The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-01-23
BARGAINS BODY EXHUMED.
There Can Now be no Doubt That He is
Dead-Many People Present When
CaSket Was Opened.

LIN OoAE W l1lS 1dlS 1\COSt 1
Keith Dargan was disinterred in
Darlington on Friday in the pres
ence of about 90 persons. including
members Of the clergy, physicians
and other representative citizens
from this and surrounding towns,
says a Darlington dispatch to the
Columbia State.
The casket was opened at 1890
o'clock this morning after more
than two hours hard work in
breaking through the cement and
bricks of the vault inclosing it, and
it was found to contain beyond
question the body of Mr.. Dargan.
The body had necessarily under
gone many changes since the burial
SIX months ago but it was pronoun-
eed by all of those present who
knew the man in life to be the body
ofRobert Keith .Dargan. All doubt
ON the part of those who were IN
ffnenced by the unfounded but per-
sistent rurnors that have been cir
cnlated has been dispelled and the
wad stories to the effect that Mr..
dhrsan was not dead and that
wax figure had been buried while
Mr. Dargan had taken fight, have
been shown beyond question to
have been base and groundless SEN
satiorlaGs1r1::
Tie work Of opening the grave
began at 8:15 O'Clock. The grave is
in the old Methodist cemetery and
IS near near those Of Mr.. Dargan's ma
terllal grandparents. The hour
had been set for 8 o'clock but there
Vas delay Of few minutes in
starting. The morning was chill
and gray and heavy mist enveloped
everything. At the cemetery every
thing possible had been done to
make the ceremony as private as
possible and not person who was
not authorized to be present could
come within nearly half a block on
the same side Of the street. Police
men and deputies patrolled the
walks along the outside Of the fence
like sentries and kept away the
few morbidly curious who came to
view the gruesome sight: Here let
it be said to the credit of the peo-
pie of Darlington that. those who
came were not more than so in
number at most, about half of
whom were white and half black.
They stood in two groups, one on
the opposite side of the street and
the other on the same side as the
! cemetery but farther up the street.
On, the fences and trees surround
ing the spot where The body lay
were hung placards warning away
trespassers.
The work Of opening the grave
was done by eight stalwart negroes
working in relays of four and I'M
der the supervision of TIE negro
mason who built the nlausoleum.
The Theoretically sealed casket
was enclosed in a box and this
box lay in the vault, which was con-
structed of two layers of brick on
the bottom and sides and with an
arch of the same thickness over the
top. These bricks were laid with
cement and the curve of the arch
was heavily plastered with it, max
ing it's demolition a long and te-
dious piece of work. Nearly two
and half hours of cutting and Dig
ging were necessary to complete the
task. After the bricks had been
torn away and the wooden arch
supporting them had been taken
out, the box containing the coffin
was uncovered, exposing to view
the sombre casket within. The
black coverings were sadly mill
dewed, covered in great cold
splotclles of white mould. The
flowers placed by loving hands on
the top were there but were now
dry and brown.