Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-03
Resurrectionists Again at Work in
Local Cemeteries.
BODIES OF BOYS FOUND IN A BOX
Were Those of George Henry QuaIIs
and Henry Thomas.
ALLEGED CRIMINALS TAKEN


sistance of some of the men in the employ
of the Adams Express Company, inter
cepted two bodies and have several ale ged
resLrrectionists under arrest.
This morning about . o'clock an old
wagon containing a large secondhand dry
goods box filed with something that was
very heavy stopped at the freight depot
of the Baltimore and Potomac railroad a
colored man and boy in the wagon sue
ceeded by hard work in getting the box
from the tumble-down vehicle and turning
1t over ID the express officials.
IL B. Downing. Hanover N H." was
the address roughly painted on the box and
there was evidence OF the contents of the
box having been packed in oak leaves. Some
cid addresses on the box had been carefully
obllterated and there was nothing to in1i-
cate whence it had come.
The eXpressmen, remembering their ex-
perience only short time ago. when two
BODIES We're found. suspected from the ap-
psarance of the box that its contents were
OF Shastly nature, and so the police were
called in.
Two bodies Exposed to View.
Policeman Henry removed the box to
the morgue and there Superintendent
Schoenberger opened it. When the first
narrow piece OF the top lad been removed
and the oak leaves used packing We're
seen ne NdS SdtiSIeu CE9l the l0NeStlSl-
tion had not been started in vain. for
when few leaves had been removed the
faces of two colored boys were exposed TO
view
The bodies were placed on the table. and
the officers then went in search of the
Cclored people who had delivered the box
at the depot. Others started out to have
the bodies identified.
The Corpscs Quickly Recognized.
t,pf of II III hot
of George Henry Qualls. who was buried
from the home of his parents. No. 2214 Eir-
ginfa avenue. Sunday afternoon. The body
had been placed in its supposed last rest
ing place in Woodlawn cemetery. which ad-
Joins Payne's cemetery, from where the
other bodies were recently stolen. and the
condition of the bodies showed that the
resurrectionists had experienced very little
if any difficulty in getting them from the
graves
There were no marks of hooks about .he
head eek of either body to show that
the job of stealing them had been hur-
ried one. but on the contrary the bodies
in perfect condition and very well
preserved While the other body mad not
been ideE,ified early this afternoon. the
police were reasonably certain that it was
the body of Robert Thomas, who was
buried in Woodlawn cemetery from 1876 18Th
street southeast
The Desccrated Cemetery.
Woodlawn cemetery is known as New
Graceland. and is sit, ated on the Benning
road not far from Jones Chapel. 1t is
comparatively a new cemetery, and the fact
that these bodies We're taken from there
leads the police to the belief that there
are probably some other empty graves
there.
1t is certain. so the police think that
these resurrectionists have been engaged in
the busiress of furnishing cadavers to
t-tf lCv1,r .
what extent they carried the business
Is, of course. not known.
When the two bodies We're intercepted al
the depot some time ago the men employed
about the depots were given a description
of the bcx and the colored men, and were
advised TO look out for repetition of that
occurrence. 1t was because of this noti-
fcation that the railroad and express mems
suspicious were aroused by the box this
morning. AS already stated. the roughly
addressed box indicated that it had not
come from store or merchant, and when
they sent for the police they were certain
that there were bodies in the box.
Qualls. whose body was identified was
only fourteen years Old and had died of con-
sumption. The other body. it is thought. is
that of an older person. probably from eigh-
teen to twenty-five years old.
DIR. Fowler of the health department
viewed the bodies. and it was because of
his suggestion that the sister of the Oualls
boy was found and taken to the morgue to
Identify the body
Two Arrests Made.
As soon it was definitely known that
there We're bodies in the box Sergeant Daley
and Policeman Muller went in search OF
those who had delivered the CHASTITY package
at the depot.
Because of the reputation of colored
family named NARROW at Ivy City. the Off
GERS naturally suspected that they We're
probably engaged in the business, ard they
started Tor the suburban village without a
moments delay.
When they neared the village they =aw A
wagon answering the description of the one
that had hauled the box to the railroad de-
pot in the morning. and seated in the ye-
hicle was the colored man. while a small
boy occupied a seat near him.
The man was recognized George Mar
low. while the boy was jeremiah Marrow
lis son. He is fourteen years old. while
his father is about fifty. The animal at
tached to the wagon showed signs of hard
driving, while in the wagon the officers
found hatcnet and Il loaded musket.
Searching for Another Robbcr.
The Msrlows were placed under arrest
and taken to the fourth police station in
South Washington on their way to the
station they were seen by the men at the
express Office and fully identified as the
parties who had deposited the box at
the Office earlier in the morning for shin
ment to New Hampshire medical col
lege.
nlie the MarloWs made feeble efforts at
denial the police gathered from their con-
versation that there was third person
implicated in the grave robbery and they
were soon out in search of him. Another
colored man was arrested on suspicion but
as he was not identified he was released,
and now the officers looking for the
one whom they are certain is the guilty
one.
How the Graves Were Robbed.
The police certain that the bodies
saly. f.-~
and that they were packed in the boxes
before the robbers left the cemetery. 1t is
their belief that the digging was done with
pieces of board or with the hands. and that
the boy was lowered into the opening to
cut the head Of the box and coffin with the
hatchet- For many months the Mariows
have been suspected of engaging in this
business. but so far as the police can recall
none of them have ever been arrested and
convicted Of the onense.