Harry Burrell
November 28, 1797 - March 4, 1879
Death Notice
Herkimer Democrat, March 12, 1879
Harry Burrell, one of the oldest and most prominent of the business men of this place [Little Falls, Herkimer Co., NY], died Wednesday in his 82d year. He was long connected with the dairy interest, being a prominent cheese buyer, but retired form active participation in business some years ago. His two sons, D.H. and E.J. Burrell, are now engaged in the same business.
The Sacrilege
Utica Morning Herald, April 22, 1879
The receiving vault of the little Falls cemetery on Monroe street was found broken open at an early hour yesterday morning. The remains of Harry Burrell, the well known cheese buyer of that village, who was buried in March, were missing, having been taken from the casket. It is supposed this sacrilege was committed during the previous night, but of this there is no certainty, as it is not known that the vault had been visited before since Sunday. This outrage created great excitement and indignation in and about Little Falls yesterday, and had the perpetrators been discovered during the day they would undoubtedly have had a short shrift.
The Herald's correspondent at little Falls forwarded the following particulars yesterday:
At half-past seven o'clock this morning James Powers, with his omnibus and David Decker, visited the public vault in the village cemetery for the purpose of removing the body of Richard Searls, recently deceased, to the Rural Grove cemetery. On their arrival at the vault, which is situated near the northwest corner of the cemetery and about 25 rods from the nearest dwelling, they made the startling discovery that it had been robbed of the remains of Harry Burrell. Information was immediately sent to Mr. Burrell's family, and the report of the outrage soon spread through the village. Hundreds of people gathered at the vault.
The outside doors of the vault are fastened with a heavy iron bar placed horizontally over the doors and secured to an iron staple in the stone with a large padlock. The lock was broken with a hammer or an iron bar. After breaking the first doors, the thieves were able to pass down the stone steps to the second doors leading to the vault. Entrance was effected through these doors by forcing them and bending the bolt holding the iron bar on the outside far enough to admit a person. The vault is quite large, and at this time contained twelve or fifteen bodies. It appears that the party were acquainted, as the box containing the remains had no mark or name by which it could be distinguished from the others. Mr. Burrell's case was pulled out from the rack, one end lowered to the floor. The screws of the rough box and casket were carefully withdrawn and laid in a pile. The lids were also placed on one side. The remains were then pulled out and probably placed in a sack, the party left with their ghastly plunder. They closed the outside doors, and placed the lock in its position to partly cover their tracks. The hard gravel about the vault presented the discovery of any foot prints near the building, but on close inspection, the impression of boots or shoes could be seen near the gate of the carriage way. A wagon was probably in waiting to receive the remains.
Ex-Sexton Cantim, who resides on Monroe street, near the cemetery, says a noise was heard about 10:30 p.m. as though some one was opening the vault doors. Supposing it was a small pox case, he went into the house. Another says that a wagon was heard to pass up Monroe street about midnight and return an hour later.
A reporter of the Herald went to little falls yesterday afternoon and found that this sacrilegious outrage had excited the people of that village to fever heat. Many of the best citizens were out along the river and canal and scattered over the numerous country roads, making diligent search for any possible clue that might lead to the discovery of the remains and the devils who stole them. General Priest had been notified at Utica early in the morning, and telegrams were sent by him to all stations on the road to look out for the ghouls.
There is every indication that this dastardly act was planned by home villains with the hope of gaining a reward for the return of the remains as in the case of A.T. Stewart. There was no mystery concerning the cause of death and medical students or ordinary resurrectionists are not suspected. The home thieves may have been assisted by strangers. The deceased was known to have left an estate valued at over a quarter of a million dollars, and it was probably thought that the members of his family would willingly pay any sum to secure the return of the body. In this the villains may be disappointed, as no reward will be offered until every nook and corner of the state is ransacked to discover both the thieves and the remains.
Careful examination of the vault disclosed the fact that two caskets had been opened before the remains of Mr. Burrell were found. The inside casket adjoining that of Mr. Burrell's was marked with candle grease and spots of grease were found on the floor of the vault. The robbers had evidently opened the casket, discovered by the light of a candle that it contained the body of a woman, closed it in an orderly manner and then hit upon the one they wanted.
After the body had been taken from the casket it seems to have been dragged feet foremost out of the vault and up the stairs leading to the walk. This opinion is based upon the fact that a bunch of gray hair similar to that of the deceased was found adhering to the side of the inside door near the floor. If another report is correct this clue is of some importance. The devils seem to have done their work in a leisurely manner, taking sufficient time to cover their tracks effectively for the time being. There is no positive proof that the outrage was committed Monday night or yesterday morning, as no reputable person is known to have visited the cemetery from Sunday afternoon until the visit of the gentlemen named, yesterday morning.
The cemetery is located near the top of the Monroe street hill, in the northern portion of the village, and is reached by the road which runs back of the Garvan House. A party of young people was at a birthday festival on Monroe street, not far from the cemetery. Two or more of them assert that they hear the rumbling of a noisy democrat wagon, drawn by one horse, about midnight.
