The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-04-21
WHO STOLE STEW ART?
A QUESTION THAT A CLERGYMAN
ANSWERS RATHER SENSATlONALLY,
BY Declaring His Belief That the Mill
ionaire's Body Was Not Stolen at
All-The Report Sent Out
For Purpose.

New YoRK, April 21.-Rev. Dr. Charles
II. Hill, rector of the Church of the Holy
Trinity, Of Brooklyn, officiated at the stew
art Memorial cathedral, at Garden City Sun
day. On his return home the reverend gen
tleman expires ell the opinion that the Dody
of A. L. Stewart is in the crypt OF the
catheral Furthermore. he advanced the
marvellous theory that the body had never
been stolen. Notwithstanding the fact that
Judge Hilton has paid tens if not hun
hundreds Of thousands of dollars to detec-
tiyes for searching for the body, DIR. han
believes there never was anything to find.
When it was first announced that Stewards
body had been stolen Mrs Stewart was re-
ported as having said that the Garden City
cathedral would not be built until her hus-
bands remains were recovered. The edlflee
has been completed and handsomely en-
dowed. 1t has also frequently bee
stated that Judge Hilton paid 5000
to the grave robbers for restori
the body DIR. Hall believes that til
whole story of the robbery was manufac-
tured. When asked what motive could
have actuated Judge Hilton or Mrs. Stewart
to make such an announcement, he said:
There was every reason for its fabrication.
Judge Hilton was constantly annoyed by the
receipt of anonymous letters informing him
that the body was to be stolen. No guard
could be- placed on the body that would not
be bribed, and in order to defend the
body the story of its having been stolen
had to be fabricated. Look at all the reports
in the papers at that TINA You will find
hot fba 10 fol of
tion to details, while the question, Hosaiid
the robbers make off with the body9 is al
most entirely lost sight of. No, sir, the sup
posed robbery was never committed, and
some day, and at no distant one, either, you
will learn the whole story of the supposed
robbery. l believe firmly that the body of
A. 7. Stewart is now in the crypt at the
Cathedral of the Incarnation at Garden
City"
"How do you account for the fact that the
grave was found to have been disturbed and
the discovery of the trail over which it was
thought the body had been dragged"
THAT is what | refer to when | say that
the story is told with too much attention tc
detail'n said Dr. Hall alt III had the ap-
pearance of having been planned. There is
no doubt in my mind that the very fact that
SO nice and ingenious a story was told be
trays its weakness and places the stamp Of
falsity on It,"
"But Judge Hilton expended 81 10000 OF
$500, 900 in searching for the body sug
gested the reporter.
"Did he's" interrupted the clergyman
"Has it not also been denied that he evel
paid such large sums for such an object
He may have spent fortune, but that doe:
not break down the theory 1t might have
been necessary to carry out the origina
plan and prevent robbery. If the body had
been stolen why did not the detective:
keep up the search2 Why was there not {
more sustained effort to find it and gain thu
| rewards"
AIRS. Stewart is said to have paid so, 0Ot
for the return of the body'"
as that anything bu. a rumor? Judgt
| Hilton and Mrs. Stewart have neve
acknowledged it. The report has neve
been substantiated, so far as | have heard
No, l think IT is all a myth Some day you
will learn that the body lies in the crypt il
the Garden City cathedral