September 10, 1776
Over the course of several months, a mysterious story traveled to Philadelphia from Canterbury via London. A woman in an English village died and left behind a “large oaken chest” in the back room of her home. The chest was supposed to have belonged “to one B. many years her acquaintance,” and it was supposed to contain “some things of value. However, when the woman’s three brothers opened the chest, they found something horrible: children’s skeletons. The woman’s brothers, “desirous of concealing the shame of their sister, put the bones in a sack, and got a hole dug in the Church yard for burial.”
However, before the skeletons could be buried, the local justice ordered that the bones should be examined by the coroner. Questioning of “several persons, which lasted many hours,” revealed that the “deceased woman was supposed to have had a child about 40 years ago,” but no one knew what had become of the child. The verdict was that the woman had given birth to the children in the oak chest, though it remained unclear whether they had been “still-born, or murdered.” Although the brothers first believed there were three skeletons in the chest, the jury determined that “the bones were not sufficiently perfect to make out three skeletons, yet more than completed two.” Although the story in the newspapers ended there, the hunt for the woman’s acquaintance, “B.,” continued “in hopes that this dreadful story may be fully cleared up.”
Dunlap’s Pennsylvania Packet or the General Advertiser
Printed by John Dunlap
LONDON.
May 24. The Kentish Gazette of Saturday last, contains the subsequent article, dated Canterbury. “The following very extraordinary circumstance we can lay before our readers as a certain fact. A single woman in a neighbouring village, who was about 60 years of age, had desired that a large oaken chest, which she had set in a back room, saying it contained some things of value, but would not want to be opened, and that it belonged to one B. many years her acquaintance, might at her death be given up to him. About a fortnight ago she died, and her three brothers supposing the contents of the chest to be valuable, and having at different times advanced B. considerable sums of money, opened the same, without acquainting B. thinking, that when they knew the contents, they might oblige him to repay them. B. as soon as the woman’s death was known, absconded, and has not been heard of since. The brothers on opening the chest found the contents to be sand, pieces of waste paper, and other rubbish, and the sides lined with parchment: On removal of the sand, &c. a decayed band box and an old hair trunk were found at the bottom, in which were contained, to all appearance, the skeletons of three children, with a piece of ribband and two pieces of cord, each of them drawn into a tight knot, as though they had been drawn round something of about three inches circumference; horrid spectacle this to the disappointed brothers! Amazed and confounded, they could scarce support themselves, and desirous of concealing the shame of their sister, put the bones in a sack, and got a hole dug in the Church yard for burial. The Parish was soon alarmed, and before the hole was filled up, an order came from a Justice to take the bones up again, and the Coroner was sent for: and on the examination of several persons, which lasted many hours, it appeared, that the deceased woman was supposed to have had a child about 40 years ago, but no account ever given what became of it. Many corroborating circumstances rendered it very suspicious, that she had been the mother of all three; and the verdict brought in was, “that two children were found dead, but whether still-born, or murdered not known.” The Jury brought in—two children only—as the bones were not sufficiently perfect to make out three skeletons, yet more than completed two. Strict search is making after B. in hopes that this dreadful story may be fully cleared up.”
