Bodysnatchers at work in the dead of night
They ply their trade in darkness in the dead of night….
In the afternoon the grieving relatives of a chimp bury the poor deceased chimp’s body in the church cemetery. Prayers are said, and there’s a lot of crying. At least the poor chimp will be at peace now forever more….
And yet a few hours later, after night has fallen, dark figues scurry across the grim spooky graveyard, shovel in hand. Listening out for signs of someone coming the two dark figures begin shovelling soil from the new grave. They work fast, keen not to get caught. After minutes of frantic digging their shovel causes a thud as it hits the wooden coffin. Using a crowbar they prise the lid off with a creak, revealing the body wrapped in cloth. Ankle deep in mud they lift the heavy body over the parapet and on to the ground of the graveyard, and carry it away in to the shadows. Behind them they leave a trail of destruction for the bereaved to discover in the morning.
Carrying the body through the back alleys of the city the two chimps arrive at a doctors house. After dumping the body on a slab in the cellar they take their payment and disappear off in to the night. The poor chimp, only just buried will now be used for anatomy experiments.
In 1828 there was a shortage of bodies for medical and scientific experiments. Although executed chimps had been previously used, a decrease in the number of executions left a shortage of bodies for this purpose, and many doctors of ill repute resorted to using bodysnatchers to raid the recent graves of the deceased, dig them up and deliver them to them. Some doctors even resorted to murder in order to supply the freshest corpses.
In the 1820s even in death a Chimp was not guaranteed peace and rest!
