The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-10-05

LUTHERAN cemetery four miles norfhs
west OF the village of Somers. wers
taken this morning when Coroner Tru-
man I. Parker and other officials went
to the graveyard to dig up the grave
and establish the identity of the per-
son buried there, if indeed a body had
been laid to its final resting place in
the cemetery. With Coroner Parker
went Assistant District Attorney Row
Stephenson and Sheriff William Rauen.
who will aid in the attempt to solve
the mystery.
The action of the county officials
was taken as the result of an appeal
from the board Of trustees of the ceme-
terry, who declare that if a body has
been buried there, it has been done
without the permission of the officials
of the cemetery.
Buried in an Old Grave.
The new grave, which is the cause
of the probe, has been dug on the site
of an old grave from which the body
of former resident of The town
as e2ouumed several months ago. In
the early days of the cemetery, the
graves had been laid out in rows. Last
fall an occasion arose for the exhum
ing of the bodies of two men buried
there in order that their remains
might be taken to a graveyard in I'LL
nois to be laid to rest in the family
plot there. These bodies were removed
with the sanction of the cemetery Of
ficials and the graves were filled up
again. The turf was replaced. Late
in July the grass in the cemetery was
moved and the workmen reported that
these graves had settled so that they
could not NOW over them as in other
parts of the cemetery.
On Sunday morning visitors to the
cemetery found a new grave on the
site of one of the graves from which
body had been removed. The turf
had been carefully removed and placed
against the fence. At the head of the
new mound = not built with the skill
of regular grave digger = was por-
celain marker, On which was the single.
word "Mother." Indications were that
the grave had been there for several
days.
The trustees declare that no per-
mission had been secured from them
for the burial and they have asked
that, a complete investigation be made.
Buried in Dead of Night?
Various theories have been advancedi
to explain the mystery:
One of these is that a death may
have occurred in some family of the
community which was unable to meet
the expenses of Christian burial and.
that the body was buried in the dead
of night in the grave which had been 4
once exhumed. The graveyard is more
than half mile from any house and
the grave diggers might have easily
secretly buried a body there without
being seen by anyone in the com
munity.
Another theory scouts the idea that
the secret burial may have been made
to hide some crime and that the probe
may reveal the death Of some person
from other than natural causes. This
angle of the case is the one which de-
mands the attention Of the coroner
and the district attorney in the case.
A third theory is that there may be
no body in the grave and that ghouls
in the cemetery have built the mound
to cause suspicion and excitement.
To settle all Of these rumors the Of
fcials determined today to exhume the
grave and if a body is found there to
hold an inquest in an effort to estab-
lish the identity of the deceased.
Excited Over Mystery.
Since Sunday morning the interest
in the mystery has been all absorb
ing in the towns of Somers and Paris.
It is believed there that the grave
must have been tempered with by
some one who lives in the community
inasmuch as the place was chosen
where other bodies had been exhumed,
which information could not have been
had by persons from distance. Thera
has been no death in any family sol
far as can be discovered.
When the investigation on the part
of the trustees Of the cemetery, Jacob
SchneH, Edward Gunther and Jacob
Kreuscher, failed to solve any angle OF
the mystery an appeal was taken to
county authorities.
Despite the fact that the probe had
been kept a secret gathering of resi-
dents of the town of Somers were at
the cemetery to watch the officials this
afternoon proceed with the work of
exhuming the grave.