The Diary of a Resurrectionist, 1811-1812: To Which Are Added an Account of the Resurrection Men in London and a Short History of the Passing of the Anatomy ActBailey, James Blake
History
The Diary of a Resurrectionist, 1811-1812: To Which Are Added an Account of the Resurrection Men in London and a Short History of the Passing of the Anatomy Act
Bailey, James Blake
Body snatching
It is known that the man described as N---- by Bransby Cooper was on board
the _Excellent_ in the action off Cape St. Vincent. In the muster-book of
the _Excellent_ for 1797 Josh. Naples is down as an A.B.: he is there
stated to have been born at Deptford, and to have been 21 years of age in
1795. This seems conclusively to prove that Naples was the man who wrote
the Diary.
The men who composed the gang at the time the Diary was written are, in
that document, nearly always spoken of by their Christian names. Their
names are Ben [Crouch], Bill [Harnett], Jack [Harnett], Daniel,[24]
Butler, Tom [Light], and Holliss. This gang, whose doings are recorded in
the Diary, was the chief one in the Metropolis in the early part of the
present century. The account, therefore, of the proceedings of these men
gives a good idea of the work of the body-snatchers in general. Honour
amongst thieves was not the motto of the resurrection-men; they seem to
have been ever ready to sell or cheat their comrades, if a favourable
opportunity presented itself.
For the accompanying biographical notes of the men mentioned in the Diary
the writer is indebted chiefly to the account given of them by Bransby
Cooper.[25]
Ben Crouch, the leader of the gang, was the son of a carpenter, who worked
at Guy's Hospital. He was a tall, powerful, athletic man, with coarse
features, marked with the small-pox, and was well known as a
prize-fighter. He used to dress in very good clothes, and wore a profusion
of gold rings, and had a large bunch of seals dangling at his fob. He was
tried for stealing cloth from Watling Street, but was able to successfully
prove an _alibi_. Bransby Cooper states that Crouch was seldom drunk, but
when he was in that state he was most abusive and domineering; the Diary
shows him in more than one of these attacks. He was sharp enough to be
always sober on settling-up nights, and so had a distinct advantage over
his comrades; by this means he generally managed to get more than his
proper share of the proceeds of their horrible work. About 1817 he gave up
the resurrection business, and occupied himself chiefly in dealing in
teeth; in this he was joined by Jack Harnett. They obtained licences as
sutlers, so that they might be allowed as camp-followers, both in France
and Spain. A large supply of teeth was thus obtained by them, their plan
being to draw the sound teeth of as many dead men as possible on the night
after a battle. They did not limit their attention to teeth, but made
large sums of money by stealing valuables from the persons of those who
had fallen in battle--proceedings which were even more brutal than their
former resurrectionist practices. With the money he had thus made, Crouch
built a large hotel at Margate, which at first looked like being a paying
concern. The nature of his former occupation, however, leaked out, and
ruined his business; he then parted with the property at a great
sacrifice.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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