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Alexander the Great: The Man Who Would be a God
One of the greatest military minds of all time, Alexander the Great conquered a 2 million square mile empire by the age most of us are paying off our college loans. So successful was Alexander on the battlefield, many of those he conquered thought Alexander a god. When he died of a mysterious fever in 323 BC, his corpse presented an opportunity for one General to legitimize his own holdings.
John Barrymore : I've Got a Funny Idea
Actor John Barrymore was one of the 1920's and 30's most famous stage and film stars. His portrayals of Hamlet on Broadway and Sherlock Holmes made Barrymore a household name. When Barrymore died in 1942 it came as a shock to some of his Hollywood friends. What these same friends did with his body to work through their grief turns out to be equally as shocking.
Bob and Tom Radio Show: A True Confession on National Radio
How far would you go to satisfy your best friend's last request? This unknown person from Wisconsin would tell the world when e-mailing the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom Morning Show.
Burke and Hare: Supply and Demand
Unable to collect rent from a dead boarding house resident, William Burke and William Hare had a novel idea. The pair sold the man's body to Edinburgh University's School of Medicine to cover his debt. The men saw a golden opportunity to make a fast quid in selling corpses. When digging up bodies became too tiresome for them, they turned to murder to create their own cadavers for sale.
Charlie Chaplin: Extortion in Switzerland
Silent film star Charlie Chaplin spent his last years in an estate in Switzerland. His death in 1977 gave two Iron Curtain expatriates the idea to steal his remains for ransom. How did they do it and why did Chaplin's remains stay missing for months after they were stolen?
Albert Einstein: The Man Who Stole Einstein's Brain
Sounding more like a B-Grade Science Fiction film than an actual historical event, there really was a man who stole Einstein's brain in the name of science. He would keep the brain for over 40 years and make a cross country trek with the physicists' brain in Tupperware.
Karl Flick: A Fortune Born in Blood
Billionaire Karl Flick's fortune had been obtained by his father's use of Jewish slave labor during World War II. Throughout his life Flick was obsessed with the security of himself and his family. Too bad Flick didn't consider securing his own grave in his last will and testament.
Benjamin Franklin: Search Others for Their Virtues, Thyself for Thy Vices
Was Benjamin Franklin a body snatcher? The thought doesn't seem compatible with our vision of Poor Richard's Almanac and the famous key and kite lightning experiment. The bones at the Founding Father's house in London would seem to indicate there was Skullduggery going on a 36 Craven Street.
Ed Gein: The Silence of the Psycho Chainsaw Massacre
You might
not be familiar with the name Ed Gein, but you have probably seen his mark on
popular culture. Find out the real story
behind the man who inspired characters in Psycho,
Silence of the Lambs, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Ghost Brides of China
Marriage is a huge part of the Chinese culture. What happens when a man dies before having the chance to marry? They get a ghost bride of course. Follow the story of a group of Chinese men that made a cottage industry of providing fresh ghost brides to families.
Che Guevara: End of a Myth
Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara has been listed as one of the most influential persons of modern history by Time Magazine. Che's body disappeared after being executed in Bolivia. Speculation for almost 40 years held that theories ranging from his cremation to Yale's Skull and Bones Society holding his skull. But one man who sought vengeance from Che for the death of his father knew exactly where his final resting place was.
Gladys Hammond: By Any Means Necessary
Gladys Hammond's corpse was caught up in a war that she would have known little about. Stolen in the dark of night from an English cemetery, Hammond's remains became the pawn of an animal rights group bent on shutting down a guinea pig farm.
Haydn, Joseph: Hast Du Gesehen, Meinen Kopf?
Haydn has been called the father of the symphony. Dying the same day Napoleon invaded Vienna, Haydn's funeral was postponed for over a week. This gave a man who was interested in examining the bumps on Haydn's skull the chance create a plan to add to a grizzly collection.
