A few years ago, when resurrectionists throughout the country were
become very common, a person of respectability was interred in the High
Church burying ground of Glasgow. The relatives who were persons of
property, hired a few hungry weavers, who generally at that time were
_atomies_ ready made, to watch the grave of their deceased relative;
these, as they were one night on duty, perceived some persons enter, the
churchyard; they kept snug till such time as they could learn the object
of their visit. It was not long before the intruders opened a grave,
took out the corpse, put it into a sack and left it at the grave, and
went in search of something else. One of the weavers, a droll fellow,
said to his comrade, "Take out the corpse, and I'll go into the sack,
but do you observe the proceedings." In a little time the resurrection
men returned, and one of them getting the sack upon his back marched
off. When they got to the street, the one says to the other, "Which way
will we take?" When the weaver putting out his hand and gripping the
fellow who was carrying him, by the hair, bawled out, "Down the Rotten
Raw, ye beggar." He was soon set down, and the man who carried him went
mad of the fright.
_Resurrection Men._
Some years ago, a poor boy, whose mother was buried in the churchyard of
Falkirk, used frequently to sit on her grave, and when destitute of
other accommodation, would crawl in below one of the gravestones, and
slept there for the night. On one of these occasions, the boy was roused
from his sleep by the noise of some voices in the churchyard. This was
nothing more than a couple of resurrection men who had come on purpose
to begin that great work rather prematurely; and as those who are raised
before their due time cannot be supposed capable of standing on their
legs, they had provided themselves with a horse to gi'e them a lift.
They were then disputing about how they could secure the beast, while
they were raising the corpse. The lad hearing this, and creeping out of
his hole, cries, "I'll haud him," expecting some remuneration no doubt.
The fellows seeing a resurrection commencing from under a stone, and
hearing the offer of holding the horse, scampered off and left the
animal, with a couple of sacks; and although the horse and sacks were
advertised, they were never claimed, but sold for the benefit of the
boy, which procured him better lodging than beneath a grave stone.
_March of Intellect._
Two country carters, passing the entrance to the Arcade, Argyle Street,
Glasgow, observed painted on the wall, "No dogs to enter here." "No dogs
to enter here!" exclaimed one of them, "I'm sure there's no use for that
there." "What way, Jock," replied the other. "'Cause dogs canna read
signs," said he. "Ha, ha, Jock, ye're maybe wrang, I'se warran ye gentle
folks' dogs 'ill ken't brawly, for there's schools, noo, whar they learn
the dumb baith to read and speak."
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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