The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-12-08
A SENSATIONAL REPORT
Disproyen After Boingin Circu-
lation Several Yeas.
A FAMOUS TRAGEDY REVIVED

.. By n Story Which m "Intcli gcnccl
Reporter Investigated, Only to
Find That rs Suspected tho
Story Was Untrue.
An old tragedy is recalled after a lap.
Of over seven years. Almost reat
er OF the lNrELLINgNcER will remembe
the murder OF Dr.. Guenther Schucl
hardt by his reputed nephew, Guenthe
sehneile, on March l0,lSS3 Schnelle er
tered the drug store Of his uncle on Mai
street in Centre Wheeling lato in tb
afternoon, and after asking tho old doc
tor, "Don't you know me9" and bein
answered In the negative, shot Dl
schuchhardt in the head, killing him.
The murderer then shot himself /,
the head, but not fatally. Ho recovered
was convicted Of murder in the first de
gree, and sentenced to Imprisonment
for life. He became insane in the peni
tentiary at Moundsville, however, ant
was transferred to the asylum at Weston
Dr.. Schuckhardt was buried on Marcl
% on his own farm near Burlington
over the river. The squabble over hi.
money, found buried in his cellar aitel
his death, increaaed the sensation causet
by his murder. All this is no " strange
ly recalled.
RuMoR OF GRAVE ROBBERY.
Yesterday q report came to the ears O
an lSTELLIdRNCEI reporter to the eff C,
that the remains OF Dr. SchrcShardt die
not lie peacefully in the grave on his
farm near the town OF Burlington, two
miles above Wheeling on the Ohio side,
but that his bones had been stripped o.
their ileah, and are now dangling on
wires in the closet OF physician. g
The story told the INTELLlGEScER re.
porter was that on the nigh. OF March
-, 1888, the day Of DR.. Schuckhardt's
funeral, medical student, then at home
from college on a vacation, and Mar.
TINS Ferry man, went to the old mans
grave and removed the remains.
Later the skeleton was said to have
been articulated and used by the medi.
cal student in his studies. The story
was told TO the reporter With great vivid.
ness Of detail. 1t was said thas the grave
was opened at the head, one OF the flag.
stones forming the top Of the vault re.
moved, the Tough-box lid sawed in lwo,
the glass in the collin smashed, rope
placed around under the arns of the
corpse, and the body dragged through
the opening.
1t was also stated by the INrELLlGEN.
GERS informant that the man who com.
nitted tho robbery is dead, and that his
assistant has removed to q distant Stale,
and that for the reason that he could do
no harm to either, contidante OF one OF
them had told it to an intimate friend,
and be in turn told it to the lSTsLLI-
GEScER's informant.
The circums,antiality OF detail, and
The fact that there was q runlor extaut
shortly after Or. r.Schuckhard.'s death tha,
his remains had been stolen, caused the
lSTELLIdESCER to deem the story al
least worthy of investigation.
A NIGHT ExpEDrTIoS.
Yesterday evening an INTELLIGENcEr
reporter went over to Martins Ferry
and looked up some relatives Of the
Doctor, with the view to substantiatine
the report or disproving it.
Mr.. Charles ". kuckuck, relative oi
the Doctor, said he had heard such
rumors shortly after the funeral, but
that he had never taken any stock in
them. When he heard the story OF the
reporter, however, he was much i'm.
pressed with it, and agreed to accom-.
pany him TO the grave, and if the
other relatives made no objection, to
assist in making an investigation. A
drive over very rough, muddy road
brought the searchers to the residence
OF Mrs. George Harcher, formerly Mrs
August kuckuck, who, through hel
first husband, inherited the farm upor
which are the graves OF DR.. and Mira
Schuckhardt. Mrs. Harcher was much
Affected by the story, and at once gave
her consent to the opening of the grave
provided another relative living shor
distance away had no objections, saying
at the same time that che had been an
noyed at various times by similar re
poitu. The consent Of this lady was Sc
cured and the work commen cad.
THE BODY STILL THERE.
The grave is located with that OF Dr.
schuckha-dt's wife, inside of an orna
mental iron fence ct the loot OF an i'm
posing monument, on level piece o
ground at the top Of a high and precipi
lous hill. The location commands
splendid view Of the Ohio river both vi
and down and was in all probabilitl
aelccted by the Doctor as his last restinj
place on account OF its peculiarly pleas
ant location. A lantern and tools wer,
procured and man accustomed to sucl
work was hired to dig open the grave
The earth was soft and easily removed
and at about three feet down the f4l
stone covering the brick vault was
reached. The earth was removed 80
that the stone, which is iour inche!
thick and three feet square, was ex
posed. Four men lifted the stone
and the lid OF the rough
box underneath was iounC
to be intact hut badly rotted. A lin'
was out through across the rotten board
with the pick, and the piece taken up
The collin underneath was found intacr
and in about the same condition, barrinj
moisture, that it was when placed therl
nearly eight years ago.
The relatives Of the dead man wer,
very much pleased to find everything il
good condition, and their minds are re
lieved OF burden which has causet
them many IN hours uneasiness.
After IL Long AbseIce.
Mr.. Michael Edwards, jr., who lef
Wheeling forty years ago, is mere for tn
first time since, accompanied by his SOD
l ~ o..