John Harrison: The Spy and the President's Father
John Harrison was son of President William Harrison and father of President Benjamin Harrison. For such an august family tree, John Harrison led an unremarkable life. Serving in Congress was the highlight of his political career. So why would a spy in the employ of the British government be implicated in his body snatching?
Imani Joyner: Connecticut's Miracle Baby
Imani Joyner died of a rare genetic condition at the age of two. Her survival, even to that age, was seen as a miracle by her caregivers. If anyone deserved to remain at rest for eternity it was Imani. Unfortunately, someone had different ideas for the girl that would be dubbed Connecticut's Miracle Baby.
Abraham Lincoln: How Not to Commit a Crime
Ten years after President Lincoln's death a group of bungling criminals saw the chance to achieve their goals by stealing the President's body. Little did the thugs know there was a traitor in their midst or how flawed their plan actually was. After the conspirators were caught, one man took on the sacred duty of protecting the President. To what ends would Lincoln's defender go to insure his body would remain in his tomb in Springfield, IL?
Groucho Marx: I'd Never Be Caught Dead in Burbank
When someone sees a pair of glasses coupled with a cigar, the thought of Groucho Marx can't be too far behind. This comic icon succumbed to dementia in his later years and was saddled with a caregiver who was less than gentle. After Groucho's death a legal battle raged over his estate. Was the theft of Groucho's ashes meant to be a pawn in that legal battle or was there a more altruistic reason for the theft?
John Milton: Paradise Lost
Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost is
marked as one of the greatest achievements of English literature. While his poetry has been scrutinized since its
publication, Milton's remains were not.
The poet's body was "lost" in the church he was buried. When the remains were rediscovered over 100
years after his death, there was quite the rush to secure a piece of the poet's
memory.
Thomas Paine: Common Sense
Founding Father Thomas Paine is recognized today for his invaluable contributions to the birth of America. This wasn't always the case. When Paine died, he was penniless and vilified by most Americans. There was one man who saw greatness in Paine and plotted to take his remains from New York back to his native England. Surely the English would want to glorify the prolific writer, wouldn't they?
Graham Parsons: Fallen Angel
Graham Parsons created the bridge between Country and Rock and Roll music that today is a staple of the airwaves. In doing so, Parsons was sucked into the Rock and Roll lifestyle of drugs and alcohol. While trying to get his career back on track, Parsons died of an overdose in Joshua Tree National Park. The Parsons family wanted his body to rest in New Orleans, but Parson's road manager had a promise to keep.
Juan and Eva Peron: The South American Politics of Death
There have never been two more controversial and beloved figures in Argentinean politics than Juan and Eva Peron. Many Argentines revere Eva today as a Saint and keep her picture by the Blessed Virgin Mary. When Juan Peron's government was overthrown in the mid 1950's, he went into hiding and so did Eva's body. The truth behind the disappearance of Eva's remains would not be found out until almost 20 years after their disappearance.
Elvis Presley: Conspiracy Theory
Not a week after the King passed away on this Memphis throne, there was a half baked attempt to steal his body. The plan was destined to fail from the beginning, but was failure actually the goal of these body snatchers? When one considers what the Presley family had to gain from the attempt on Elvis' body, it's hard not to believe in this conspiracy theory.
Robert the Bruce: The Heart of a King
Robert the Bruce had won the independence of Scotland from England a number of years before his death. Forging a new idea of freedom for the Scottish people had meant that the Bruce had only one regret in his life. On his death bed, the Bruce asked his best friend to take his heart to the one place the King never went.
Saint Nicholas: Manna from Heaven
Yes, jolly old Saint Nicholas was a victim of Skullduggery. Who would want the remains of this beloved Saint and for what purpose? Find out how two Italian cities now claim to be the final resting place for the man who would be connected with Santa Claus and Father Christmas.
Willie Simms: Teenage Angst
The must be no ends to how bored teenagers can find ways to amuse themselves on a Saturday night. This group of youths decided to make a memorable night out of digging up 10 year old Willie Simms' grave to make an unusual implement out of his skull.
