Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-12-16
A SEARCH For A CORPSE.
How the Body of a Young Lady Was Saved
from the DisinSecting Table.

HOW the Body OF Young Lady Was Saved
from the Disinsecting-T Table.
A novel case, concerning the disappear
ance and recovery of the dead body of a
young woman, and illustrating the facil-
ity, with which the medical colleges &C
qu1re subjects for their disinsecting-
rooms, was brought to light recently,
says the Louisville Courier-J ouruaI, by a
reporter acting in the capacity of de-
tectiYe.
On November IA there died at the city
hospital, of tubecular laryngitis, Miss
Mollle Grace, aged 26 years. The friends
of the dead woman secured the services
of City Under taker John Hess, and in
structed him to bury the remains in a
st. Louis cemetery. Mr.. Hess intrusted
the funeral preparations to one of his as
s1stants and gave no more heed to the
matter. On his way to the health office
to secure burial permit the assistant
forgot whers he was going to bury the
body, or, as an employe of the city I'M
dertaker, who plants daily a number of
paupers in the potter's field, he thought
he was burying one of that unfortunate
class, and, as a consequence, secul ed a
permit in the almshOuse graveyard, or
potter's field.
The corpse was conveyed to its resting
place November 10. A few days after
wards some friends visited the st. Louis
cemetery to look at the grave, and were
much puzzled when Sexton John Holland
informed them that the grave was ready,
but that the body of Miss Grace had
never been brought there for burial. They
at once found John Hess and demanded
to know what disposition had been made
of the remains. Mr. Hess found by in
quiry of the assistant who had charge of
the funeral, that the corpse had gone to
the potter's field. He immediately drove
to the almshouse in company with the
friends of the deceased and the grave
was opened. To the horror of all the
coffin was found to be empty, not a trace
remaining of the unfortunate girl. The
only solution to the problem was that
ghouls had been at work, and that the
body was within the walls of one of the
medical institutions.
reporter learned of the circumstance
es and at once set about to discover the
body. A casual search through the dis
secting- of the various colleges
failed to disclose any clew to the corpse,
and it appeared as though it had been
spirited away Or so securely hidden as to
defeat all efforts to recover it.
Finally the reporter got a clew. He
learned that an unusually fine female sub
ject was in the vat of the Louisville Uni
versity of Medicine, on Eighth and
Chestnut streets; that the body was that
of finely formed and altogether hand
some woman, and that it was considered
quite an acquisition to the institution.
Two men were secured from John Hess
undertaking establishments, and with the
reporter soon found themselves at the
portals of the gloomy old mansion occu-
pied by the university.
The janitor ushered the party inside
and afterward into the dissecting
where were found some thirty tables oc-
cupied by corpses in various stages of
dissection. These were examined, but
none proved to be the one sought for.
The party then made their way to an ante
room where the two great watts are located.
One of them was opened, and with large
hook the bodies, thirteen in number,
were brought to the surface and examin-
ined. They were all of adults, six being
women; but Miss Grace's corpse was not
among them.
The other vat was opened, and the hook
plunged into the mysterious and discol-
ored depths. A body with the hook i'm
bedded in its shoulder rose to the top and
was pulled to view. 1t was that of
woman. and was readily recognized as the
remains Of Miss Grace. It was taken out
and placed on table, where it was found
to be III perfect state of preservation
and unmarked except where the cruel
hooks had made several jagged wounds
on different parts of the symmetrical
form.
The eyes were closed and the face bore
peaceful expression, quite at variance
with the somber circumstances surround
ing the sad case. No objections were
made to its removal, and the corpse;
wrapped IN a sheet, was removed to
wagon in waiting, and, after being placed
IN coffin at Hess undertaking place, was
guilty buried in the ST. Louis cemetery.
The relatives Of the dead girl were sat
isfied to secure the body in such good
condition, and though much outraged by
the manner in which they had been treat
ed, will make no specific complaint.