Year: 1870

about body snatchers than l do" said a
voice. "When you talk about 'em now, it
can only be hearsay but l have been
among EN-" The speaker was a TALL griz-
zled man, in rough pilot jacket; and hav-
ing spoken, he drew some whiffs from his
short pipe, and no one referring again to
the subject, it dropped It was in front
of the bar of the Five Bells heard this,
as, with a friend, had called for a glass
of ale, one dusty evening last summer.
A group of men were there, all akin in
their attire and aspect, to the one l have
mentioned. | caught up the words, and
having read much about these "resurrec-
tionists," and often wondered what sort
of men they were, therefore waited until
the pewter measures of the group had
been drained, and the men began to drop
Oft. My particular man was the last one
to depart-an1, indeed. he did rDt offer
to leave until he had felt sadly but un-
availingly in every pocket. Just as he
turned to go out l spoke, and asked him
if he could spare half an hour with a
couple of strangers who wanted little
gossip before they resumed their walk.
He answered civllly enough that he was
at our service, although he was afraid he
wasn't fit company for the like of us.
Being put at his ease on this point, he
showed no further hesitation, but followed
us into the little parlor, and, with glass
and pipe refl I'd, listened to my request
that he would tell us something about the
body-snatchers


You see, gents" commenced Robert
Purrell, for such, he had at once informed
us, was his name, that five.and thirty or
forty years ago--say forty-things were
very different to what they are now
You hadn't got your police, and not over
much gas, and oil lamps and Charleys-
as we used to call the watchmen-were
not of much USE And the law has been
altered too, in some way that l don't un-
derstand, and there is no occasion to steal
bodies out of churchyards. They used to
be churchyards then, but now you have
got cemeteries everywhere. Do you
think tnat cemeteries are as good in law
as churchyards?" We assured him of
our belief on this point, but he heard us
with the air of man who, while uncon.
vinced, does not deem it polite TO main
tain his point too stubbornly. cat any
rate" he continued, "there was a good
deal of money made in those days by men
who supplied the hospitals and they ran
all sorts of risks to get the bodies--or
subjects, as the doctors called 'em-and
were punished if they were caught.
never heard, mind you, of doctor being
punished for buying these bodies, which
is another thing | never could under
stand; and l don't think that, anyhow,
holds good in law. Lor' bless you'll you
can't think what stir there used to be.
1t was a very common thing for people to
sit up for week or two, and watch the
graves of their friends, especially if they
had died of any uncommon disease, or if
strange cart had been seen about. 1t
was wonderful, gents, what lot of sus-
picion was always raised if strange cart
was seen anywhere, and it was through
their trying to get over this, that l came
to be useful to the body y-snatchers.


"I was bargeman then, and am now,
and l have worked nearly all the time
since on the same bit of canal, little
more or less; but at that time had charge
of a boat which worked to wharf at a
little place about twenty miles down
Though it was a very lonely little
place, it was the only wharf about
there where the farmers could have the
stuff for their lands brought, or the brick.
makers could send their bricks to, and SC
we did more business than you would
have thought: for one or another we
worked down there pretty nigh all the
year round. l knew, of course, a lot oi
rough parties at the London end, and





had known him long time as dog fan.
cier, and as chap that used to hang about
public houses, and play good deal al
dominoes-in fact we used to think he
was bonnet. A bonnet, gents, is a
party who is in league with sharps and
gamblers and his game was chiefly dom
ino bonnet. But one day he said to me
when l was having drop, just as may
be now, and when there was nobody but
ourselves in the room, Bob,' he says, dc
you want to earn pound or so every
now and then, easyg OF course l said ]
did; and then he said, I know Long
Hayslip, where you are working to, well
and l know it's quiet place, with a quiet
churchyard, and that if you drop two ol
three of us mile before you get there
we are in easy reach of two or three othel
cribs. Now, do good deal of business
in subjects, and with the best-paying hos
pitfalls, too. All want of you is to give
us lift now and then in your barge; NJ
one will suspect YOU Then he explained
how every cart seen travelling by nigh
was supposed 20 contain bodies, and 81
they were always being chased; and how
we should be met at quiet place on the
canal as we came up, and our load takeI
away-our extra passengers he called
them; and at last | agreed to join in thu
plan. l told him l thought there WASH
chance of doing much in that quiet vii
lage, where few died and were buried
but then he showed me again, as he haC
told me before, that mile or two on thi
side of the village there were other buri
al-grounds within an easy run of tn,
canal. 1t seems, too, they had mad,
friends with the sexton, or, at any rate
one of the grave-diggers of these places
laka L..


and, sure enough, had not agreed t
help them more than a week, before Sim
mons was waiting for me at the public
house, TO say that he and friend or tive
were going on the next day to Mencham
which was village We passed, where o.
a little before, should pick them up tn,
next morning. You must understand
that left Long Hayslip very early, 81
that should be 80 fer as Mencham on m,
way back, before any one was stirring.


felt rather qualmish when, after hat
heard and returned whistle, three mel
slipped out from under the shade of a tree
and roughly threw a long heavy sack OF
board; this. they quickly covered over
and then all went to sleep with scarcell
word. l woke them, as had promised
at the appointed place; they hurriedl!
jumped out, dragged the sack onto tn
LahAi gave me hhlt sovereign, ana thel
for week ortgo saw no more of then


"Of course this led to my intimac
with other members of the gang, and, eel
tainly, never in my life came across sue
a horrible crew; thought bargees an
navvies were bad enough, but they wer
babies to this lot The way they used /
talk and swear about their last fob, whel
it hadn't brought so much as they expect
ed made my blood run cold; especiall
one Sieve Morrak, or some such nam
they called him. He was a short, squini
ing fellow, and certainly the worst Of tn
whole, although he was the only one VIII
never got drunk this, however, he neve
did. Over and over again, when Sim
mons-whO, after all was the best Of tn
gang-was letting his tongue run to