Alisdair Sinclair: The Heart of a Scotsman
Alisdair Sinclair left his home in Scotland to pursue his dream of becoming a musician in Amsterdam. When Sinclair made an unexplained five day trip to Israel he was arrested for taking a large amount of cash out of the country. Within 24 hours of his arrest, Sinclair was dead. When the Israeli government shipped his remains back to Scotland, Sinclair was missing and internal organ with no explanation as to why.
Skull and Bones Society: Tales from The Tomb
Conspiracy theorists have felt for years that Yale's Skull and Bones Society have a hand in shaping world events. While the organization has had Presidents, Legislators, and business moguls blossom from their ranks, could their biggest secret be a ghoulish collection of skulls? The skulls of Pancho Villa, Geronimo , Che Guevara, and Martin Van Buren have all been reputed to reside in the depths of the Skull and Bones clubhouse; affectionately called The Tomb. Could Yale campus actually be the resting grounds for these men's skulls?
Emmanuel Swedenborg: Dream a Little Dream
Scientist Emmanuel Swedenborg began to have disturbing dreams late in his life. These dreams were so vivid and realistic, the only way Swedenborg could explain them is that they were communications from God. For the rest of his life, Swedenborg sought to understand how the physical world related to the spiritual. He claimed to be able to speak with the dead and saw into the future on a few occasions. Is it any wonder that someone would want to claim his skull, possibly for the mystical powers it could hold?
Sarah Symonds: Mistaken Identification
On Halloween night, someone dug up the grave of 24 year-old school teacher Sarah Symonds. The woman had died in the early 1800's, but had the same name as a woman accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. It couldn't all be a coincidence, could it?
George Karl Tanzler: The Count's Bride
George Tanzler left behind a family in Germany to create a fictional life for himself in Key West, Florida. Tanzler reinvented himself into Count von Cossel and a new career as a radiologist. While reading an X-ray of a young Cuban dancer, the Count thought he had found true love for the first time in his life. Tuberculosis took the Cuban woman from the Count before he could convince her to marry him. But death does not always break the bonds of love.
Laura Tennessen: I'll Bury you Tomorrow
Laura Tennessen was a lovely 20 year-old woman who tragically died in a motorcycle accident days before her 21st birthday. When a resident of a nearby town saw her obituary picture, he was instantly love struck. The lad talked two of his friends into helping out the smitten teen in a most unusual way.
George Tobias: Did You See What Was in the Back of the Station Wagon?
Actor George Tobias was best known for his role as Abner Kravetz in the TV comedy Bewitched. After dying at Los Angeles' Cedar Sinai Hospital, Tobias' body was stolen by something that can only be described as bad timing and bad luck for the perpetrators.
William Wirt: The Skull, the City Councilman, and the Collector
Manager of Congressional Cemetery, Bill Fecke, started his workday with an odd phone call. The unidentified caller asked Bill a simple question, "What do you know about William Wirt's skull?" The chain of events this conversation started sparked off the discovery of a grave robbery, a skull deposited in a Washington DC councilman's office, a Smithsonian Institution forensics investigation, and the discovery of an unidentified newborn's remains.
Yale Riots of 1824: Resurrection Riots
Medical schools did not always have easy access to cadavers. Generally, medical students were on their own when it came to obtaining supplies for anatomy class. Students would have to rush to freshly dug graves to obtain cadavers for their studies. One case in New Haven, Connecticut started a riot that threatened Yale's campus. The governor had to call out the militia to quell the townsfolk.
The Morgue
In the pre-digital age, newspapers kept clippings of old stories in what was known as "The Morgue". Eleven stories of Skullduggery from the 1880's New York Times are included in this section. Not only are these journalistic accounts of grave robberies fascinating in their stark reality, but the social commentary of 120 years gone by gives one a unique look into the past.
All content on www.skullduggerythebook.com is â“’Brian Kannard 2009. No part of this web site may be reproduced without the author's written permission.
