The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-10-06
NO. 26.
A. T. Stewards Body.

ssWhy IL locked9 I have pass en-
titIing me TO view the entire cathedral,
aaia 4 should like to see that"
Is KAm sorry sir. but you can't go in
the sir. Mr.. Stewards remains are
Bapr Id to be buried there, and no one
| is adn5$fted into the tomb"
/ The eaker was the custodian of the
/ beautif 1sew cathedral built in memory
31of The 1ate A. T. Stewart at Garden City,
3&nd tslS person to whom the remarks
| MSee addresssd was reporter of the
i New York World. The room or crypt
freferred to, and concerning which the
Nossips of the village are accustomed to
sdIkRby tho hour, Is situatod directly bc-
| meath the chancel in the basement. Four
| heavy doors, barred and grated, bearing
small, diamond shaped panes of stained
glass, afford little clew to the contents of
the mausoleum, if such it be. A care
full survey of the grounds revealed no
other mode of ingress than the doors.
It seemed vain to attempt an entrance
without the contrivance of the custodian,
SO he was again approached.
81 presume you carry the keys OF that
secret receptacle with you?" said the re-
porter.
| 81, sir? No, sir. I never saw the
keys, sir. They say they keep them up
ut the Office, sir, but I never saw EN-. !"
"Are the remains really in them?"
tsSome say they are and some say they
are not. Nobody about here knows"
"But if they are not in there. why is
the place kept locked?"
| 81 don't know, sir, I'm sure. Perhaps
they are fearful that some one might
spoil the beautiful marble carving which
they say is in there. Anyhow, the doors
are always locked
At the Office of Mrs. Stewards Garden
| City estate the same vague information
was given. Perhaps the body was
buried there and perhaps it was not.
| Those in charge could not really tell.
A second visit was paid to the cathe-
| dral, where the ill-informed custodian
was found engaged up stairs pointing
out the beauties of the church to party
of tourists. This was the golden oppor-
tunity, and after some difficulty an en-
trance was effected into the double
locked vault.
The bare white marble walls seemed to
cast back and forth the echo of the in
truder's footsteps on the hollow pave
ment, complaining of this desecration of
deaths temple. At one end white
marble chancel, dome-shaped, with
marvelously carved pillars. rose out of
the gloom. Wreaths of finely chiseled
flowers, festoons of carefully carved
foliage and the clinging tendrils of vines
hung tonderly over the floor beneath
which the remains of Mr.. Stewart are
said to be. The hollow foor revealed
nothing of what lay beneath. Each tile
was carefully sealed, and no creyice, no
secret door was revealed by the closest
scrutiny. Two wide wooden benches
completed oil the furniture in the crypt.
Returning to the cathedral proper the
reporter asked the custodian what pre-
cautions had been taken to prevent re-
currence of the theft of the remains. He
couldn't readily say just how many
watchmen there were employed nor
whether there were any. They were
kept apart from him if there were other
guardians.
Throughout the village the impression
prevails that the remains are at rest be-
meath the cathedral chancel. The pop
ular story is to the effect that one nigh
in June, year ago. train arrived al
midnight with four trusty men on board
Stopping half mile out, the coffin con
tanning the embalmed body of Mr.. Stew
art was carried to the church, where ar
rangements had been made for its recep
tion. Before dawn the work of securely
sealing the vault was completed, the
secret of its contents being known tt
these four persons only, besides Mrs
Stewart and Judge Hilton. The EN-
ployes are sworn to secrecy, and trusting
to them and to the precautions taken
the friends of Mr.. Stewart believe tina
his earthly robe will be permitted to Iii
at rest, where it has been placed after
such devious wanderings.
Further investigation concerning th'
place of the great merchants remains
, among well-informed persons in the city
developed new theories. Said a gentle
man very close to Judge Hilton, and VIII
at the beginning of the search for tn
: body had been one of his principal ad
visers: "This story which the Gardel
City gossips SO confidently assert to b
, true, of ghostly midnight train ant
I secret burial, is, in my estimation, al
nv own personal knowledge that Judg
t Hilton is to day no nearer the possession
8 of Mr.. Stewards remains than he was
week after its removal from st. Mark
. church graveyard. I know this to be
fact, and Judge Hilton, if approached
will bear out this statement"
ST have naturally great reluctance t
: speak of matter in which I have bee
so intimately connected" said a promi
!. nent police official who has taken tn
: principal steps IN negotiating betwee
the grave robbers and Judge Hilton
9 "But this much / will say, and you ma
I consider it authoritative: Judge Hill
ton is not in possession of the remains {
d the late A. r. Stewart, unless he OF
: tanned them surreptuously within th
J. past two weeks. This I can sacredly al
/ sure yeu is the truth. Early in the pres
q emit year I felt confident I had the bod
! almost within my grasp, and if th
i ghouls had possessed more confdenc
: in the police authorities it would hay
J. been recovered. An individual came I
q US and informed us that for the sum {
Il $25, 600 the stolen body would be d,
" posted in a certain place. Of cours,
y the individual making the offer WI
n known, but he professed to be merely q
'r agent in the affair and was undoubtedl
such. I was delegated to speak to Jude
B Hilton, and he was willing to depos
70 the sum named in the hands of o suitab
person, to be paid over upon the deli
cry and Identification of the remain
le The negotiation with this par
Is occupied period of nearly three weel
Il and then came abruptly to an end. A
a. though we promise immunity. the 70
st bers feared that we were making effor
"a In discovar their idantitv and of cours