The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-12-09
CAST IRON GRAVES.
Game Of Poker and Discusses
Collins.

Speaking of collins" said an un-
dertaker addressing a party Of friends
with whom be CHANGED to be playing
game Of poker in his back office,
yesterday afternoon, fer the cigars.
"Speaking of collins, / must say that
the patent burglar proof burial cases
is not creating very profound SEN
sation in the Wesf. To day a coffin
drummer called on me and almost
talked me TO death in trying to cOu-
vince me that burglar proof graves
were rapidly supplanting the common
place graves of stone and clay. He
even went so far in describing their
advantages as TO declare that they were
fre-proof, meaning by his remarks,
perhaps, that his patent graves, boxes,
or whatever you choose to call them,
were capable of resisting the des'ruct-
i've elements of nature. Of course I
had to laugh heartily at this state
ment, as fre-proof coffin was some
thing new to me. Such luxuries
might find ready market in the vol
canic regions of Mexico or in South
America, where graves fall through
gaps made by earthquakes, into the
seething fire that constitutes the bow
els of the earth, but in this section
they struck me as one of the novelties
we can we'll dispense with. Besides,
there is nothing to be made by invest
ing in such thing as a fre-proof
grave, as tombs are never covered by
insurance.
''The young man grew somewhat
impatient when l laughed. With a
frOwn he exclaimed: | see very plain
ly that you have construed what [
have said literally. / will not amend
my remark as my burial cases are
really fire-proof. That does not make
them any more salahle, of course !;
but it goes to show they are very
durable and substantial. Some super
stitious people who believe in literal
fire beyond the grave would perhaps
feel little more secure if they
thought they were to be buried in fire
proof graves. Aside from this how
ever, allow me to remark
that the collins or boxes are very
valuable, as they defy body snatchers
and keep out water and insects.
Finally, finding had no notion
of laying in stock of iron graves the
young man left me in disgust"
els it really true that there are
burglar-proof and fre-proof graves"
inquired young man on the other
side of the table, as he marked up bis
points. and began to shuttle the cards.
"Why bless your soul of course
there are" replied the good humored
undertaken as he felt in his pocket for
his tobacco pouch. ''The burglar
proof grave was patented some years
ago after the body of A. T. Stewart
disappeared from New York. As
that event was followed by some hor-
rible grave rcbberries in Cincinnati
Yankee conceived the idea that it
would be an excellent thing to invent
a burglar-proof grave. After expert
menting for some time he finally pro-
duced an iron box with an iron lid,
sufficiently large to hold a coffin.
The lid Of the box contained spring
lock on the inside, so that the box
could not be reopened after being
closed. For sometime these graves
found q ready sale, but like
many other styles they have
ceased to be popular. Very often
after corpse has been put under the
ground, especially if insurance COM
panies or benevolent socities are inter-
ested, it is necessary to exhume if and
have postmortem examination held
This is an extremely difficult task to
perform, as the box with its patent
spring lock on the inside cannot be
opened III quiet manner. It must
either be blown up like burglar-proof
safe or broken into pieces with heavy
sledges or hammers. The chances
are that the corpse will be badly dis
figured before it can be extricated
from the box"
Here the game and the narrative
were brought to close.