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A Chapter From Ann Arbor's Early History

A Chapter From Ann Arbor's Early History image
Parent Issue
Day
28
Month
March
Year
1894
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The following narrative taken fiom the Chicago Record of Maren 17 v. ' to Times readers as it refers to events which now are only known by hearsay. The reference to a Dr. Darling is not to our Dr. Darling, date for mayor on the Republiean ticket as lie was but two years old at that time. There have been two i Dr. Darlings here, to one of whom it must refer. The article is dated at Mason, UI., and the referenoes to well known Ann Arbor cl are such as to at least prove that the author been here. The article is as folio ws: Mason, 111., Jü rch ü'..- The iollowing exciting escapade was related to the Record correspondent a few nights lyo by an old and eminent surgeon of Fayette county. It s a graphic pictur a practico that is iow fortunately obsolete, owing to the changed sonditions that wait on scienee and learnai.?. "In the winter of 1858," said the doctor, "I was practicing medicine in Brcrklyn, Jackson county, Michigan. It came to my knowledc that a young man had been -smotbovji to death by the caving in of a sodsliol nar a eraf pit in the neighborho !. Ambitious to become a surgeon, and thuiiitog that the body would mak,, r.r i:celli-:i: subject for dissection, I employed a ccuple oL ditch-diggrin-.? 12ngllshui--n te no wiiü me and assist in disinterring the remains. I had attended the funeral on purpose to lócate the grave, whlcn was six miles of where I resided, near a brick ehurch in process of construction. The cemetery was in the country and the ehurch referred to had been inclosed, but the windows had not yet been put in. We took a one-horte wagon in which to bring back the budy. This was the night of Dec. 22, 185S. "Soon after we started, there set in a violent snow storm, which, unfortunately for our. plans, ceased about the time we lifted the body from the grave. I at once realized that in all probability our tracks in the snow would lead to our detection. In order to eonceal this clew as much as possible, we passed through the window of the chuich with the corpse, thus leaving no foot prints in the snow. We started for home, but becoming more and more satisfled that we would be discovered. I concluded to hasten with the body to Ann Arbor. To do so I had to pass through my own village. I will state that when I left home to undertake this business, I had gone ostensibly to attend a case of obstetrics and on returning I stopped again on pretense of securing some needed instruments, 'but in reality to obtain a trunk in which to conceal the body. Then we had to drive 12 miles north to Grass Lake, a small station on the Michigan Central road, 40 miles west of Ann Arbor, which was my destination. We arrived at Grass Lake just after daylight in fiood t irrtfe to secure passage on the first train east. "I will lnterrupt my narrative here to state that the next morning a carpenter who had been at work on thë unflnished ehurch went into the building to secure some tools that were in his ehest near the window. He noticed where the snow had been brushed off the sill and observed some i through the ehurch. This exciting his curiosity he glanced out toward the cemetery and saw the foot prints leading directly to the grave }.nd the fresh dirt overlying the snow. Of course he lost no time in spreading the news of his discovery, and the wagon was tracked to my house in Brooklyn, and thence on to Grass Lake. At the latter place I discharged my companions and proceeded alone on rry journey east. Arriving at the depot in Ann Arbor, I noticed some parties gathering around the trunk as it was beint; unloaded, and thought it not best to claim the baggage at once, suspecting that the authorities had been nolifled to detain it. So, without claiming it, I went to Cook's hotel, about a half mile from the depot, and informed the landlord, whom I knew quite well, of the. true state of affairs. At ihe hotel I also feil in with an old college acquaintance named Darling, who was boarding there at the time and to whom I also confided my situation. "It was thought best by these gentlemen, as well as myself, that I should remain concealed in Darling's room till we got the lay of things. 13y arrangement my friend Darling secured a draynian to get the trunk, but he soon returned without it, saying that the baggageman had been ordered to hold it till the owner called in person for it. We then knew as a certainty that the transaction had been disco vered. Notwithstanding, a little later the janitor of the medical college was illowed to take the trunk away. "I remained in Darling's room, which was located on the second floor cf the southeast corner of the hotel, until supper was announced, not thinking that it was just about time for the arrival of a train from the west. After supper I got a cigar and sat down quietly by the barroom stove to smoke. While so doing the 'bus drove up from the depot nd Gordon, the deputy sheriff of Jackson county, in company with a jack-leg lawyer from Grass Lake, came in, and going up to the bar inquired concerning me. I thought to myself 'Old boy, jou are in for it.' Gordon came and stood by the stove near me. Deciding to put on a bold front, I reached out my hand to him. "He said, 'Doe, I would like to &ee you alone.' "I said all right, and led the way into the sitting room, . followed by the shyster. After being seatsd, Gordon said: " 'We are after you, Doe, for a depredation committed in a grave yard, and suspicion rests on you as the eulprit, though I think if the body can be recovered nothing further will be done about it.' "I replied that thiit was bad, and j told him that if the body was at thé ] college perhaps I could 1. ntal in ha ving it delivered up. 1 off n á these siïggestions in order to gain til ie áy out means of escape. I then told Gordon that I had a Erier I in the hotel with whom I wouid eonsuli see if he would not go to the col p.nd ascertain if the body werê there and the posslbility of recoverlng it. Gordon granted me permissiön to go into the room and hold a private conversation with Darling-. "While there I hurriedly inCormed my frlend what I wished to be done. He t,o have a team and buggy secured and placed