The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-27
MONEY FOR A CORPSE.
Relatives of a Ukiah Man
Made to Believe That He
Was Dead.
THEY MOURN WITHOUT CAUSE
The Body of Stranger in Casket
Alleged to Contain John
DoWling's Remains.

UKIAH, CALg., June %. - For several
days people of Ukiah have been mourning
the death of John Bowling, who was re-
ported killed at Colfax. Now comes the
intelligence that Bowling is still living,
and with it the rumor of deliberate at
tempt to extort money from his relatives
by utilizing the body-of a stranger.
UKIAH, CAL, June 26. - Mrs. Mary
Bowling is a widowed mother of large
family, who has resided in Ukiah seven
years. Her husband was the owner of
some very valuable mining property at
Moore's Flat, Nevada County. Not long
after moving his family to Ukiah Bowling
took sick and died, and the care of the
property and family has since devolved
upon the widow. A grown son, John
Downing, resides at Moore's Flat, and looks
after the Bowling interests there. The
family includes five daughters and two
sons.
On Sunday last the following telegram
was received from the Coroner of Nevada
County:
COLFAX, CAL, June %.
To Mrs. " DOVIing: Your son, John Dow
ling, killed by cars. What shall l do with
body? (Signedl, BERRY MITCHELL, Coroner.
The grief-stricken mother and family
knew not what to do. Immediately tele-
grams were sent to the children who were
away from home. Wells-Fargo's agent
here was instructed to attend to the tele-
graphing and other necessary arrange
ments for the embalming of the body and
its shipment to Ukiah.
On Monday the grief of the sorrowing
relatives was made more keen upon the
receipt of telegram to the effect that the
body was buried on the afternoon of June
%. This seemed like railroading the body
TO the grave without waiting for instruc-
tons as to its disposition, and the mother
was heartbroken to think that the pTivi-
lege of taking last look at her son should
be denied her. Being amply able to pay
whatever expense might attend embalm-
ing and shipment, she had given instruc
tions to have both done regardless of cost.
Her daughter, whose home is in San
Francisco, proceeded at once to Colfax 10
learn the particulars and to have the body
exhumed and shipped. This afternoon,
however, a telegram was received from the
Colfax undertaken stating that the body
was not mangled and could be taken up,
but it would cost 500 and the price of a
metallic coffin.
Upon the arrival of Dowling's sister at
Colfax, the undertaken, one Mccullough
by name. reported that upon the body was
found $23 90 and a ticket to Sacramento;
that the money was all used up in tele-
graphing, and that the sister could have
her choice of paying funeral expenses or
letting the county bear the expense.
He said the coffin (the kind the county
is usually charged $40 for) she could have
for $125. The sister wanted the grave
opened, and knowing that such a task
would take considerable time, sat down to
await the preparations of the Coroner. He
was back in about fifteen minu ties, a remark
ably short time she thought, but when she
went to the cemetery and saw the shallow
est of graves, the coffin-lid being open as
though done with the blow of a blunt in
strument, and a hole down through the
earth on the grave Just sufficient to expose
the face TO view, it could be understood
why the Job did not take longer. The
buZzint flies almost obscured the vision,
and the woman was obliged TO brush them
away. She wanted the grave entirely
opened and the body raised TO the surface,
and for this paid the Coroner, but it was
not done. She was not sure it was her
brother, and yet thick mass of black hair
and a scar under the chm seemed to partly
identify him, together with the height and
weight that she had learned elsewhere.
The Coroner gave her the chance for but
one hurried look, and then told her to get
into the buggy and leave, saying he would
attend to having the body covered. At
first she refused, declaring that no human
person would open grave as he
did, and she would not allow him
TO close it unless she were present.
There was no covering to prevent the clods
and earth from striking the face of the
corpse at the bottom of the shallow grave
Finally, however, she left for this city to
assist in preparations for the funeral. On
her arrival this morning, however, the fol-
lowing telegram was received:
MooREs FLAT, June 20, 1895.
To Mrs. Mary DoloIing, Ukiah, Gail am all
right; false report. JOHN BOWLING.
This news was received with Joy; then
indignation at the attempted hoax that had
been played upon them followed. Bowling s
relatives have come to the conclusion that
a deliberate attempt was made to secure
money from them, a dead stranger being
used for the purpose, and it is said they
will commence immediate action for dam
ages against Coroner Mitchell and Under
taker Mccullough.
The report also reaches here that the
unfortunate dead man was fully identified
at the inquest as one John C. Morton, and
that his parents, who live in Oakland. will
attempt TO have the derelict official and
Coroner punished for hurriedly consign-
ing him to miserable grave and utilizing
his body for alleged fraudulent purposes.