But what became of the surgeon's soul,
Was never to mortal known."

The following extract from a Scotch paper shows the alarm felt for the
safety of the newly-buried:

"RESURRECTION-MEN.--Curiosity drew together a crowd of people on Monday,
at Dundee, to witness the funeral of a child, which was consigned to the
grave in a novel manner. The father, in terror of the resurrection-men,
had caused a small box, inclosing some deathful apparatus, communicating
by means of wires, with the four corners, to be fastened on the top of
the coffin. Immediately before it was lowered into the earth, a large
quantity of gunpowder was poured into the box, and the hidden machinery
put into a state of readiness for execution. The common opinion was, that
if any one attempted to raise the body he would be blown up. The sexton
seemed to dread an immediate explosion, for he started back in alarm after
throwing in the first shovelful of earth."

Friends and relatives often placed objects on the newly-made grave, such
as a flower or an oyster-shell, so that they might be able to tell if the
earth had been disturbed. These objects were generally carefully noted by
the resurrection-men, and were put back in their exact places after the
body had been removed and the grave re-filled.

In some burial-grounds, houses were built in which the bodies could be
kept until they were putrid, and therefore useless to the
resurrection-men. Such a house is still standing in the burial-ground at
Crail.[17]

[Illustration: HOUSE AT CRAIL (Described on page 80). Over the door is
the following inscription: "Erected for securing the Dead. Ann. Dom.
MDCCCXXVI."]

[Illustration: HOUSE AT CRAIL (Described on page 80). Over the door is
the following inscription: "Erected for securing the Dead. Ann. Dom.
MDCCCXXVI."]

As a rule, the resurrection-men were able not only to supply the
London schools from the grave-yards in and around the Metropolis, but also
to send bodies to some of the provincial schools; the Diary shows that
even Edinburgh received some of the proceeds of the work of this London
gang. If, however, from increased vigilance or other causes, the supply of
bodies ran short in London, recourse was had to the provinces. A case
occurred some seventy years ago at Yarmouth. A man died, and was buried in
St. Nicholas Churchyard. Not long after, his wife died also. On the
husband's grave being opened, it was discovered that the man's body had