News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-08-21
INGENIOUS CHURCH ROBBERS.
Thief Carried Into the Chancel in a Comm
by His Confederntes.

A letter from the City of Mexico
says:-This town, the scene of many
peculiar crimes, is Just now agog over
the performances of thief, which are
generally admitted to surpass anything
on record. A few days ago several men
went to the priest in charge of the Santa
Cruz Church in this city and asked per-
mission to hold funeral services over the
remains of deceased friend at o'clock
the next morning. There was nothing
unusual in the request, for many people
in this country bury their dead early IN
the morning before mass, and the priest
gave his permission, agreeing to be pres
emf. The men then said they would like
to leave the corpse in the church over
night, and to this the clergyman also as
scented. Some time after dark the men
appeared at the church bearing coffin,
which they carried up the main aisle
and deposited in front of the altar. They
then withdrew, promising to be there
early the next morning.
About midnight the sacristan was
awakened by the barking of his dogs,
and feeling that something must be
wrong, he dressed hastily and stepped
from his room into the chancel. A dim
light was burning near the altar, by
means Of which he could see a figure
moving slowly on the other side OF the
chancel. Making up his mind that rob
hers were in the church, he ran quickly
to his room for pistol, and then made
a search of the church. No one was to
be seen. On the altar he found every
| thing safe, but when he came to examine
| oc -, ha
that the costly jewels with which they
had been ornamented were gone. He
then redoubled his efforts to find the
thief, but after half an hour passed IN
searching every nook of the great edifce,
he was more mystifed than ever, for he
not only could not find the offender, but
he could discover no place where he
could have come in or gone out. Just
before he determined to give the alarm
he thought of the corpse lying down be-
low the chancel rail in the shadow, and
the idea came to him that perhaps there
might be something wrong about it
Lighting candle, he stepped softly tc
the bier and peered into the face of the
supposed dead man. AS he looked he
noticed that the eyelids of the corpse
twitched nervously under the light. and
at the same instant his own eyes fell OF
some of the glittering jewels which lay
| beside the man in the coffin.
Overjoyed at finding the thief, the
sacristan thrust his revolver into the face
of the 'corpse," and ordered him to gel
out. The cold steel on the mans fore
head convinced him that the order must
be obeyed, and a most extraordinary
resurrection took place then and there.
When the man had gained his feet, the
sacristan, still covering him with his
pistol, gathered up the jewels, and then
marched the culprit to the priests house,
where he was turned over to the police.
Several soldiers were then stationed in
the church, and when the thief's con-
federates arrived in the morning they
were taken into custody. At FIRST they
denied all knowledge of the conspiracy,
but after little while one of them con-
fessed and told the whole story He said
they intended d to so through the forms
of funeral ceremony, and then carry
their friend out to the cemetery, and,
after letting him out of the coffin, bury
it, and leave the country as speedily as
possible. They will be severely punished.