Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-08-18
A CRAVE ROBBING MYSTERY.
DETECTIVE O'HARE COULD CLEAR
1T UP, But HE WON'T.
The Body of Ralph II. Woods. stolen
From Cemetery and Said to
Have Been Recovered. May
BE AnOther's Remains.

| The police have ferreted out another
| grave robbery, but for some unexplained
reason have utterly failed to locate the
robber, or robbers although member of
the force. Detective Andy O'Hare. has been
in acknowledged conversation with one OF
them, secured. as he claims. the body from
him and yet failed to arrest him. merely
| because he promised certain persons in
terested in the crime that he would not
ask any questions.
The body stolen was that of Ralph H.
Woods. young man 20 years OF age. son
of Mr.. and Mrs. W. C. Woods, of 1917 East
Sixth street, who died July a of typhoid
fever at the scarritt hospital. Woods was
an employe of the American Surety Com
pany and was young man OF Wias az
was buried Saturday, July 25, in the private
burial ground of the Woods family on tne
Of Wead fD%d %otbar es was Mss
Ricketts, and owns the farm on which is
the burial ground. Mrs. Woods, brother: , nH,
nephew, Benjamin Morton, has an ad,
joining farm. On Friday. August Z an ola
woman who is employed at the RlSKettS f,s,l,i
ground toward Moscow, the nearest post
| office. When in the center, of the heid she
Ber 10 up nen S SaT
the cuff was that of Ralph Woods and
from the odor that still chung TO IL a haa
body. The following day the cuff was
given to Mrs. J. s. Brooks. an aunt OF
young Woods, his mothers sister' aphsa, wIo ,i'
Up to this time there had been no tnousht
that Woods body had been removed from
of Of the he cuff spread it was thought the grave
had been opened for the purpose of steal
ing the clothing of the dead man. 1t,
For the past several years before MS
death Woods had been constant visitor
at the home of w. d. Pell. 2SG9 Montgall
avenue, and. 1t is stated. was engaged ,,, 10
daughter. Thursday last Mr. Pell drove
over to the Ricketts, farm with his daugn.
ter. the latter expressing desire 10 VISIT
Mr. Woods grave. There they found Mrs.
Woods, the dead mans mother. who was
visiting with her sister. Mrs. Brooks hav-
ing gone over the Saturday before.
panied by Mr.. and Miss Pell and Mr.. Nor
ton, visited the grave of Mrs: Woods son.
AL that time the finding of the cum bear.
ing Woods name was unknown to any of
| the party save Mr.. Morton, and SO prat-
| ticed had been the work of the ghouis IN
opening Woods grave that it did not dawn
ever been tampered with. Mrs. Woods
noticed slight shrinkage or the earth on
the newly made grave and said it must be
| filled in the following day.
leave the Ricketts, farm for a business
drive to Randolph Mo- Mr. Morton s on. en A.
| the finding of the cuff Mr.! Pell said the
| matter must be investigated and at II
O'Clock Friday night the grave was visited
ami found TO have been robbed of Mr..
Woods body.
Upon making the discovery Mr.. Pell and
Mr.. Morton came direct to Kansas City
the New York Life building. and H. E..
Co!vin. also an attorney and a cousin Of
the deceased by marriage. in the matter,
and it was reported to the police.
Smith was friend of Woods and when
he reported the theft of the body. to Chief
Irwin Saturday morning, Detective Andy
O'Harp assigned IN the He "
| planned to Mr.. O'Hare what he wanted.
and without further parley the detective
nrday night he met Mir. Smith and Mr..
Pell at Central station and. after exactins
promise from them that they would not
of any one. said he thought he could To-
cate the body. He said he had talked
with a man who had promised to give UP
no money asked, and Mr.. Pell says none
was given. --.
l. In order to make the Identity sure.
o'Hare asked the gentlemen if the body
they were seeking was stolen from what is
known "a. as the :. - ricketts, graxeyard
They said that that was the body they
were after. Until that time neither Mr..
pell nor Mr.. Smith had mentioned TO
O'Hare from where Woods body had been
taken.
Upon obtaining the promises from Mr..
5 to look into fa the case Mr. Hape
told them to meet him at his house. 15l7
Baltimore avenue, at 1880. The men We're
informed thm that he would have the body
at Stewards undertaking rooms the next
day Sunday; Becoming suspicious that
tell regarding the body. Mr.. Pell asked
him If he did not then have possession of
IT, f. He Yes have it nSw
accordingly made to meet at Stewart's
Sunday about noon and convey the body
to its t former resting plase and ,;t quietly
view, Woods parents were not apprised of
their sons body having been taken from
its grave until yesterday afternoon. when
their home. 1917 East Sixth street. Mrs.
Woods, who was alone in the house at the
nation She and Mr. Woods had not even
vet heard of the finding of the. cuff near
the graveyard. and consequently did not
tamoered with, either for the purpose OF
robbery or the furthering of science. 1t is
understood that an effort will be made to
hunt down the robbers and bring the evil
dence against them before the grand jury.
Mr. Colvin and Mr.. Smith have both in
is understood that Mr.. Colvin Is particu-
larly emphatic in his declaration TO have
the right persons brought to justice.
The story of the finding of Woods body
| by Detective Andy O'Hare reads like ro-
nance. and could 1t be believed, would
| only add fresh laurels to his already bright
| list of which ended several months age
| with the recovery of Mrs. Mabel Taylor's
| body, which was stolen from a grave near
| Shawnee Mission, kaS., and which Mr..
| O'Hare was led to by two mysterious
young men who wore masks and did not
utter word. Mrs. Taylor's body was
| found in the mid,ile of the night in
ravine nearly 100 miles from Kansas city.
| The detective placed it in wagon and
drove to Kansas City.
After leaving Mr.. Pell and Mr.. Smith at
Central station Saturday night. Mr..
| OHare's whereabouts until IL o'clock are
known only to himself. Between that hour
| vim and Smith by appointment at his
home. and told them he had possession
| of the body, he gots Woods body from
| some unknown source. he says. from
mysterious man near the Union cemetery
| on the Westport road, drove with 1t to
! street. between Twelfth and Thirteenth
| streets. carried 1t into the cooling room
| and laid it on a stretcher. All of this was
| done without the knowledge of two of Mr..
| Stewards assistants, who claim to have
| been asleep in the place at the time. They
| say they did not hear o Hare enter or
| leave the cooling room, which is between
| the main office, where they We're asleep.
| and rear room adjoining the alley be-
| tween Walnut and Main streets. These
| mems names are l.. w. Glass and Fred
| Midlam. and they claim they went to bed
| about 1890 Saturday night. and assert that
| OHare had not been in the place with
| dead body up to that time.
About o'clock Sunday morning, Mr..
| Midlam says. O'Hare came into the under
| taking rooms and asked him If there had
| been some men there TO look at a body.
| He said no. and upon his asking what
body was meant, O'Hare turned on his
1