White County record., 1922-10-12
WHAT BECAME OF A. T. STEWART'S BODY?
XEyHEN Alexander T. Stewart died, v V an AnriI m 1OEe In Nn,,- Nnrlr


 w on April 10, 1876. in New York city, he was credited with being one of the richest merchants in the United States, for his wealth was estimated at more than $40,000,000, including real estate which, alone, was assessed at over $5,00O,000. The bulk of his estate was bequeathed to his widow, with a million dollars as a personal gift to the eXecutor, Henry Hilton. The Stewart funeral, culminating in the interment of the body in St. Marks churchyard, New York city, was one of the largest and most impressive ceremonies of it's kind ever held in the city-and then, some two and a half years later, Judge Hilton. the executor of the Stewart estate, cleo tritied the police with the announce ment that the grave had been rifled and Mr. Stewards body stolen.
 Upon examination, it developed that an even greater mystery surrounded the affair than appeared upon the surface During the early autumn of 1878, Judge Hilton, learning that the grave had been slightly tempered with and fearing the depredations of ghouls, had caused the Stewart bead stone to be removed to another DOT ton of the plot, although it was not thought wise at that time to disturb the remains. The knowledge of this change was confined to four persons, but notwithstanding this, the eXcava tion had been made with almost math- ematical precision, the earth having been cut away straight down to the leaden case which enclosed the coffin. This case had been opened, the lid of the coffin had been unscrewed and the body taken out-presumably being carted off in a wagon of which the tracks were still visible nearby.
 The most searching inquiries on the part of the police failed to reveal any one who had seen the grave-robbers at work, for they had chosen stormy night and 1t was not until several hours after daylight that the watch man had discovered the footing of the merchants grave. The ghouls had left behind them only newspaper an iron shovel and bull's-eye lantern none of which bore any distinguish ing marks, nor could they be traced by the detectives assigned to the case It appeared to be impossible that the body of a dead man could be carried across New York city without attract inp tho clio rntina ho+ could be re-interred or concealed with out detection-but this is precisely what took place, for nothing definite was ever learned of the fate of the re- mains.
 Judge Hilton refused to countenance overtures for the return of the body, declaring that neither he nor the es- tate would be blackmailed and, when a reward of $25,000 was finally offered It was made with the distinct under standing that it was not for the body Itself but for information which would lead to the detection of the persons who had committed the depreciation The eXecutOr of the estate advised Mrs. Stewart to have no dealings whatever with the men who had stolen the body of her husband and the widow, who is said to have been extremely affected by the blow, fol lowed this advice during the ten re- maining years of her life.
 Some time after the violation of the sanctity of St. Marks churchyard, the impression was allowed to gain preva- fence that the body had been re- covered and that it had been rein tered in the vault of the beautiful cathedral at Garden City, Long Island But those who attempted to secure proof of this report found that they were blocked at every turn and the question of who stole the body of A. T. Stewart and what disposition was made of it remains unsolyed to this day.
 IDENTITY OF THE MAcTFP spy