"Resurrection"

On the night of Tuesday, May 25, 1878, John Scott Harrison, son of former President William Henry Harrison and the father of future President Benjamin Harrison, passed away in his sleep at the age of 73. The former Congressman from Ohio was a beloved member of the Harrison family and was well-respected in North Bend and Cincinnati. Important to this macabre tale is that during the previous week, close family friend August Devins passed away from tuberculosis. It’s not his death, per se, but his burial that is relevant to this story as well as his physical proximity to Harrison’s future burial plot. Fast forward to the funeral of John S. Harrison. His funeral and burial were quickly planned and four days later, on May 29, his mortal remains were forever consigned to the earth as a large and mournful crowd watched, as he began his eternal rest in the Harrison family plot of North Bend’s Congress Green Cemetery (adjacent to the Harrison family vault). During the burial, several family members observed Devins’ gravesite was disturbed and that his remains were missing, although his coffin was left behind. After the funeral, John S. Harrison’s sons, Carter and John Jr., suddenly concerned about the real possibility their father’s remains could be stolen, secured their father’s eight-foot-deep gravesite by lining the bottom in stone and lining the sides in brick. Their father’s metallic coffin was then lowered into the ground and three large stones, around eight-inches thick and over 1000 pounds each, were then placed after much effort over the top of the coffin, extending from the head towards the feet two-thirds of the way; two smaller but just as cumbersome and heavy stones were placed crosswise over the remaining uncovered portion of the coffin. Once the stones were in place, they were secured with cement and, after drying, the gravesite was to be filled in with dirt; whether it was filled in is unknown. And just as a precaution, Benjamin Harrison, made aware of the theft of Devins remains, secured a guard to keep watch over the freshly dug gravesite for the next week with hourly night checks. The secured gravesite combined with a night guard seemed impervious to the macabre thoughts and intentions of some waiting ghoul, “resurrectionists” as they were called, ready to plunder the fresh dead, or so the Harrison family thought.

Shortly after the funeral, John Jr. Harrison and his cousin, George Eaton, concerned about the missing remains of Devins, and not wanting Devins’ aggrieved mother to learn about the theft, travelled to Cincinnati. That night, Harrison and Eaton “swore out search warrants” to search several Cincinnati medical schools and the next day, joined by Constable Walter Lacy, Assistant Constable Fallen, and Detective Snelbaker, the search team began their search starting with Ohio Medical College located on 6th Street between Vine and Race Streets.

At Ohio Medical College, the Harrison search team was met by janitor E. J. Marshall, who was resistant to their canvassing the building for the remains of their friend but reluctantly, and with no choice in the matter, joined them. The search team began its search in the lower level of the college, the sub-cellars, looking for cadavers and worked their way up through the floors, checking rooms and closets, their search coming to an end in a dissection room on the southeast corner of the building’s fifth floor. In the corner of the room, near a window, was a rope, fixed to a crank windlass, extending down through a square or rectangular chute in the floor. Fortunately for John Jr. Harrison, Det. Snelbaker noticed the rope was taught, weighed by an unknown object, extending down into the darkness of the chute several floors below them. By a combination of instinct and curiosity, Det. Snelbaker slowly cranked the windlass, bringing the unknown object closer to view with each successive turn. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, a naked body came into view, the rope held tight onto the cold flesh of the neck, with a white cloth covering the face and the arms tied across the chest. As the body was coming into view John Jr. Harrison, hoping to see the emaciated tuberculosis ridden body of Devins, said, “It is not the man. It is not the man for whom I am looking. He died of consumption and was more emaciated than this one.” With John Jr. Harrison nearly ready to give up the search, he was urged by Det. Snelbaker to look at the covered face, telling him, “You better look at the face. You might be mistaken, and you will never forgive yourself if you allow any doubtful point to pass.” John Jr. Harrison responded, “It is hardly necessary…still, since you insist upon it, I’ll do it.” The body was then moved onto the dissection table near the chute. Using a cane, Det. Snelbaker moved the cloth from the face. Upon first glance, the face was dirty, and the remnants of a beard were still visible, cut square an inch down from the chin. John Jr. Harrison stooped down to the cadaver and took a closer look at the face. The warm hue of his face drained away. Det. Snelbaker spoke up, “What is the matter?” John Jr. Harrison, still staring, his face growing paler, and leaning against Det. Snelbaker, finally spoke up. “My God, that’s my father!” Sadly, John S. Harrison’s once proud and easy identifiable beard was shaved, ligatures could be seen on his carotid artery and an incision had been made at his jugular vein and the blood drained, his body likely having been filled with preservative fluid. To make sure the Harrison search team had the right body, the men checked to see if there was a bruise on the right side of the forehead (received from a recent fall) and a mole on his forehead.

