GRAVE ROBBING.

Motueka Star, Volume IV, Issue 174, 21 April 1903, Page 4

GRAVE ROBBING.

—o — Over one hundred tombstones are standing over empty coffins in Indianapolis since Rufus Cantrell, minister, hearse driver, embalmer, and King of the Ghoul*, organised his gang and began the wholesale traffic with students of surgery and medicine to supply 'subjects' for the dissecting tables all over the United States. Nothing in fiction or drama equals the almost incredible midnight exploits of these grave Tobbers, as calmly confessed by Cantrell, the robber chief. One pight the'gang was disturbed while body snatching,, and one of the ghouls, Wood, in his flight, ran headlong into one of the tall tombstones, and cracked his skull. Partly conscious, he managed to make his way to the road, where he was later picked up by the othei-s, who reappeared after the scare was over. Wood lingered a little, and died the next week. The body remained in the ground twenty f )ur hours, and was then snatched and placed at the side of dozens of others which this dead ghoul had filched from their sepulchres. While preaching the Gospel,. Chantrell on several occasions was called upon to conduct the funeral services over bodies which were later stolen by him and his gang. A man. named Smith was a member of the gang. His wife died, and Cantrell was called upon to preside at the funeral. The body was taken in a covered wagon to the cemetery. During the journey Cantrell slid off the seat beside the driver, lay down alongside the driver, took out the corpse, hid it under the driver's seat, screwed down the lid again, and read the burial service over the empty coffin in the presence of the relatives and friends, making a fervent final prayer as the grave was being filled up. Then he sold the corpse. Dead bodies have been stolen from over one hundrea cemeteries in Central Indiana. | The dead people stolen from the peace of their graves have been shipped from Indianopolis in barrels and boxes with rope handles. Thirty one dead bodjes .vere found in the cold storage room of one ice cream factory at Louisville,. Kentucky, during the investigation.

MOTU.EKA WHARF BOARD,

The monthly meeting of this Board was held yesterday afternoon. Present : Messrs Wratt (chairman), and Beuke. Minutes of previous meeting read and adopted. The following accounts were passed for payment :—H. Moffatt £l2, J. Williams .£l4, Franzen and Co. Ss 4d, Auditor £2 6s Bd, Public Account 10s, Huffam Bros ss. 6d, N.Z. Accident Insurance Co. 15s.

Resolved, That the Secretary write to the Treasury Department notifying them of the payment to the credit of the Public Account of 10s, shortage in last half yearly payment of interest, the correct amount being £3O 2s 6d. That the balance sheet be published and a copy forwarded to the Audit Department. That the Wharf Board |support the Borough Council in requesting the Postmaster 'General to have the Motueka Telegraph Office kept open for an hour each evening duiing the week namely from seven to eight o'clock. That the Borough Council be respectfully informed that in view of the improvements that have been made at. the wharf and the strained financial position of the Board and also considering the expense that would be entailed in the constitution of an elective Board, they think it will be inadvisable at present to alter the existing conditions, but if at any future time it *can be shown that the business of the wharf warrants an elective body being set up, the Board will support any movement in that direction.

That wharf dues be charged on all vessels coming to the wharf at the rate of one half penny per ton on the registered tonnage of each vessel. That the secretary be paid 21s extra for attending on the Auditor and preparing the balance sheet. That the audited balance sheet as read be adopted. That the Secretary remit the extra premium to the Accident Insurance Co. as required under the Amendment Act * 4 of 1902. The wharfinger's report was read and considered satisfactory. It was decided to hold the next meeting on the first Tuesday- in June.

Several parents have recently writ" ten to Mr Thomas Mackenzie/M.H.R., complaining about their children being punished for going to school without boots, and asking if the Board's regulations permit that to be done. Mr Mackenzie thinks that perhaps the be>t reply is to have the Board's regulation on the subject published in the pre>s. Regulation No. 82 provides as follows:—"Teachers are not allowed to refuse to admit barefooted children to the school."—Dunedin exchange. Baby's Cough Must Never Linger.—Nothing is more distressing than to see a helpless little infant suffering with a cough and to be fearful of using a remedy which may contain some harmful ingredient. The makers of Chamberlain's Cough Remedy positively guarantee that this preparation does not contain opium in any form, or any other harmful substance. Mothers may confidently give this remedy to their little ones. It ghies prompt relief and is perfectly safe. It always cures and cures qi ickly. A. Manoy sells it.

A "ghost" is frequenting certain streets in Invercargill and scaring every female it meets. A local paper says that the police are on the lookout, and if the ghost gets a broken head so much the worse for it. The South American President is said to have observed that the want of interest taken in public affairs was deplorable. He had not beenjshot at for at least a fortnight.