The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-20
HARRISON'S GREAT TRIAL.
FOUND HIS FATHERS BODY IN A
DISSECTTNG ROOM.


search, and Was Shocked at His
Discovery-EfOrt at COmpOsure.
From the New York Sun.
Cincinnati March 16.-The death of for
mer President Benjamin Harrison has re-
called to a few residents of this city
tragic incident in his career which hap
rened here not long after the death of
John Scott Harrison, his father, in May,
1878 The man who was later to be Presi-
cent had accepted the nomination for
Governor a short time previously and al
though he ran 1000 ahead OF his ticket
the Republicans were defeated. 1t was
before he had been elected TO the United
States Senate, although that possibility
was already contemplated.
Gen. Harrison had returned to his ma
tive town of North Bend sixteen miles
from here, to visit his family and renew
his old friendships in the place of his
birth. He had gone there from Indianap-
oils, because it was already rumored that
he might be called to Washington to
serve his term as senator During his
visit to the little Ohio town he was made
much of by the persons who had known
him in his youth and although his father
had just died he received many visits
from the country people; one of those
who came to see him was an old German
woman, whose husband had been buried
recently.
She came to see Gen. Harrison" said
a man who was part of the incident he
was relating to a group of friends the
night after Gen. HarriSonS death, be
cause she knew he was influential
friend of her husbands and would help
her in the trouble that had teomeswith her
widowhood Her husbands r. body had
been buried in the little churehyard of
the village and few days afterward
there were unmstakahler -exiden that
his grave had been tempered with. In
vestigation showed that the body had
been stolen. There was immediate sus-
picion that it had been sold to one of
the medical colleges in this city, and the
woman wanted her husbands friend to
help her to recover the body.
She told her story to Gen. Harrison,
who promised to do what he could to
help her, as he was coming to Cincin-
natl the next day on his way back to
Indianapolis. He agreed with the idea
that the body had been brought here and
sold for the purposes of one of the clin-
les, and the first thing he did on reaching
Cincinnati was to consult with the chief
of police.
1.-THE General and he agreed as to the
best means of conducting. the search. The
chief got a warrant and sent constable
with him and his friends to all of the
medical colleges here. The first institu-
+ion thew went to wds5 ahe1 Ohio State
College and there they foand no signs of
the body Gen. Harrison knew that he
would be able to identify it and he spared
no effort in making the search thorough.
Every body in the dissecting room was
shown to the party, and when Gen. Har-
rison told us that he had failed to find
any that looked like the old German we
moved on to the three other colleges with
dissecting rooms. In none of these was
there any sign of the body for which we
We're searching, although Gen. Harrison
looked at every cadaver from those which
had just been brought in to those picked
in the cellars downstairs.
I'VE had about given up hope and only
the Generals suggestion that we return
to the Ohio State College once more led
the party back there again. We felt GER
tain that there was no part of the place
we had not seen, but when Gen. Harrison
thought that it might pay to look through
the rooms again we all went back Will
ingly.
THE dissecting room in the State Col
lege was on the top floor, and the cellar.
in which the bodies were kept, lay direct
ly under this. The subjects were lifted
from the cellar to the top floor by pull
ley rope, which passed through the diff
ferent floors by means of trap doors cut
on every landing; in these were holes for
ropes. We had walked up the staircase
without noticing this rope, especially I'M
til we reached the dissecting room, nnd
then understood from it's appearance for
what purpose it was used. The constable
in the rarity put his hand on it just as
we were leaving the room and felt that
it was taut; he suggested to Gen. Harri-
son that the trap door be opened and shat
Whatever was on it be hoisted to the room
IN which we were standing, in order to
see what it was.
''The janitor of the building. with one
OF the instructors, was showing us
through. He demurred at this sugges-
tion but when Gen. Harrison indicated
10 him plainly that he wished the rope
pulled up the two men complied. We
stepped back from the trap door, which
was opened; the janitor leaned forward
and pulled down the rope, which brought
up the object attached to the other sile.
Suddenly there shot into view through
the aperture from the floor below the
naked body of an old man. A rope was
ued around the neck, and in this was
nook attached to the rope that served TO
nft the bodies upward Gen Harrison had
Deen through all sorts of experiences
mat evening, with the bodies of so many
Kinds that we had seen. He had never
Hlnched or hesitated to examine closely
enough to see If he had found the missing
husband of his old friend. He was not
an emotional man. but changed color at
inc sight of the body that came into view.
us head had already been shaved for the
uissecting table. He spoke a few hurried
words to the constable that none of us
heard. The official remained In the room,
WINE we left 1t at Gen. Harrison's re-
puest These two remained alone with
me college officials in the dissecting room
Upstairs for some time while we awaited
mem downstairs confident that the miss
''E BODY had been found.
. II was not until the constable came to
.S,nlss rs that we learned the truth. The
10y which 50 suddenly came Into View
dA mat OF Gen. Harrison's father, John
"solt Harrison, the grandson OF a signer
Vi me Declaration OF Independence the
IN OF President OF the United States
"nn distinguished lawyer, soldier and
-lalesman; but he was the prey OF body
natchers, Just as the humble German IN
been.
Naturally ,vg dfI yot aao fha t~uara1