HUMAN DISSECTION IN THE NORTH CENTRAL STATES 239 



The same author states that in the early days of grave rob- 

 bing, it was generally looked upon as a sort of religious offense 

 rather than a crime. Legally, it was nothing more than a mis- 

 demeanor, which was difficult to prove; therefore, it was pun- 

 ished by either a short jail sentence or a minimal fine. Medical 

 students were usually quite glad to accompany a demonstrator, 

 or any procurer of bodies, and looked upon such a venture as a 

 mere lark. There was a feeling among the profession that this 

 type of stealing should be limited to the subjects which were 

 those of executed criminals or of the pauper type. However, the 

 dearth of material led to an utter disregard of this idea. 



A body snatching episode of paramount significance, occurred 

 in the state of Ohio, in the year of 1878. It involved a member 

 of a distinguished family and was responsible for changes in the 

 anatomical laws of several states. On May 26, 1878, John Scott 

 Harrison, U. S. Senator passed away and was buried three days 

 later in Congress Green Cemetery, located in North Bend, Ohio. 

 He was the son of William H. Harrison, who served as President 

 of the United States for one month in 1841, and was the father 

 of Benjamin Harrison who became President in 1888. The day 

 after John Scott Harrison was put in his grave, one of his sons 

 and a nephew went to Cincinnati in search of the body of one 

 William Devin, a young friend of the family; they had informa- 

 tion that it had been stolen from its grave and transported to that 

 city. In their investigation, they canvassed the Medical College 

 of Ohio (University of Cincinnati) without finding any evidence 

 of the subject they were looking for and were about to abandon 

 the project. At that moment, a body was raised up into the dis- 

 secting-room by means of a hoist. Its head and shoulders were 

 covered with a cloth. When the hood was removed, both young 

 men recognized it as being the body of John Scott Harrison, in 

 spite of the fact that his patriarchal beard had been cut off below 

 the chin. The commotion that followed can easily be imagined. 

 The deceased's son, Benjamin, arrived on the premises the fol- 

 lowing day and he endeavored to arouse public sentiment, at 

 which he was successful. The newspapers of the city and, in fact, 

 the whole nation contributed their share in arousing the emotions 

 of the populace. 



