National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-28
ALEXANDRIA ALIVE
OVER A GRAvE-RoBBERY HORROR.
The Resurreetionists Frightened Away Before Com
plotting Their Work Their CHASTITY Prey
Left the Ground Beside the
GraYes-Great Excitement.

The citizens of Alexandria yesterday morning
experienced a sensation that thoroughly walked VI
| the ancient city. The town was shaken from
! suburbs to the centre; il fact. the SUBURBS nae
most 10 90 WITH tne of the great conlnctlon
manifested. All this unusual stir arose from the
fact that OIL last Wednesday night the followers OF
| DR.. Christian the cadavercr,' had visited the
cemeteries Of the city and reSurrected the bodies
OF two persons recently inferred there. Inc ghoulS
were frightened away before they gould secure
their CHASTITY plumber and left the bodles lying De
| side the graves.
| AS this was the first experience of AlexandrianS
| in grave-robbing, it was not strange that their
| beings were shaken with horror and their desire
to punish the brutes intense. The bodies were those
of Miss Emira Jacobs, about seventy years OF age
daughterOfthe late Presley Jacobs ana sister OF MIS-
VIII. Mcknight, ofAlexandria, who, after suffering
| for some time with an internal dlseaSe-snPposed
! to be tumor-that puzzled the medical profession
died in this city rather suddenly Sunday last Inc
| remains were taken to Alexandria Tuesday last
and inferred in the Presbyterian cemetery OIL
which Jerry Frazier, colored, IS sexton
The other was that of Sarah Jane Simms (col-
ored), daughter of Jerry Frazier, sexton OF the
Presbyterian Cemetery, who died last week OF con-
sumption.
About ten o'clock on Wednesday night Mr.. En-
! manuel Webb, who is sexton of some of the ceme-
tereS and resides at the corner of the lane leading
to the graveyards, heard the noise of wagon on
the road. Being suspicious that all was not right,
he hailed the driver, who told him that he was
going to Vinegar HILL but had got on the wrong
road. He went on. Mr. Webb decided to watch
him, and saw the wagon turn into the lane leading
TO st. Pauls Cemetery, on the east side of which
there IS an entrance TO the Presbyterian Cemetery
The vehicle stopped. and then Mr.. Webb, accom-
panied by John LaadOn, colored, went up to the
Presbyterian Cemetery, where the wagon was found,
but the driver was missing. After waiting some
time, the driver came out of the graveyard and
had another man with him. When asked their
business in the burial grounds at that hour they
responded that they in search of the route to
Vinegar Hill that they lived four miles in the
country, and We're in search of a man named Hair
ris Mr.. Webb dispatched the colOred man for 4
policeman, which order had squirting effect upon
the two robbers, for they Immediately jumped into
the wagon and drove off at rapid rate
Officers Goodrich and Hayes responded tothe mes
sage of Mr.. Webb and the three examined the
cemetery. The body of Miss Jacobs was found
lying at the foot of the grave, her clothes much
dsarranged, her hands claSped over the right
shoulder, and the grave filled up. II was Subse-
quently taken TO the undertaking establishment of
Mr.. Wheatey.
Yesterday morning, while Captain Webster and
some of his men were searching the cemeteries for
clue to the reSurrectioniStS." they came across
the body of Sarah Jane Simms, which was shortly
afterward renterred. Near the grave of the latter
Captain Webster picked up piece of tissue paper
waddcd up and torn in three pieces, with one part
gone 1t proved to be q press dispatch. and what
remained. being put together, read AZ follows:
Add Albany, n. Y. Owing to the scarcity
prices have gone up here; stove size Ch-OllarS-
for Lackawanna GO"
Yesterday afternoon Officers Arnold and Good
rich arrested Bob Carpenter Reuben Massey,
Thomas Vaughn, and Charles GuSkinS. colored
grave diggerS in the several cemeteries, on Sis
picion OF being parties to the crime, and lodged
them in the StationhOuSe for examination this
morning
The only case of grave despoiling ever known to
have occurred i'll Alexandria before this was the
case of Joseph Smith, who died some three years
ago with the brain fever When the family de-
cided to take the body up and inter it elsewhere
the discovery was made that the grave had been
opened and the head removed from the body. In
this case, however, there was deliberate attempt
not only to rob one grave, but others. The cltI-
are lnccnSeu over the affair.