Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-05
AFTER THE GRAVE ROBBERS
Testimony offered in the Police Court
Today.
Two Of the Men Held for the Grand
Jury Bodies Packed
in Boxes.

In following up the investigation Of the
cases involving the robbery of graves IN
Payne's and Woodlawn cemeteries. the po-
lice made an effort last evening to appre-
bend the missing member of the NARROW
family who Is alleged to have been con-
nected with the CHASTITY crimes. but failed to
succeed. George NARROW and his son Jere-
miah, and their alleged companion, John
Jones, failed to give bail, and were held in
custody at the police station until this morn
ing, when they were taken to the Police
Court.
The case attracted an unusual amount of
attention. and scores of curious people were
In court early in the morning, anxious to
get glimpse of the alleged resurrectionists
and some of them even expected to see the
bodies that had been taken from the graves
In the dead hour of night and packed in oak
leaves, preparatory to shipment to medical
colleges In the east and west. But in this
they were sadly disappointed, for the bodies
mad been returned to the cemeteries, and
either put back in the ground or in the
vault where the grave robbers cannot again
get them. There were no eye-Witnesses to
the weird scene in the cemetery nor was
tnere anybody in court to tell of how the
dlsturbers of the graves had collected oak
leaves in the cemetery to use for packing
George NARROW and John Jones are power
Iul coiored men, while jeremiah NARROW
although only fourteen years old looked as
II he were much older.
LAWYERS Peyton and Holland represented
'he. prisoners, While Lawyer Hewlett an
peared in the interest of the cemetery
companies and assisted Mr.. MulIowny IN
the prosecution of the case.
Inc body of Ellen Wilmington, taken
from Payne's, and the body of wilma m
Qualls, taken from Woodlawn Cemetery
were charged as having been taken by tho
PRISONERS in the warrants, which were filed
undtr the act of Congress of last year which
makes srave robbery felony.
evidence to establish the death and buria,
OF two of the four bodies was first offered.
and the government followed this -up bv
showing that the bodies were afterwar d
.ahen from the express packages and placed
on the dead table in the morgue Mrs.
Whittington's body was first under dis
cusslon, and her daughter, attired in black,
related her sad experience of the buraI.
resurrection and reinterment of her
mothers body.
At the Express Office.
Sylvester Peck, night clerk in the employ
OF the United States Express Company,
told of the receipt of the large dry goods
box, IN which was the body of Mrs. Whit
tlngton, as well as that of another woman
The box was delivered early in the morn
ing, and as there were two addresses on
the box the lid was removed, and he saw
that the contents were packed in oak
leaves.
i put my hand in the box he said,
and felt what I thought was human
flesh. Then l ran my hand down further
IN the box ard felt human foot
Witness could not identify either NARROW
although George NARROW resembles the
man who held the horse.
DO You recognize either of the defend
ants as having been there with the box?"
he was asked
Yes, sir" was his response. 'I recognize
that man (pointing to jones' as the man
who signed the bill as William Jackson.
He signed for a similar box some time be-
fore"
Ernest Johnson, also a clerk in the ex-
press office, identified both George NARROW
and John Jones as having delivered two
boxes at the office. On the 31st OF January
he said. they delivered a box there address,
cd TO IL. B. Downing, Hanover, NH"
This box contained hardware, they said,
but some of the men became suspicious,
and part of the lid was removed. 1t was
found to contain oak leaves, but the clerk
who made the investigation did not put his
fand in the box far enough to tell what
was packed in the leaves. The box re-
ceived on the Sth of February contained the
two bodies of women.
Clerk Robey also gave evidence. He told
OF the box received there on the Sth of FeD-
was opened because of the two addresses
en- it, one Detroit, Mich, and the other Bal
timore, Md. This witness did not know by
whom the box was delivered.
Legal Point.
This concluded the proof, so far as Mrs
Whittinstcn's body was concerned and
Lawyer Peyton moved that the warrant
be quashed because, he said, the law makes
it misdemeanor, punishable by imprison-
ment In Jail and not in the penitentiary
Judge Miller said he would like to know
when Congress would learn that there is
no labor performed in the jail The act
says that the offense is punishable by hard
labor and Imprisonment in Jail.
Mr.. Mullowny said that the word Jail
made 10 difference because the word labor
is used.
Judge Miller confessed that the statute
was peculiarly drawn.
Counsel argued that the law applied to
paupers, and said that ghouls, as is we'll
known, have made potters field their prin-
cipal place of operation.
The court did not agree with counsel,
but thought an investigation would reveal
many empty graves in different cemeteries
The Result.
The court overruled the motion, and then
counsel moved that the prisoners be dig
charged because of insufficient proof. There
was TO proc against the boy, jeremiah
NARROW, in this case, and he was acquitted.
His father. George NARROW. and John Jones
were held for the grand jury, and the court
fixed the bond at 81 600.
Mr.. Mullowny said he would abandon the
case involving the removal of Qualls' body,
which was deposited with Adams Express
Company Monday morning.