With his identity confirmed, the body was secured. John Jr. Harrison broke out of his shocked state and quickly got to work securing his father’s remains. He sent for a coffin and stayed with the body. In the meantime, John Jr. Harrison had a friend return to Congress Green Cemetery to check his father’s gravesite. At Congress Green Cemetery, the defilement was confirmed, and the friend notified brother Carter Harrison, who, in turn, journeyed to Ohio Medical School and confirmed with his brother their father was indeed missing from his gravesite. Back at Ohio Medical School, a plain coffin was delivered, and John S. Harrison was placed inside it and taken to undertakers Estep and Meyer on 7thStreet where he was readied for internment. Their brother, Benjamin Harrison, was notified of their father’s unfortunate condition, and by Thursday evening arrived in Cincinnati. Hearing of the horrific news, Benjamin Harrison was reported to have said if he found the robbers “he would kill them like rats.”

As for the players in the theft of John S. Harrison, janitor E. J. Marshall was arrested on site. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Dr. J.C. Marshall of Ohio Medical College, as he was suspected of being the ringleader of this macabre practice, making arrangements with the robbers to see fresh corpses were delivered to the medical school. Allen Pinkerton of the Chicago famed Pinkerton Detectives, hired by Benjamin Harrison, was called in to investigate. Eventually, a man by the name of Bob Roundtree, North Bend and Cleaves ne’er-do-well, who was seen taking notes at the time of John S. Harrison’s burial, was also arrested, his role labeled as the robber. Back at Congress Green Cemetery, a simple investigation discovered John S. Harrison’s remains had been exhumed the night of the funeral. Further investigation of his grave found the two stones placed along the bottom third of the coffin “had been lifted up on end” pointing to someone being there at the funeral who witnessed the smaller stones placed over the foot end of the coffin, the coffin-box and coffin and glass lid broken, and the body removed feet first. Several days later, another search done by Detective Cleary of Chicago, turned up articles of clothing belonging to John S. Harrison found in the attic of Ohio Medical School: black vest, black coat, pants, and red flannel underclothing and were given to Benjamin Harrison. A further search at Ohio Medical School turned up women’s and children’s clothing.

John S. Harrison’s remains, to protect them from future theft attempts, were interred temporarily in Cincinnati’s Spring Grove Cemetery. A short time later, the remains were disinterred and secured to the left of his father, William Henry Harrison, in the family vault. What became of the remains of the man who started this sordid tale? Not too long after John S. Harrison’s remains were found, August Devins’ were eventually located at the University of Michigan medical school in Ann Arbor, Michigan, his remains having been placed in a pickling vat. His remains were returned to North Bend and reinterred in Congress Green Cemetery. As for the outcome of whatever criminal and civil charges were filed in court? We’ll never know as all court records associated with the grave robbing and subsequent court trial of John S. Harrison were lost when the Hamilton County Court House burned down in 1884.

John Scott Harrison

Williams Cincinnati Directory, 1856

Cincinnati Enquirer, 5/31/1878