The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-10-04
THE FARMER AND MECHANIC

thought, as was evident from the ex-
preston on his face. Then he went
down to the Office and t~elephoned a
reonest TO Mr.. George Garvin that he
would come to the hospital at once on
a matter Of interest. After all, ne
soliloquized, as he lighted a cigar ano
seated himself in an armenian, 1
have only a cock-and-bulI story TO ten
him. But this is too tangled a skeln
for me to unwind. I have 40 stock
in ghosts, but there is something I'M
accountable here
When Mr.. Garvin arrived n this
amazing story was unfolded to hlm,
he was plainly much impressed, ana
by no mean SO Skeptlcal as Dr.
Blank. When shown the bed and the
streak of sand and clay, his face turn
ed white, and he was deeply agitated.
"Mr. Garvin," said the superintendent,
styour bereavement has naturally set
Won apart from the towns dOings for
the past day Or two. It is proper to
tell you that the fact Of your brother
being buried with a ring or his finger
has been magnified by m to his
burial with diamonds and a watch on
his bod. worth between $4,000 and
$4,000.
Garvin started as if he had been
shot. An instant after he exclaimed:
Or. Blank. is your carriage at the
door? A lantern and to the cemetery
The superintendent caught at his
meaning by intuition and in five min
utes the two men were being carried
to the cemetery. The grave had been
dug out, the coffin was broken upen:
the body was gone.
ooh. Cod" exclaimed Garvin.
what does this mean?" Suddenly he
cried. glazing at DR.. Blank: This des-
ecration has been done for the pur-
pose of dissection Then, remember
ing himself, he continued more mild
ly: ''Can it be possible that medical
students, knowing the remarkable
case of my brother, could have COM
mitted this horrible deed"
TT does not by any means follow"
said the physician, that this grave
has been opened for the purpose you
have in mind. The wretches guilty Of
this Dissertation for theft would desire
to create that very impression. If
they left the grave OPEN, with the
dead body in the coffin, Of course the
truth would be known at once. The
nights are short. and to excavate and
refill the grave wOuld consume too
much time. Therefore, they m
where concealed the body. probably
dug a grave for it before they began
this work here"
The three men. including the car
riage driver, at once began a search,
their way guided by the lantern; and
after about an hours tramping over
the surrounding country, they found
the neW-made grave near a small
creek. Fiends, as they were, the rob-
bers were not brutal enough to leave
the face exposed, which they had
sheltered by a cloth from the over
lying earth. They restored to its first
resting place the ~lifeless form of poor
William Garvin, and let us hope that
since then the sleep has been sound
and II rdjCflIrhn Of Npn u-hn bod 0,tf-
fered so much in life. The diamond
ring had been taken from the dead
mans hand. Day was breaking when
they finished their task, and George
Garvin piteOusly implored the other
two to keep secret this horrible affair.
The temptation to tell so ~wonderfu a
story was probably too strong for the
carriage driver: but he must have
odd it to but few, for it was little
known.
About a year afterwards George
GarVIn chanced to read in a newspa-
per an account Of the arrest in South
Carolina Of a negro for burglary. Tn
the description of the mar was tie
statement that he wore on his fin
ger a handsome diamond ring. in
scribed on the inside "a. E. G.. to w.
Ct Mr.. Garvin went to the South
Carolina town. identified the ring.
and, to avoid disclosures, paid the no
gro literally for it. He would neith-
er affirm nor deny tina he had ever
been in that town, though he was 2
stranger to Mr.. Garvin.