Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1903-08-20

The rc7e1AtiCps OF a man named
CnnfrelI, the leader Of gang grave rob-
bogy and murdercrs in Indianapolis, Ind j,
ILLUSTRATES the terrible danger to q com
mun1ty Of respectable and responsible
men, Becoming beholden to, or under
~ thumb" Of . lot Of criminals.
IN this case the physicians and in
Gtructors Of large medical college
occepted . few bodies from a gang OF
crave robbers, and as that act made
them participants In their crimes. the
Gang followed II up by doing q whole
g1le business In grave robbing and
forcing the doctors to dispose Of the
bodies to other medical colleges; and
thia Was followed by murder and rob-
boFy-the bodies being disposed Of
through the same, safe channel The
oxpOee cause through trifiing incident,
reIated In the dispatch as follows.
Hak dozen rifles placed In pawn.
The owners Of the gans, the latters
charge Of theft end the investigation by
th4 detectiveg were the means Of ex.
pcGtu8 the operations OF the organixa-
lion " whose head was Rufus CantvelI
y Indianapolis, Ind.
The yifleS had been borrowed by the
ghoulS. a physician had guaranteed
6hoir return and guaranteed also the
coyment for their use. Later. th. gAouls
necdiuG money, pawned the rites. The
rhydcian was notified that the rifies had
feGn p1oced in pawn and was askea
rake good the amount borrowed 70
declined. Then came the polier He
Hlier, 1ollcwed slmost imip> lnvesti-
" 1pcfrteraffon OF Cays .diately by
Q1nnel. Grady, WilliDr ..rell. Martin.
~, BuclTner, McEn1 -ns, McElroy. Viii.
qfher negroes -fee and half dozen
n6sfsted tie Cantrell confessed. H.
zion and detectives in their investiga
xhurct accompanied them to various
~ ! yards and cemeteries that had
u robbed by the ghouls In the end
& was developed that nearly Loo
graves in the immediate neighborhood
of Indianapolis had been devasted by
the 9bvuls. These bodies had been sold
j to lndisnspoIis medical colleges and
likewise. to colleges In cities surround
fn9 indianapolis. There had been es
tabIished 4 wotl-planned traffic in thu
human cadavers and Indianapolis hao
been the center Of the trade.
The expose Of the operations Of the
crave robbers had no sooner ceased tc
claim public attention, the eart-breaki
rought by the disclosures of Cantrell
aud his associates had no sooner healed
than another terrible secret was disclos
el by Cantrell. In written and sworn
u,nfession, with brazenness that chal
l+pged belief, he declared that his con
science was peining him and that he
cold no longer withhold the facts that
were proving an awful burden to him,
IN his cell ct the Southern Indiana peni
Tertiary.
He declared that he, together with
ths members Of his organization, had
haen guilty of wholesale murders. Ht
nrserted that, IL immunity from punish
man for these crimes were given hiT he
4ould reveal them all, naming princi
pies, accessories and witnesses who. wi th
their guilty knowledge. were parties tc
10 crimes. States Attorney Ruckle
x.haus promised Cantrell the desired i'm
msnity, and. acting upon this prom
ise, the convict ghoul began the nara
tion OF story that surpassesf anything
that the recordg OF crime in the Unit cd
sf.tes can produce
rhe murdereu operated under the yer,
etps Of the police. They grew bolder al
r4ch successive crime went undiscover
esi They even rented q house on w
n,,rth st., wherein they established 1
rpldezvous and organized the clan tha
thy dubbed with the fantastic title O
fls Sign Of the Cross