The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-14
ALL NIGHT IN A VAULT.
One of the Experiences of a Noted
Grave kObber.

FROM Ctt CtHCflititt enquirer
Old Ben Knott, the grave robber, now
an old, gray-haired. Misunderstanding
man, with long, silvery locks dark with
dirt, and which hang down over a greasy
coat collar, and sharp, black eyes that fash
out from under high, beetling brows and
shaggy, iron-gray eyebrows, sat smoking
an old clay pipe on a low stool on a little
cannon stove in his room in a tumble-down,
rickety shanty near the foot of Price Hill
The wind was whistlng outside, and the
trees creaked and groaled as il they had
spirits i'll them, and the rain fell in big drops
against the dirty window-panes. Old Knott
loves tobacco and has weakness for
whisky. Tue reporter drew from his
pocket long black bottle of the good old
stuff and passed it TO the old man, whose
eyes frightened up He busted the ashes
off his pipe and laid it down on the win
dow-sill, and took good, hearty, generous
swig.
That's warming, he said, land good for
the rheumatic
Then the old man looked out into the
darkness and admired the long row of
street lamps that flashed out in the gloom
like row of sentinels.
II Ike such a night as this" he con-
tinued, 'for it's a good one for business.
There's no danger of interruption; nobody
goes prying round & aveyaJds on such a
night 'cept they has business" and the old
man shook his head and gave a wicked
leer; but, what Is more it was just such a
night as this that | did my first job, and l
hal such good luck that I've always selected
such kinder nigutS ever since"
Must have had. some horrible experience
in your time Benz said the newspaper
man.
SCARED HALF TO DEATH.
Horrible! should say so. I've seen
sights that would make your hair stand on
end, and no foolin'. I've been TERRIBLY
scared ny self. Yes it's ticklish business,
but it pays"
"How much did you get for stitfsW
Never less than SO, and sometimes,
when they was real scarce, Eve got rs high
as $50 and $35. You see, it's only in cold
weather that the things will keep anyhow,
and it's not everybody that happens to die
that makes good subject for the doctors
They never want a fat person, o. one that
dies of IA contagious disease; but consump-
tive patients make good sttfs, and VIII N
people die Of diseases that the doctors amt
exactly sure about"
Ever take along anybody with you,
Benz
''Oh! lots of times, and one time l never
will forget; | had along professor in one
of the medical colleges 1t was before the
law was passed giving the stiffs of paupers
to the doctors, and a Big fuss had been
made about stealing bodies. This doctor
went along, and, as we was coming down a
long lane not far from the graveyard with
a good stiff aboard, we had 20 pass clump
of trees. / got by all right, but the doc
tor caught it. Whiz! bang! came a shot,
and he got a big dose of buckshot in his
arm. The wound wasn't serious, but the
professor had to lay quiet for three weeks
or 50. None of the newspapers ever got on
to it, but there are Lofty OF Cincinnati ply
sicians that recollect it,"
CARRIED THE MARKS.
Ever get shot yourself, Ben" And
without replying Ben rolled up his left
pantaloons leg. Just below the knee It
he pointed to an ugly-looking scar.
II carry the marks, you see. That was
sustained in a grave-robbing trip, and |
don't think I'll ever forget it, for l was laid
up nigh onto three months. Cne day my
partner and I went on to raise stiff of a
certain rich man who had died from some
disease of the stomach. We selected a
rainy, dark night, as usual, for the raise,
and about midnight arrived at the grave.
We began digging in the darkness and
wet, first scooping out the soft mud from
the head of the grave. The lightning
flashed at intervals and showed all the sur
roundings. We dug on, and i'll a short
| time reached the head of tae coffin, and
with our iron rod began to smash it in. The
work was hard, fo.' the coffin was made of
very solid wood, and would neither break
nor give. We sat down near the grave t.
rest d moment and talk over the situation.
Perhaps we had been sitting five minutes
when most peculiar sound, the like of
which never heard before, seemed to come
from the opening of the grave. 1t sounded
| like a continuous death rattle. | started
and looked at my partner-he looked at me
He was white as a CHEST and trembl ed
like leaf, while his eyes glared forth and
were ready to pop out OF his head. | dunno,
but l suppose 1 looked the same way; at
least he said 50 sonN time afterward.
ON like a buzz and whirl. / was almost
paralyzed with fear and misgivings
looked at the hole, and expected to see a
thousand devils, with their fiery tongues,
sneerng faces, hoofs and horned tails,
grlnnlng at us We looked into the hole,
and everything seemed all right just then
vivid flash OF lightning Frightened up the
entire graveyard, and we both heard the
pitter-pat of running footsteps.
NO DAMAGE SUIT.
THAT was enough. My partner started
on the dead run. followed, when from be
hind one Of tue graYestones doomed up the
form of a man VINO was standing watch
He took aim, and the bullet from his rife
took effect IN my leg. | felt the blood
coursing down inside my stocking, but
managed to reach the wagon, where my
partner pulled me in and drove quickly to
my house. The doctor whom | worked for
at the college took The bullet out but the
wetting that got and the excitement and
fright threw NE into fever. and / was laid
up for a long time When | got well
learned that the family had attached some
sort of clock to the coffin, which warned
parties who had been hired to watch the
grave, and when we touched the head of
the coffin we set the machinery in notion
and by the light of the lightning the sen.
tinel got on TO US and fired at random, hit
ting me. You can bet | never brought any
suit for damages"
"Did you ever find any jewelsl'
"Never but once; though in digging up
women's bodies ! have often got hold of
fine under-clothing, silk dresses and stock
irgs, and these were my perquisites. I'd
air them well and then take 'em to pawn
shop or a second hand dealer, and never had
any trouble about raising money on such
things.
II recollect one time of getting into a
vault where a rich young lady from Avon
dale, some years ago. was buried. She had
been in some kind of trance for some
time before she died, and as | knew one of
the hired girls in the house / pumped her
and learned that a fine Swiss lady's watch.
set in diamonds, and an elegant diamond