One thought he recognized the horse as a well-known animal owned y one Fox, a blacksmith who lives near the river. This animal was used for night scavenger purposes and is known by nearly eveyr one in the village. One of the party thinks he saw three men in the wagon. Its noise attracted attention going up, andwithin half na hour, or about 12:30 a.m. the same vehicle is said to have been heard rumbling rapidly down the road in the direction of Ann street. about the same time, an employee of the freight house heard the same vehicle or one that made a similar noise, pass over the old river bridge upon which he resides.
Early yesterday morning, Blacksmith Thomas Fox had occasion to use his horse and wagon and he sent his son to the barn for the animal. The young man returned and reported that the harness room had been broken open and the horse was lying down, smoking with heat, quite muddy, and apparently completely exhausted Mr. Fox made a person examination and found his son's story correct the Horse is not a very substantial one and could not have gone far without trouble in the bad roads over the hills.
Mr. Fox's wagon is a peculiar one. One of the hind wheels is loose and "wobbles" badly--that is, in running it crosses the crack made by the forward wheel. In this wagon it is said that there was found a lock of gray hair similar to that found on the door of the vault. Also a paper of tobacco and a button. The shoes on the horse are of a peculiar shape. The tracks of these shoes and those made by the wobbling wheel were traced some distance over the river and up the hill to a farmhouse and back to Fox's stable.
This trace was thought to be important at first, but subsequent developments had a tendency to upset them temporarily. On investigation it was found that the owner of the farm to which the wagon tracks led had had his chicken coop robbed Monday night. Then it was supposed that the Fox vehicle had been stolen or borrowed by chicken thieves for that purpose alone and returned. Fox asserts that he knew nothing about the use of his horse or wagon Monday night, and he is not suspected of crime. This would seem to resolve itself into a case of risking grand larceny and burglary (the theft of the horse and wagon) by someone for the purpose of committing petit larceny by chicken thieves. Others think the -?- that the vehicle finally used to carry off the remains was kept outside of the village so that it could not be identified.
For a long time a bad gang of railroad thieves and gamblers has hung around Little Falls and vicinity. a few nights ago Alvin Richmond's house was forced open and the old gentleman was [hit] over the head with a pistol by a villain who demanded his money or life. Railroad car thieves have frequently operated on the Central road, removed their plunder from trains, tumbled it into boats and secreted it in the hills beyond the mohawk. There are now several suspicious characters in Little Falls ready for any job of this kind.
Undertaker Toxer informed our reporter that the body of Mr. Burrell was embalmed so that it would be preserved six weeks or longer. No odor was noticeable in the vault or casket yesterday. This fact will give the robbers the advantage of being able to secrete the remains temporarily without fear of detection from decomposition odors for a time.
Everyone in Little Falls was willing to assist in the search for the remains. David and E.J. Burrell, Messrs. Smith, Adams, Fonda and others, made a careful tour along the river, of the island, over the hills and elsewhere, with no success as far as reported, up to 9 P.M.
At 7:30 P.M. several prominent citizens met in the club rooms of the Opera House block for consultation. Among them were Capt. Albert Story, Chief Engineer, Adams, ex-chief James Smith, Rodney Whitman, Messrs. Fonda, Toxer, Waters, Hinckley, Nau, Burrell, Jerry Helmet of Herkimer and others. The subject was thoroughly discussed and plans were arranged for making a systematic search for the remains during the night and hereafter. The details were placed under the direction of Captain Albert Story by a unanimous vote. Some were of the opinion that it was possible the remains were still within the village limits or near by and that if the robbers were hard pressed they might sink them in the canal or river. One of Mr. Burrell's sons was heard from at Ilion, and another came in late from a fruitless search in direction of Fink's Basin.
This revolting crime of a character that is terrible under any circumstances, naturally creates great excitement in the town wherein Harry Burrell was so widely known and generally beloved and respected. His death occurred March 5 of this year, when he was nearly 82. When he was seven years old with his father he came from Massachusetts to Salisbury, in Herkimer county, where he spent his life on the farm until 1850, when he removed to Little Falls. As a cheese and butter buyer for New York and foreign markets, he became known to almost every man in the Mohawk valley. He accumulated a fortune and aided considerably in improving Little Falls by his enterprise and public spirit. When he died the people of Herkimer county mourned the loss of one of its most valued citizens. He left an aged widow, four sons, three daughters and sixteen grandchildren. The wounds of these afflicted relatives are opened afresh by a crime which would seem to put even devils to shame. The remains of Mr. Burrell were only temporarily deposted in the village cemetery, as it was intended to remove them to Salisbury for final interment in the family ground as soon as the snow disappeared. It is certainly to be hoped that the remains will be promptly discovered and that the villains who were engaged in this sacrilegious crime may be brought to speedy punishment. Faithful and determined friends of the deceased are at work and nothing will be left undone.
Little Falls, 3 a.m.: Up to this hour there has been no clue reported to lead to the discovery of the remains of Harry Burrell, which were stolen from the cemetery vault Monday night. The village and roads have been patrolled all night by citizens.
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