The grave robbing of one of the country's wealthiest Gilded Age
merchants--Alexander T. Stewart, the "Merchant Prince of
Manhattan"--set off a firestorm in the media, and one of the most
celebrated police investigations in the city's history.
Immortalized in Mark Twain's humorous story, "The Stolen White
Elephant," this crime captured the imagination of the American
public. Against the backdrop of high society Manhattan, and Gilded
Age decadence, this book chronicles the case of the missing body of
the Merchant of Manhattan and reveals some of the more unseemly and
unusual sides of nineteenth century urban life. Along with the
likes of Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, and Morgan, Alexander
T. Stewart made his fortune during the years when America
industrialized. By the time of his death in 1876, Stewart, known as
the Merchant Prince of Manhattan, had amassed a fortune estimated
between $40 and $50 million. Snubbed by other Manhattan elites, he
died lonely and miserable, his body interred in a vault at St.
Mark's churchyard in Manhattan, awaiting relocation to the Long
Island suburb he had dreamed of planning. But on the morning of
November 7, 1878, the vault was discovered to have been emptied,
the body gone. Few clues remained at the scene, and the public and
press began speculating about the identity of the culprits. Grave
robbing was not uncommon in the 19th century, as medical schools
needed cadavers for their experiments but were often barred from
using them; grave robbers seized the opportunity. Others speculated
that a ransom was the motive, or that the stunt was meant as a
political statement, a backlash against the wealthy. The newspapers
fought fiercely for exclusive coverageand stories that could outdo
their rivals. Suspects were arrested, but released when it was
revealed that publicity had motivated their false confessions. And
local clergy took the opportunity to equate the grave robbery with
other "sinful behavior," such as drinking and prostitution.
Spiritualists and clairvoyants offered their services, but were
quickly dismissed by the police and the press. The police continued
to bungle the investigation, and ultimately the body was never
recovered.
General
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