Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-03-13
MUTILATE THE DEAD
Startling Story Told Last Night by a
Negro Craze Digger.
GRAND JURY TO INVESTIGATE.
Henrico Authorities Have Taken
Cognixance OF the Practice of
Burying More Than One Body in a
Grave Mt the Negro Cemeteries.


cemeteries around Richmond more than
one corpse Is being inferred In grave
has been brought TO the attention OF the
Henrico grand jury by Commonwealth
Attorney Sands and indictments will, no
doubt, be found against some OF the ceme-
terry superintendents to-day.
Mr.. w. III. Beveridge, attorney for resi-
dents OF the neighborhoods surrounding
these cemeteries, was instrumental In
having this done, and he has been INDUS
triously at work for several days In
gathering evidence against the superin-
tendents. AS a result, he has now in his
possession data which Is very eliminating
In its nature, and indicates that in Me-
chanics' and Ebenezer cemeteries II has
been for some time the practice TO open
up graves In which bodies have lain for
years, and put others corpses in them.
STATEMENTS OF WITNESSES.
Mr.. Beveridge last night had several
negroes In his office, examining them as
to their knowledge of the practices in the
colored cemeteries, and among them was
Robert Dickerson. Robert is very black
negro, of Herculean proportions, and
earns his daily bread by digging graves
in the negro cemeteries.
He was not very anxious TO talk at first,
but the thumb screws were put on MIN,
and he was encouraged to conceal naught,
and soon grew loquacious and made reye-
lations which are decidedly interesting.
He has been employed in digging graves
for four years, and has d~ring that time
made excavations for upwards of thou
4 tntI ha lau uryar In 10
presence of a Dispatch man, that at Ebe-
nezer and Mechanics cemeteries there
was hardly foot of ground that had not
been buried over once. and great portion
of the cemeteries had been gone over
twice and three times. When the under
takers call for a grave, said he. the SUI
perintendents of these cemeteries order
one dug and instruct the digger to re-
move the bones, which have been slumber-
Ing beneath the spot selected, and huddle
them together In hole In the bottom OF
the grave. These instructions are always
obeyed and as four and five interments
are now made each day In those ceme-
terIes, and this practice has been going
on for years, 1t frequently occurs that
two skulls are found in a newly-opensd
grave, which are placed with the other
bones below the box, which awaits the
third corpse.
CUT THE HEAD OFF.
Dickerson stated that he had several
times had occasion to mutilate bodies in
order TO make room for others, and on
one occasion, when grave he was dig
ging Tapped over on another, he had been
forced to cut the head OF white man
off, as 1t protruded In the newly-opened
grave. This head he buried in a hole be-
meath the box for the new corpse, and
covered up the protruding neck In the
next grave with the end of the box.
II was not dreamed by any Of those
present last night that white people were
ever buried in any OF the colored ceme-
teries until Dickerson made this state
ment, and then. in reply to question
propounded by the reporter, Dickerson
said IL frequently occurred that white
people were buried ameng the negroes,
as graves could be secured there for
$3.50, and they cost very much more in
the white cemeteries.
He said that Ben. Harris. the colored
superintendent OF the Mechanics Gene
terry. claimed that a grave which had
been uncared for for twenty years was
forfeited TO him, Notwithstanding the land
had been sold TO the friends OF the corpse
which occupied it
WANT THEM CLOSED.
The residents of the neighborhood claim
| that when these old graves are reopened
| the stencil Is frequently unbearabe, and
| they, therefore, desire to have an In
| dictment found against the superintend-
| ents for maintaining a nuisance, and
| hone thereby to have the cemeteries
closed. 1t was stated by one Of those
present last night that I'm Mechanics
| Cemetery one body. to his knowledge,
was not eighteen inches below the ground.
This same matter was recently investi-
| gated by the Richmond Board of Health,
but the superintendents OF all the ceme-
teries denied the charges made, and there
was a lack of evidence TO prove dual
burials In the same graves.