Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-12-02
FOR BODY SCRATCHING.
,Hv TRIAL OF TAILOR FOREMAN AND Dr.
JOHN R. PIPES
c,mm.Do.d Before Judge PAUL, in the Orcuii
Court. Ysstsrday-SOms New Evidences Oh
Decided nisrsst Adducsd.

The trial of DR.. John h. Pipes anu
Teller Foreman. ex-Superintendent OF
the County Infirmary, on the charge o.
nnlavfully removing body from 'ne
GRAVEYARD of the county poor house, d.
EIn Grove was commenced in the Clr
emit Court. before Judge PAUL, yester
cav. The gravity Of the otfense' IL U.s.
ing felony, punishable by confinement
in the penitentiary, and the prominence
Of the parties, combine to make tne
case one Of great interest, especiaiiy
when II was well known that there was
"a woman in the case" who was very
liable to give utterance to some very
sensational testimony, in behalf OF
the defense. In this latter re-
gard there will be disappointment
however, as the female has le1t the
State and gone to Pennsylvania ana IL
Is very improbable that she will be pres
emit during the case. During the DAY
the Court had considerable trouble WIN
witnesses, two of them, James Crelgn-
ton and Isaac Litton, getting drunk De-
tween the morning and afternoon ses-
sinns. Creighton was fined five dollars
for contempt and sent to jail,
while Litton was at first fined q
dollar, but later it was RENTED
Two other witnesses, Harry and Charles
Menkemeller, were reprimanded by the
Court for leaving the Court House with
out the permission of the Court. They
had an understanding with one OF the
deputy sheriffS that they were TO Do
telephoned for when needed.
The defense was represented by Cap
tain 3. b. Dovener, while Prosecuting
Attorney Howard appeared for the
state. The following jury was placed
in the box: John l.. Giesey, John Nc
Crum, Jr., Charles Schmidt, G. A. Copp,
James A. DemiStoD, R. B. Wayt, Jerry
Crawford, James Dixon, W. r. Spring
err, John c. Wilkie, R. E. Williamson
and j. B. Giffen. The indictment al
legged that at some time between the
18th day of January, 1891, and April
Goth the remains ofCharles Wertsbecker,
an inmate of the infrmary, who had
died on the evening of January 18th,
had been removed from the grave by the
defendants.
The evidence presented by the State
through James Creighton, Isaac Linton,
John Anderson, Thomas Higgs, and
others, did not differ very materially
from that presented at the preliminary
examination before Justice Ankle, and
already printed in full in this paper. 1t
was, briefly, to the effect that Werts-
becker had died on the evening OF jan
uary 18th, and had been buried the
next day; that Foreman had told Kemp
he had 8 telephone message from DIR.
Pipes, who had said he wanted the
body; that Pipes and Foreman were to-
gether on the 18th, at the hospital,
where the patient had died, and else
where about the Infrmary; that some
time in cold weather, probably in Janu-
airy, Foreman had approached Thomas
Higgs with proposition to earn two
dollars, but the nature OF the work was
not stated, owing to an interruptions;
and John Anderson testified to seeing
the grave open in April, and the coffin
was empty.
Then DR.. L. D. Wilson took the stand
for the State, and the testimony became
interesting.
Q.-Do you know DR.. John R. Pipes?
Ayes, sir.
eff you had any conversation with
him-or one or more conversations
with him-on the matter which is now
OF trial, relating TO the removal of the
body of Charles Wertsbecker from the
Infrmary graveyard, in January, 1891,
tell the jury all of those several CONVEX
Sations, when and where they took
place, and what was said by both of you?
Al had two conversations, in which
the matter came up, but don't know
that can give the exact words, but
only the substance of what was said.
The first conversation was some time in
the winter-I don't remember exactly
when. 1t was cold day. Probably it
was in January. l had been told the
day before that an attempt had
been made to get body at
the Infrmary. 1 met DR.. Pipes on
the sidewalk, as was driving, and hav-
ing heard about 1t, l thought l would
like to know about it, and I stopped
and spoke to him, saying: "What sort OF
business is this?" or something like that.
He asked how found it out. l didn't
tell him the source, but told him it
came out in way that almost any one
could find 1t out. / told him l thought
he ought not to be engaged in anything
of that sort-it was not just the thing
to do, and we separated.
Q.-Do l understand you TO testify
that you had conversation with DR..
Pipes in January, relative to the taking
Of body from the Intirmary graveyard?
EObjection by Dovener. Question al
lowed, and exception. A.-The con-
verSation l had was begun by myself,
about what had heard was an attempt
to take body, as had understood it
had not been taken at that time.
Q.-Whst did you say about the char
acter of the business, and his being en-
gagged in it? Al said it wasn't the
sort OF thing that professional man
ought to be engaged in; that the SEN
timent OF the community was against
it, and that one oughtn't to do il.
Odd he deny it, or admit having
been engaged in that business? lob
lection. What answer did he make?
Al don't recall that he made any an
swer to that.