Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-02-09
OY-9NAICHERS
RIFLE VAULT Of
LATE ". |. SCOTT
Remains of Deceased Congress-
mans Sister-in.Law Gone
from MausoIeum.
POLICE SURE RANSOM IS
MOTIVE OF VANDALS' ACT
Preparations Made to Loot
Sepulchre of Other Bodies,
Authorities Say.

| that may equal the daring grave gnouls
who stirred the country more than a
quarter of a century ago when the
body of A. T. Stewart, New York's pio-
neer merchant, was stolen has aroused
this section of Pennsylvania in indigna-
tion at its daring, as nothing has since
the sensational kidnapping which oc-
! CURED i'll this vicinity few years ago
The mausoleum of one of the most
| prominent families of this section of
the State was desecrated some time be-
tween Monday and yesterday afternoon.
A body is missing from the vault of
the family of the late Congressman
William l.. Scott. The police of neigh
boring cities and communities within
400 miles have been notified of the
| crime
Women Detect Work of Gbouls.
Inc discovery was made by two
women walking through the Erie Gene
| terry Tne family was Immediately no
! tilted and a watch was placed in the
/ cemetery at midnight, after all assur-
anceS were made that tho missing body
! was not in the vicinity.
| Details of Erie police kept watch at
! the tomb during the night to greet the
body-snatchers should they return. The
only disturbance they met was from
newspaper men early this morning, who
I We're ordered from the cemetery at the
point of revolXsrs. While the police
nave been Informed of the grave rob-
! pIng, no name IS attached to the miss
ing body by them. The first informa-
ton to the public came from the family
| but again no name is given 1t is
known, however, that the body taken
| by the ghouls is that of Mrs. McCollum,
a sister-in-law of the late Mr.. Scott.
The police believe the body is being
held for ransom, and that the vandals
also intended to carry away the bodies
OF the millionaire and his wife.
Family Is Notified.
When the women IN the cemetery
found broken chains and open doors in
the mausoieum they notified Mrs
! Charies ii. Strong, who is a daughter
OF Mr. scott, and the wife OF Charles
Strong, president of the Erie and Pitts
burg railroad, the Erie County Electric
Company and the owner of the Erie
! Dlspatch, the morning neswpaper of
this section. Mrs Strong notified the
police and all further information was
deemed unnecessary.
AS soon as the news of the grave
robbery reached the Strong home Mrs
/ Thora Strong Ronalds, a granddaugh-
ter of William l.. Scott, started for the
cemetery with her father, Charles II.
Strong. Investigation showed that the
casket containing the body of Mrs.
McCollum had been carried away. The
caSkets are scaled in a wall, and a
chisel had been used in breaking the
seals before the metallic box could be
carried away
/ This casket was the first on the lower
tier at the north side of the mausoleum,
and directly opposite it on the second
tier Is the casket containing the body
of Mrs. Scott, the wife of the million
aire, who built the mausoleum. The
seal here SWas also broken and when
the tomb was examined it was found
that this casket was half way out, and
to all appearances was ready to be
carried away. The remains of the
millionaire were lying next to those of
his wife, but his casket was not dis
turbed. A number of palms stored in
+ the msusoleum had been broken down
and two other caskets were broken
into but no attempt was made to carry
either of them away,
Body Taken Away in Wagon.
That the casket and body was car
ried away in wagon is indicated by
tracks in the snow about the mauso-
leum The footprints of four, and In
some instances six men, are discern
able about point where the end of
wagon might be placed The wagon
tracks lead to one of the gates of the
cemetery and these have been followed
into the street until lost in the beaten
track of travel.
The local police have notified the po-
lice and |morgue officials of cities with
ing several hundred miles of this place,
but still maintain that the body is held
here for ransom. Every railroad and
freight station Is picketed and every
avenue of outlet is guarded
Body Held for Ransom.
The idea that the body of Mrs. Nc
Collum is being held for ransom by
designing persons is substantiated by
an incident of two years ago, when the
Strong family was stormed with Black
Hand letters demanding $4,000, with
the alternative of having their summer
home west of this city blown to atoms.
The perpetrators we're subsequently ap
pretended and are now in the Western
penitentiary, serving out sentences fol-
lowing conviction in the courts.
Mrs McCollum was member of
prominent family of Philadelphia and
her maiden name was Tracy.
William L. Scott. who built the
mausoleum over twenty years ago, was
close personal friend of the late ex-
President Grover Cleveland and was
one of the leaders of the Democracy in
the House of Representatives when
Cleveland was serving his first term as
President of the United States. Grover
Cleveland was one of the pall-bearers
at his funeral. his remains being the
first to be inferred in the vault. Mr..
Scott was one of the most prominent
railroad magnates of his time and was
known by reputation from coast to
coast.