Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-05-06
THE TWO DOCTORS.

They do not do so now, but in bygone
times somo of the medical students and
young procticing physicians OF Detroit
wcrc III tho habit Of stealing bodies for
dissection from the cemeteries adjoining
the city.
In those times there were two young
doctors, just ont of their teens. who
were partners in a practice which left
them with great deal of time on their
hands. Both of them were strong Of
head and of physical makeup and either
of them could drink any other man in
Detroit drunk on cherry whisky and
still retain his sea legs and his cool
head. And there were not few sturdy
drinkers in Detroit then.
Nevertheless, while the young physi-
cians appeared to be sailing straight for
the rock Of Grog, they put in great
deal of time, much of it stolen from the
night, advancing themselves in profess
sion TO which they were courageously
devoted. One of them, it may be men
toned incidentally, advanced in the aft
or dnys to II very high position in the
medical department of the United States
army, and tho other became one of the
foremost physicians of the city.
One night the two determined upon
making sally upon u certain cemetery
to steal the corpse of man who had
died Of q peculiar disease, which was the
talk of the little town at the time, and
which threw medical circles into sharp
and in some instances furious discus
zion. When they sauntered from their
favorite boozing place, they were pretty
well filed with cherry whisky, and tho
hour was past II o'clock. Their cronies
came away with them, us that was the
customary hour for retiring unless it
happened to be holiday OCCASION, when
1--WE Won't Go Home Till Morning. was
sung, a song, by the way, which imparts
a flavor of the wine of the imnortals to
good average whisky-which in its turn
cheorfully and heartily reciprocates the
compliment, by causing the song to thrill
the soul like the war hymn of triYm-
phantt SrcnnNSels.
Earlier in the evening they had made
arrangements for Il horse and a light
wagon, spades, pickax, crowbars and
grave, and they started out. The night
favored them with Opaque clouds which
hid three-fourths faded summer moon.
Arrived at the desired place, outside
the cemetery fence, they led the horse
into a strip of woods, crossed the road
and entered the cemetery. Before pro-
ceeding to business they took n hearty
pull at the cherry bottle. With the aid
OF their dark lanterns they found the
mark which had been made upon the
grave in the daytime. They then pro-
ceeded to adjust their dark colored sheet
ing. The grave was pretty close to the
road, but they didn't mind that. The
sheeting, hung on sticks pressed into the
ground, screened the grave from all
points of view, and the dark lantern was
hung in such position that it shone in
narrow circle downward upon the
grave.
Both seized their spades then and went
to work with will at either end OF the
grave, space being taken at one end tC
afford room for both to work. In this
way the muscular young fellows soon
reached the over box. The top of this
was taken off and laid aside. In little
while the cover of the coffin was un,
screwed, and in the haste Of the moment
it was thrown out of the grave. 1t STRUCK
the width of sheetinS next the road and
threw it down.
The corpse was very heavy one, and
it took the united efforts of both the doc
tors to raise it in the narrow space Of the
| grave. They managed TO stand it up al
the end Of the grave and then concluded
that the best thing TO do was to have one
| of them lift from below and tho Other
from the top To this end one of then
proceeded to climb ont Of the grave, but
just at that moment their blood was
frozen in their veins by piercing shrek
On the night chosen by the young doc
tors for their raid ON the cemetery r
| William Green, a suburban beau, who's
| characteristics were Of the hue of hi,
name, and whose courage was utterly
disproportioned to his tall, gaunt frame
was returning homeward i'll company
! with Mary s., as beautiful a country
girl az ever trfpped over the daisies ant
as bright and intelligent as she was beau
| llIul' IeOJlc OlleH NOuucIcu lncu ItON
beauty of such manifest superiority o
character could see anything attractiv,
in a fellow like Bill Green, but from thi
coign of time the riddle is easily read
beaus were very scarce in the township
of H in those days, and hence CIR
had no choice. 1t was said that the,
were affianced but this was not true
Something in Mary's conduct had hel,
William back from declaring himself
although she readily allowed his atten
ton and refused the proffers of escor
of certain newcomer in the field.
That night the couple had been to
party, and the shortest and indeed tn
only way to their respective homes wa
by the cemetery road, unless it might b
across the rough fields, an impracticabl
way in the dark.
AS tho twain approached the dark hol
low of the road, which the bounds Of tn
cemetery touched, Mary naturally droy