Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1905-1906, 1906-01-17
AT LEAST ONE BODY TAKEN
Grave Opened by Authorities Found
To Be Empty-Jug of Embalm-
ing Fluid.

Direct evidence has been secured
which shows positively that ghouls
have been at work in Wayne County
inside the past two months, and last
evening it was learned that the grave
robbers had succeeded i'll making
good their work and i'll securing the
body of person who died some
weeks AGO and was buried at the GEM
etery connected with the County
Poor Farm.
The a'st inkling the authorities re-
ceived of the matter was through
resident of Centerville, whose name
would not be divulged, who came to
this city early in November and made
known his knowledge of the grave
robbing to l. A. Gormon, then Super
intendent of police and Prosecutor
Jessup. This man found jug part
ly filed with the embalming fluid
used by ghouls in their work and he
also knew that unknown persons had
been seen to alight from an interur-
ban car at Jackson Park one night
and start toward the grove in which
the cemetery is located. This all oc-
Cured shortly after death at the
County Institution.
Prosecutor Jessup and Mr.. GOrmon
made arrangements to visit the scene
together with their informant, but
Jessup was unable to go, and Mr.
.Gormon went by himself. He saw the
Jug of embalming fluid, which had
been hidden in some bushes in the
cemetery, and listened to full ac-
count Of what the man who had
found it there had to say to back
his suspicious. Mr.. Gormon returned
TO this city with the intention of
pursuing his investigations further,
but dropped the matter when short
time later he was succeeded as Su-
perintendent of Police Jesse Bailey.
Mr.. Gormon says that he thought
at the time that everything pointed
to grave robbing but he did not say
anything to his successor about it,
and for this reason the matter was
dropped by the police But last night
it was learned that the County au-
thorities, not these at the Poor Farm,
however, investigated dug up the
coffin, and found that the body had
been stolen. This happened several
days after the affair was reported
but nothing was said Of it until last
night. Then it was learned for the
first time that a body hasl actually
been carried away by ghouls. They
evidently did their work early in
November, and it is understood that
watch has been kept for them since
that time.
Supt. Napier, Of the County Poor
Farm, last evening emphatieally de-
MED having heard anything about the
graves being robbed at the cemetery
connected with the institution Mr..
Napier said that he knew positively
that nothing of the kind had been
tried there. unless during the past
week, and he was certain that that
was impossible.
Since the startling disclosures
made over two years ago in reference
, to the grave-robbing in Indianapolis,
nothing has been heard of ghouls in
Indiana, but it is known that a great
many bodies are used in the medical
schools and colleges and it is al
legged that many of these come in
through sources not made public. A
high price is paid the ghouls for the
bodies and certain amount of grave
robbing is being done over the state
Ia little in each locality, it is
thought, and in this manner it is
not noted much.
As to how long the ghouls have
been at work at the poor farm and
how many bodies they have examined
there is no way of determining unless
each grave is opened to find If the
body is still there. 1t is thought,
however, that little of the grewsome-
work has been done here, as few
deaths have occurred recently.
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