Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-02-19
A HlDEOUS HAG.
once a Russian Belle, She Now
leads u Gang of GhouIs.

feadS u Gang OF GhOukSs
A gang of grave robbers has been
discovered and arrested here, one Of
whose leaders, as alleged, is a man
known as Percy Brown, who claims
to be 9S years old. They have had a
rendezvous in the northeastern part
of the city, where cellar was con-
structed as vault to keep the bodies
in. The brains of the gang, it is said
were furnished by hag rs years old,
Maud Brown, as she calls herself. If
there has been anything lacking to
add another degree of horror to the
traffic in dead bodies, it was certainly
supplyed by the appearance OF this
woman Her face was concave On
one side and convex on the
other. Her nose was long and
thin, her lips sunken, both eyes
sightless.
She was dressed in faded black
dress, but wore an immense white
ribbon tied in a bow about her lean
and wrinkled neck. She gives a his
tory of herself which, if true. as her
evident intelligence and culture
would seem to indicate, is as wonder
full as any fiction which human i'm
agination has yet produced. The
story is in part borne out by doc
umentary evidence and partly by the
woman's conduct, and is related by
herself in substance as follows:
She was born in Russia Of wealthy
parents, and at the age Of 5 years
WAS betrothed to the president of the
Royal Medical College at st Peters
burg, where her brother, Percy, was
then a medical student The presi
dent of the college, who was 70 years
of age when she married him, took
charge of her education, and she grew
up about tl'e college, perfectly
familiar with the dissecting room and
the dead bodies which were surrepti-
tiously brought there.
When she was left a widow at IL
she was not only cultured woman,
but had the reputation Of being the
best English scholar in st. Peters burg
This fact soon brought her into public
notice. The Crimean war broke out,
and the girl, asleep at her bro hers
house, was awakened one night by
hearing a conversation between Gen
eral Gortschakoff and her brother at
the door of the house. "You cannot
want my sister? said Per y. "I do
want her." said the General. "She
is a daughter Of Russia, and when
Russia calls for her daughters she
must be obeyed." Hearing this the
Lady Maud, as she still styles herself
arose and joined the two men, and
General Gortschakoff explained to
her that she was wanted Immediately
to go to the front to translate the
enemy's dispatches. "We are inter-
cepting any quantity of them," said
the General. "but We cannot read
their beastly language.
Accordingly, the Lady Maud was
taken to the front and stationed there
to read the English dispatches, and
while she was engaged in translating
some Of them to the Prince Michael a
shell burst overhead, mutilating her
face and putting out one of her eyes.
Being a woman of unusually strong
nerves, she did not lose consciousness
on account of this accident, and so
was able to hear the Prince exclaim :
"Great God / intended to marry this
grill" The accident, however, rend-
cred her totally blind, and she was
treated by the most eminent oculist,
and in two years recovered the sight
of one eye.
For her bravery on this occasion
the Russian Government gave the
Lady Maud q pension of Is rubles q
day. After recovering her sight che
returned to st. Petersburg, where she
lived in splendor with her brother
until the death Of the Gar Nicholas,
when they were suspected of being
hostile to the succeeding sovereign
and were forced to leave the country
they came to America, where Percy's
talents soon established him in the
lucrative business of resurrection
ist," in which he was aided by his
sister. Twenty years ago they came
to this city and organized, with DR.
Christian, the most noted gang o
grave-robbers that was ever known il
the district. They not only supplieG
the local colleges, but sent subjects al
over the county. In 1875, however
the gang was completely broken III
by the police, and since then Perc!
and Maud have carried on thu
business in a smaller way. Her par
of the work was to go to funerals ant
follow the corpse to the grave, anl
afterwards direct the body-snatcher
to the 81 OF. All the "resurrectionists'
who have been arrested are still held
but as no evidence has been obtaine,
which will conyict them they will b,
released d.-MilWankea SaptiDeI