near the college building and then return to his room, raise the window and notify me that a!l was righf. At the same time ano.ther team was to be in readlness to start off at the proper moment in an opposite direction, conveying the idea that I had gone with it. These arrangemïnts perfected, I rejoined Gordon in the sitting room. The return train to Grass Lake was due in an hour. After waiting almost that length of time the awyer, who was with Gordon, said to him: " 'I think you had better secure your prisoner and get to the depot.' "I looked at Gordon, saying: 'Does j that thir.g, there, have control of this matter, or do you?' "He replied: 'I do.' "I said: 'I presume you r.nd I can get along without this interferenee?' "I made this last remark to flatter Gordon and get him off his guard. At this juncture Darling retnrnad and signalled met that all was rig'rt. "I then told Gordon thai I wou IJ be ivady ir. a few minutes, but wanted a word with Darling to Bes ehut he hJ aecomplithed at the college as to the return of the body. líe grannvl the I request and accompanied me through the halls to Darling's room, foll(wed by the Ehyster ar.d a erowd of loafers fri ri the barroom, who by this time had liewrd whit was go:ag on. Entering uu room quiekly, I slhmaied tno dooi: behind me aal tuVned ;he key. shutting himself in and Gordon out. Í then & prang from th. window, and DarliiiK. taking me by the wrist, let (icwn into the snowdr'ft below. "L lost no time in setting to the college, where I found the team and buggy as prearranged, but oefore starting away I hastened into the room of the demonstrator of anatomy, who asked me how I was off for funds. I replied: 'No better than one ought to be in any situation.' He emptied his purse of $80 and told me to take it. and make good use of it. I then joined Darling outside, and we lost no time in driving to Monroe City - 40 or 50 miles south of Ann Arbor. We reached there at daylight in the morning. While warming myself at the hotel stove some one touched me on the shoulder and said: 'Doe, how are you?' "Glancing around, I discovered an old fellow student of Ann Arbor named Baldwin, who was there attending court from Adrián, Mich. I engaged him to go to my home and inform my family of my whereabouts and situation. From Monroe City I took the road to Fort. Wayne, Ind., thinking to stop there until I could learn with certainty the extent of the feeling at home In order to do this 1 visited a printing office and called for exchange papers from Michigan. Alrriost the iirst raper 1 ;;■ it hold of contained an arttele headed 'Horrible Desee: ation af the Dead,' in which was given an ' , account of the incident. I knew1 then tbat I had no business fo stop no near. Just before this I had become aequainted with a Dr. Smith, and also a druggist of Fort Wayne, to vhom I disclosed my plight, as I supposed I would need assistance in some way. "At one time while Dr. Smith was in the drug store the druggist infoimed him that the chief of pólice was locking for his friend, referring to me. When told of this I decided to 'eave en the first train west, which was due about 10 o'clock the coming night. Dr. Smith told me to go home with him to supper, so that I would not be noticed about the store. I did so. Starting to return to his office, we passed out of the gate to the sidewalk, when we noticed a policeman coming toward us. We turned back to the house and passed up an alley in the rear to Smith's office, where we remained with locked, doors till near train time. Then we made our way to the depot. The train was late and I kept in the hadow, while the doctor went to see if the road was clear. At that moment '.he 'bus carne up with p.assengers and several policemen. The latter learning of the train's delay, returned to town and I finally got aboard and paid my fare to the flrst station only. not knowing what might turn up. Motioning the conductor to sit by my side, I informed him that I was after a man who had been committing a depredation in Michigan and described the person wanted, represonting him as nearly like myself as possible, with some very obvious differences, and requested him to keep a lookout as to who shotüd get on and off and to notice if there was anybody on the train at that time answering the description. I did this to find out if the conductor himself suspected me. He at last informed me that he had heard of this depredation at Fort Wayne and had been requested by the pólice there to look out and telegraph back if such a character got aboard. "I finally reached St. Louis. After a long clandestine correspondence and through the mediation of friends I was rejoined at that place by my wife and children, who in going thither from Michigan narrowly es-caped death by the fearful wreek of the train on which they were traveling. I subsequently learned that the stolen body was recovered and that the party, conveying it home by wagon from the railroad at Grass Lake, stopped at some wayside inn to warm, when, singular to relate, the corpee was stolen from the vehicle. It was ultimately found i'.nd returned to its resting place in the little rural church yard. "The foregoing episode," concluded the old doctor, "convinced me that the way of the transgressor is hard. That incident turned the whole current of my life. whether for good or ill I am unable to say, and yet in 1 hinking it over I feel few compunctions of conscience, for I was obeying the ancient injunction: 'Get knowledge.' " In a financia] circular, ofíe 'iu; l.on.ls for sale, ' 1 ■ fóllowiag ta giv'Mi ;ili inxi i lie bomde oí a lieatucky cou'nty : "These boiíd i are ■'■■ ■ :r:í for refuttding Turnpik iind the i lie coual y for i urnpike road. Our represéntative n o rtsited the oounty Síarch LOth, in,'i m uá i lia t the oo the eounfcry róads be ever travelim! i ■!■ ; ■. lie 3 n id i ate macada i i and as sm i ;i a ■ city i-o.kí ■■. Thís is quite aiï adi antas - "mer, enabluig him to market liis produce at thetnosi adrantageous i me, when try roads are bad ulsewhere. The boiiík mature in annual installments 2,DO0 i! year ; Uius bhe bonded 4 i he coanty wïü be graduálly paid oí with do burden : ;i i tie axpayer3. 'i ii i bring 5 1-J per cent." This shows vvhat llu'.v are d'On.!í in the Bouth. Y'!y can't Michigan be as progreesive ?

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier