The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-10-06

delivery of the body. Still they feared
arrest under the Indictment still pending
against them in the district attorneys
Office charging John Doe, Richard Roe
and others with robbery, and refused TO
act further"
What was the plan suggested by the
robbers2"
''They demanded that the money be
sent by express to small country Office
not mentioned, and they promised that
Immediately upon receipt of the cash the
remains would be forwarded to New
York"
What objection was there to this?"
There we're two very serious objec.
tions. One was that Judge Hilton
naturally objected to sending a fortune
to number of self confessed thieves
n11tf trusting to their iIUnur TO return
bundle of bones--all that now evidently
remains of Mr.. Stewart. Then, again.
the parties could easily procure suita-
BILE skeleton from some country grave
yard and forward it; or, more easily still,
having once gotten possession of the
money, why should further risk be en-
ceuntered by sending anything? That
would appear to be the most common
sense PLAN"
"Do you believe these negotiations
were with the real robbers9"
81 know they were. In fact there
could be no doubt on that point. The
parties presented evidence that no one
except the purloiners of the body could
possibly have become possessed of. For
instance, certain trinket, of no in
trinsic value, was unknown to any one
except Mrs. Stewart, buried with her
husband. This was minutely described.
as were dozen little details which moth
ing but an examination of the remains
after burial could have revealed. Oh,
yes; the real robbers were undoubtedly
our correspondents. The strangest part
of the affair was" continued the official,
"that it changed our entire theory re-
garding the theft of the body, and proved
the story of Reilly, the hackman, pre-
sumed to know where the remains were
buried, to be false. T. established be-
yond doubt the fact that Stewards body
had been buried and removed at least
three times before it was finally laid
away in distant state--the spot said to
be known to only two people. That the
remains are in that grave now am con-
fdent"
"Was this the only communication had
with the real robbers?"
"There was one other occasion, when
party giving his name as Romeyn
called upon Patrick Jones and desired
him to act as medium for the restoration
of the body. Jones, instead of seeking
Judge Hilton, went to Police Superinten-
dent Walling, and the thieves having
shadowed him, the negotiations were
broken off. It was on this occasion, you
remember, that the piece of velvet cnt
from the casket, the silver plate, and the
three small shirt studs were produced as
evidence that the robbers really held the
body. Judge Hilton admitted that these
were genuine, the 5 cent shirt studs
forming part of the burial garments"
"Even If the remains should be re-
covered, would it be impossible to
identify them?"
"By no means. All that has been
is nonsense. Nothing now remains but
the skeleton. That is certain. But there
are certain marks by which that can be
positively identified. The false teeth
| were fitted into Mr.. Stewards mouth by
| peculiar process which it is impossible,
dentist declares, to duplicate, and there
are other marks by which the skeleton
would be known"
"When do you hope for restoration
of the body?"
| "Never. Judge Hilton and Mrs.
| Stewart felt for a time that restoration
must be had at any sacrifice. Men were
sent all over the country on vague clews
| and over 800, 900 was spent in the
search and everything possible done to
recover the bodV The matter is defin.
itely settled now, and under no circum-
stances will further negotiations be en-
| tered into. After the last failure Judge
Hilton and Mrs. Stewart held consulta-
ton, at which it was decided to hasten
the cathedral to completion, believing
that by carrying out this great project
of his life, the merchant prince would
be shown greater honor than by fruit
less search after molderiug skeleton" !"
Il N. Y. World.