The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1890-11-14
KEMMLER'S BURIAL.
Gruesome Midnight Scene In the Convict
Grave-Yar TT Auburn.


That portion of Fort Hill Cemetery
in Auburn which faces the poorest and
most desolate part of the city is known
as the ''convicts burying ground" says
the New York Sun. Nothing divides 1t
from the costly Jombs and towering
headstones of marble that mark the
space devoted TO the righteous dead
save line of ragged, sickly grass that
tells where the lawn-mowers stop The
entrance TO the Gods Acre OF the con-
vict dead is on side street, and Is
guarded by. pretty cottage in which
lives 4 grave-digger and his wife.
The mystery attending the burial OF
William Kemmler WAS only second to
the mystery surrounding the prePara-
tions for his death. 1t will be remem-
bered that he was tortured TO death by
electricity early on the morning OF Au-
gust 6, and that O few hours later the
knives of the surgeons were busy cut
ting the body to pieces. There was
some doubt concerning the section OF
law relating TO the burial OF the body,
and when the watchers about the prison
on the night following the execution
saw no sign OF any funeral it was gem
orally believed that the body had been
covered with quick-lime and buried be-
meath one of the fiagstones OF the
prison yard. Late in the after
noon of the next day the grave
digger in charge of the convict bury
ing ground received orders to have
= grave ready for = body at ten o'clock
that night. The grave was dug, and
when ten o'clock came without bringing
the expected body, the grave digger
turned the light down low in the sit
ting-room of his cottage and went TO
sleep in his working clothes. His wife
lay on bed in front OF a window keep
ing watch on the street, SO that she
might wake her husband when the body
arrived. ---~ -
Meantime mon in charge OF what was
left Of the dead murderer's body had
placed it in an express wagon At $50
o'clock, and had driven out of the prison
gate. There was q knot OF men on the
sidewalk who Immediately showed
signs of excitement when the wagon ap-
peared. 1t was instantly decided that
these men were reporters, and the
driver of the wagon, in accordance evil
IDENTIFY with the orders of Warden Ours
ton to elude the newspaper men, drove
around the block and then back into the
prison yard No other attempt was
made to dispose OF the body until
eleven o'clock, when the express wagon
again came rafting out, but again there
were men on the sidewalk who seemed
interested in its movements, and once
again the wagon was driven back into
the yard, and the big gates closed on It.
No other effort was made to bury the
body until midnight, when the wagon
came dashing out as though the driver
was bound to get rid Of his burden at all
hazards. He drove rapidly up the
street, the wagon swaying TO and fro
and rattling horribly. The grave digger
led the way into the gloomy cemetery
by the dim light Of a lantern. Arriving
al the grave he set the lantern at one
end OF it, and seizing the remains OF the
murderer pulled them out OF the wagon.
1t didn't take long to fill up tho grave,
for the only object 70 accomplish wac TO
get the body out of sight and stamp the
dirt on it