The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1922-12-28
HIST1RYIS
MYSTERIES
WHAT BECAME OF \. T.
STEWARDS BODY1


city. be Was credited with being one
Of the richest merchants in the United
States. for his wealth Was estimated
~ more than Sf0oo0.De0. Including
real estate which. alone. vac assessed
at over 100000 The bulk Of his
estate was bequeathed 10 his widow.
with a million dollars IS a personal
gift 10 the executor. Henry Hilton
The Stewart funeral. eliminating In
the intermenf Of the body In ST.
Marks churchyarti, New York city. was
one Of the largest and most impressive
ceremonies Of its kind ever held in
the city-and then. some two and
half years later Judge Hilton. the
executor Of the Stewart estate. cleo
triied the police with the announce
ment that the grave had been rified
and Mr.. Stewards body stolen.
> Upon examination. II 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 head
stone 20 be removed to another por.
ton ~ the plot. although II was not
thought wise AT that time to disturb
the remains The knowledee of this
change was confined TO four persons,
but Notwithstanding this. the eXcaya-
tinn had been made with almost math.
emaiical precision, the earth having
been cut away straight down TO the
leaden case which enclosed the coffin.
This case had been opened, the I'D
Of the coffin had been upserewed and
the body taken out--presumably being
carried or in a wagon Of which the
tracks were still visible nearby
The most searching inquiries on the
part Of the police failed 10 reveal any
work, for they had chosen stormy
night and Il 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 a newspaper,
an iron shovel and n bull's-eye lantern
none OF which bore any distinguish
ing marks, nor could they be traced
by the detectives assigned to the case
II appeared to be impossible that the
body of a dead man could be carried
across New York city without attract.
ing the slightest notice or that Il
could he reinterred 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 25.0O0 was finally offered
II was made with the distinct under
standing that II was not for the body
Itself but for Information which would
lead 10 the detection Of the persons
who had committed the depreciation 1
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
naming years Of her life.
Some time after the violation Of the /
sanctity Of ST. Marks churchyard.. the 1
impression was allowed to gain preva-
lence that the body had been re-
covered and that II had been rein /
tered in the vault Of the beautiful 1
cathedral at Garden City. Long Island. /
But those who attempted to secure /
proof Of this report found that they l
were blocked at every turn and the /
question Of who stole the body of A. /
r. Stewart and what disposition was
made of II remains unsolved TO this !
day