Broadside entitled 'Robbery of Dead Bodies'

Transcription

ROBBERY OF

Dead Bodies.

An account of that woman who died in Jamaica
Street, Edinburgh, on the 3d Feb. 1825, and after
being coffined and locked up, the room was en-
tered by a window, the corpse stolen, and the
coffin filled with stones ; also the apprehension of
a resurrection man in Haddington church-yard
with the instruments employed for lifting the
dead. Likewise an account of the discovery of
the body of a man in a trunk, by a porter at
Pettycur while carrying it to the steam-boat, on
Tuesday the 8th Feb and which had been brought
from Dundee on its way to Edinburgh.

Those who follow the unlawful employment of stealing dead
bodies are now contriving, in place of taking them out of their
graves, to get possession of them belore they are buried. Last
week, a poor woman, who lived by herself, died in Jamaica Street,
when her body was placed in a coffin and the house shut up. In
the course of Thursday night the house was entered by a window
from a back lane, the body was carried off, and the coffin filled
with stones. The discovery was not made till Friday, when the
interment was about to take place.

On Friday the 30th ult. about one o'clock, the watchmen, when
going their rounds in the church-yard of Haddington, had their
attention suddenly arrested by the sound of a whistle; being fully
convinced of the sound having proceeded from a person intending
to desturb the silent repositories of the dead, they stationed them-
selves near to the place where four bodies were lately interred, to
wait in silence the approach of the resurrectionist. In a few
minutes he leaped over the wall, carrying along with him a bag,
a rope, and a screw, (such as is used on similiar occasions), when
he was immediately laid hold of by Andrew Kerse, late of the
49th regiment, who, with the assistance of his neighbour watch-
men, conducted him to the watch-house, in the coal-honse of
which he was confined till eight o'clock, when he was carried
before Provost Dodds for examination; but he persisted in silence
in his presence, as he had hitherto done in the watch-house ;
he was therefore committed to jail for farther examination. He
appears to be an Irishman, but refuses to give his name or the
number of his accomplices.

An occurrence happened at Pettycur on Tuesday forenoon,
which nearly proved fatal to the person concerned. The Coach
arrived from Dundee with passengers and luggage for the Steam
Boat at Pettycur for Leith ; the porters employed carrying a
trunk from the Coach to to the Boat, thought that a nauseous
smell peoceeded from it and immediately threw it down, waiting
for their employer, who was well known as a constant weekly
passenger for some time past; and when he came forward, the
crowd which by this time began to get numerous, demanded to
see it opened, which he stiffly refused, untill he saw that violence
was going to be applied, when he told them that his master was
in the Inn, and he would go and get the key. Judging his in-
tention, they watched him, to see if he would enter the Inn,
but as soon as he passed the door he took to his heels, and
endeauoured to make his escape; he was however overtaken, and
was with great difficulty lodged in Kingborn Jail, not without
some cuts and bruises from the usage of the crowd ; who, especially
the women, manifested a determination to give him summary
punishment; the trunk was opened, and the body of a dead man
found therein, supposed to be taken from [some of the Church.   
yards in Dundee.                                                                           

Edinburgh, Printed for J. Seller .

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