The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-09
The Remains of His Sister-in-
Law Are Removed.
OTHER SEAL BROKEN
Ghouls We're Preparing to Carry
Away Other Caskets.
Police Believe the Object Is the
Extortion of Money.

Erie, Pa, Feb. s.-Body snatching
tnat may equal the daring grave rob-
Dery tnat stirred the country more than
a quarter of a century ago when the
body of A. 7. Stewart, New York's pi-
oneer merchant was stolen has stirred
this section as nothing has done since
the sensational kidnapping in this vi
cinity few years ago. The mausoIeum
OF one of the most prominent families
of this section of the state was desc
Grated some time between Monday and
yesterday. A body is missing from the
vault of the family of the late Con-
gresham w. L. Scott
The discovery was made by two wo-
men walking through the Erie Gene
terry. The family was Immediately no
titled and watch was placed in the
cemetery after all assurances were
made that the missing body was not
In the vicinity. The first information
TO the public came from the family.
1t is known. however. that the body
taken by the ghouls is that of Mrs.
McCollun. 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. When
the women in the cemetery found bro
ken chains and open doors in the
mausoleum they notified Mrs. Charles
H Strong who Is a daughter of Mr..
Scott and the wife Of Charles H. Strong.
president of the Erie & Pittsburg rail-
road and owner of the Erie Dispatch,
newspaper. Mrs. Strong notified the
police.
As soon as the news of the grave rob-
berry reached the Strong home Mrs.
Thora Strong Ronalds, a granddaugh-
ter of William L. Scott, started for the
cemetery with her father, Charles H.
Strong. The caskets are sealed in a
wall and a chisel had been used in
breaking the seals before the metallic
box could be carried away. This cas-
ket was the first On the lower tier at
the north side OF the mausoleum and
directly opposite 1T on the second tier
Is the casket containing the body of
Mrs Scott, the wife of the millionaire
who built the causoleCm. The seal on
the niche containing the casket of Mrs.
Scott was also broken and when the
tomb was examined 1t 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 the those of his wife, but
his casket was not disturbed. A num-
ber of palms stored in the mauSO-
leum had been broken down and two
other caskets were broken into, but no
attempt was made to carry either of
Hauled Away in a Wagon.
That the casket and the body was
carried away in a wagon is indicated
by tracks in the snow about the
mausoleum. The footprints of fcur
and in some instances six men were
also discernible. The wagon tracks led
to. one of the gates of the cemetery
and these have been followed into the
street until lost in the beaten tracks of
travel.
The local police have notified the
police and morgue officials of cities
within several hundred miles of this
place, but still maintain that the body
Is held here for ransom. Every
railroad and freight station is pick
eted and every avenue OF outlet is
the cemetery has become an object
of scrutiny by the police and every
dwelling is being searched from cellar
to garret. The idea that the body of
Mrs McCollum is being held for ran
som by designing persons is substan-
tiated by an incident of two years ago
when the Strong family was stormed
with black hand letters demanding
sic, 900, with the alternative of having
their summer home west of this city
blown to atoms. The perpetrators
were subsequently apprehended and
are now in the Western penitentiary
serving sentences, following conviction
in the courts.
Mrs. McCollum was member of a
prominent family of Philadelphia and
her maiden name was Tracy VIM. l..
Scott, who built the mausoleum over
20 years ago, was a close personal
friend of the late ex-Presfdent Grover
Cleveland and was one leader of the
Democracy in the house when Cleve-
land was serving his first term as
president of the United States Grover
Cleveland was one of the pallbearerS
at his funeral his remains being the
first to be inferred in, the vault He
was one of the most prominent rail-
road magnates of his time and known
by reputation from coast t. coast.
| When daylight broke ropes were
stretched around the mausoleum to
hold in check hundreds of curious
sightseers. One of the big bronze
doors of the mausoleum had been
pried from its hinges and the other
had been badly battered Practically
every casket in the vault had been
tampered with, some of them having
been opened, while that containing the
body of Mrs. Anna McCollum was re-
moved entirely.
Just when the vault was broken into
has not been determined. Statements
of the family that it was intact three
or four days ago are the only way the
detectives working on the case have of
| fixing the time.
Mrs. McCollum died in Philadelphia
nearly twenty years ago. She was the
wife of ]. A. McCollum and daughter
body was brought here and placed in
the Scott vault, which is located about
1 the middle of the cemetery and hid
den from view from the street On
account of the cold weather recently.
| few persons have visited the cemetery
and the robbers were free to work
with little fear of being detected.
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