Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-30

WAsAINGTON,S GRAVE ROBBERS.
semeshing Abeut she Pcrsous Engaged
In this Cheerful Pursuit..
now PERCY BROWN PROVES AN AIIBr-rHR WAY IN
WHICH GRAVES ARE MISREPRESENTATION or
ONE OF JANsKN's eHourLsH KxPIorTs-rAlKs WITH
BROWN AND STEVENSON
81 am held here on suspicion OF completely In the
Mt Olivet grave robbery, said Percy Brown, when
seen behind the bars last evening by . STAR re-
porter, "but know am innocent OF the charge,
and have NO fears Of the result Of the investiga-
ton OF course everybod knows that am In the
business, but am innocent in this particular case.
When was the body stolen." he asked the reporter.
"Last Monday night" said the reporter.
swell, said Brown, 81 am glad It was that
night, for l spent that night behind the bars
In the nrst precinct station. You know have
been a prize-nghter in my day, and, although
young boys had been in JACK Roonsy's that
night giving q lesson to q young friend and while
doing doing 90 sprained my ankle was drunk and
up The next morning was gently fired out"
When STAR reporter visited the rirst precinct
oner at thatstation on the Monday night OF the
grave robbery.
nAUD's ALIBI.
When the reporter visited Percy's house. corner
his aged sister, Maud, or "Maudie" as her brother
calls her, was found in her room. She knew that
her brother was innocent OF the charge. she said,
because he was at home that night, and there
that she did not know where Mt Olivet cemetery
was and that her brother had never robbed one OF
its graves "What can't understand" said Maud,
us why such persons as Percy and are ostracised
from society. Any young doctor who cuts the
bodies to pieces would be welcomed In almost any
family II ne wanted to pay his attentions to the
part OF the work are not recognized by anybody.
you can say for me-" continued Maud, shat
You see 1t IL not considered unlawful TO work
there but then they don't want the work done in
lumbar College because ne was prejudiced against
It." Her brothers real name, she said, Is Perc1val
p. Angerlim, but when he came here from st.
Petersburg he told everybody to call him Brown.
THE THEFT OF sHAws BODY.
"Speaking of grave robbers" said police ofiicer
to STAR reporter, ''if poor old Jansen was now
living and was In this city he would get the credit
OF doing all this work. but Jansen was tired OF liv-
ing and ended his lite Probably the ghouls with
grave, lifted his body from its comm with those
bloOd-curdlng hooks, and stole on with 1t through
the lonesome roads or woods to turn It over to the
the of1cer went on, 'when Jansen was arrested
for robbing the grave OF Charles shaw the cOlOred
murder OF his sister, 1 was doing duty down town,
when saw wagon drive up In 'front.' OF a saloon.
A man aIighted and went into the saloon He was
short man, and wore long rubber overcOat,
rubber boots and heavy gloves which attracted
my attention. took good look at the man, who
turned out to be Jansen glanced into the wagon
man sitting in the wagon. paid no
particular attention to the vehicle. Jansen,
drink, came out and drove away. ! afterward
learned that the colored man thought Saw SIT
ting In the wagon was the body OF Shaw on its
wa) TO the dissect1ng room. The wagon was
driven from the saloon to the d1ssectiny room,
where the body was deposited. Jansen then came
to see snaws body. On his way back to the col
ege he lost the key to the front door, but he kicked
the door open. The crowd became so noisy that
dSOrderly conduct That night, or the next day,
Jansen had some trouble with the doctors abou.
the money, and he stole the stin from The college.
He went around to a hack stand and there found a
night liner The driver, a well known liner, was
pretty full, and he was willing to accept job;
Jansen got into the hack with The body, and the
driver suppostng the dead cOlored man was like his
ther passenger, only drunk, started on with them.
They took an occasional drink and Jansen trieu TO
Jehu to drive ard University but there no
wan, Led the body. Then the hack, without JAN
sen was driven into the 7th street road. The dead
Negroes feet were sticking out the carriage window
and attracted the attention OF a couple OF police
men, who arrested the driver. He was taken to
the old eighth precinct station, but was so d. unk
that he was unable to account Tor the possess on
OF his passenger. Later in the day when he
sobered up the driver explained his position, and
u.
Shaws brain had been taken out, and the blood
from his SKULL, which had covered Jansen's lace
While handling the body, still remained on his
face. Jansen was drunk. For that job he served
year. minus one day."
..How about the drver?" asked the reporter
"Oh, he was released" answered the OFFICER
"but the trip was an expensive one for him. for his
hack, which had always played an important part
In funerals, was boycotted Whenever he attended
funeral he was recognized and driven on. and he
was finally forced TO give up the hack business"
PERCY AND MAID BROWN
"Percy Brown who was recently arrested, and
his sister Maud" continued the officer, "are each
nearly seventy years old, and Percy is as good at
the business n W as he ever was. His sister Maud
has given up the business on account OF her eye
totally blind"
$40 you mean to say that the old woman
actually assisted in rObbing graves?" asked the
"Why certainly she did, answered the officer,
robbery. She would watch the papers for funeral
notices, then she would dress In black and attend
the funeral, either as mourner or as an intimate
friend of the deceased. She would be q stranger
to every person at the funeral but OF course the
dead could not speak and those with whom she
conversed about the corpse would believe that she
really knew the departed Oh course she would
get an invitation to go to the cemetery IN the
carriages. She would in that way locate the
grave and after snndOWn or perhaps after mid
start for tue cemetery.
HOW THE GRAVES ARE ROBBED.
Entering the cemetery" the officer went on,
MAUD would point out the grave, and while the
men robbed she would watch and give the alarm
IL any one approached, and the resurrectionists
would lie low until the coast was again clear
Then the body would be removed from the comm
and carried on"
show do they manage to get the bodies in such
short time and cover up their tracks so well?"
inquired the reporter.
Easily enough" replied the officer. ''You see
many persons have wrong idea as to how the
business Is conducted. Most persons think that
the earth is removed only from the head of the
cOffin, and that the lid or the box is smashed open
That Is not so, because the noise made by smash
ing open the lid OF the box would be too great
The graves are supposed to be about feet Deep so
that when the box and coffin are lowered and the
lid placed upon them there only remains about
feet of earth above The dirt is soft and can be
easily removed Two men are put at work, one at
each end, until a portion OF the earth is re-
moved and then one Of the party will
get a rope, which Is fastened to the
Id OF the box. Slowly he hits the end at the head
until 1t has reached the top OF the grave
throwing most OF the earth to the foot OF the grave
Two OF the party, which Is composed usually OF
three persons, will hold the lid while the third one
slips under 1t into the grave. II there is a
glass top he slides it back, places the hooks In O
convenient portion OF the body or about the CLOTH
Ing and raises the body partially from the casket
or, II necessary, he will take the screws from the
caSket and remove the head-Diece Sometimes