
the criminals. That is the only modern in
stance ei body-sDatchlng from Sh0ckoe
Cemetery.
The other cemeteries seem not to have
been visited at all-the risk Of detection and
prosecution being too great
Outside the penteDtary walls TO the
wtsD there is convicts' battle-ground,
from which the resurrectonists have OBJ
tanned mIny bodies for use here or for sale
10 The University Of Virginia and other
medical institutions, which have for several
years past been supplied from this city.
THE HERALD on BODY sNATCHING.
The following editorial appears in the
Herald of Monday:
Body-snai ching seems suddenly TO have
bee me quite flourishing business in
Richmond, Va, and the care with which its
managers avoid taking any subjects but
black ones shows that it is not yet impossi
ole to find the spirit of chvalry in business
circles. The neglect Of the City Council
Committee on Cemeteries TO do anything 10
the surgeon who proposed TO bride the
cemetery. Keeper must naturally have given
the business a lift. As for the friends OF
the dead negroes who have been removed,
there seems nothing for them to do but 60
down to The cemetery on the sly with shot
guns and await events. A months waiting
would be no loss If at the end they could
bag surgeon or councilman at present
prices"