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 coverage and 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.

The Missing Corpse: Grave Robbing a Gilded Age Tycoon

History

Fanebust, Wayne

Americas

Praeger

Alexander M. McCook, one of the youngest major generals in the Union army, was a member of a patriotic family from Ohio that became known as the "Fighting McCooks." He participated in some of the bloodiest campaigns of the Civil War, including Bull Run, Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River and Chickamauga. In battle, McCook could be rash and reckless, but his personal courage was beyond reproach, even as his career was marked by controversy. Subjected to an inquiry into his conduct at the battle of Chickamauga, he was cleared of all charges but relieved of command to spend the remainder of the war in relatively minor assignments. This biography, focusing especially on McCook's Civil War service, fills out the full picture of a proud if clouded career.

Major General Alexander M. McCook, USA: A Civil War Biography

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

McFarland Company

In the 1850's, the American West was ablaze with land speculation. From Minnesota to Kansas, town site companies eagerly sought out the most desirable locations for new towns, taking advantage of an 1844 Act of Congress. This generous law was the impetus for ambitious men to create companies and send exploration parties into the prairie wilderness. Among the new breed of speculators were men from the Dakota Land Company from St. Paul and the Western Town Company from Dubuque, who later joined forces. Their sights were set on the Falls of the Big Sioux River. A rival company was organized in Sioux City, Iowa, with designs on the Yankton Sioux Indian village on the Missouri River slope. The two groups were soon locked in a fierce rivalry over the control of the political and economic destiny of wild land which all men considered to be the next bonanza. These men possessed a hazy vision to go with a haughty attitude and were risk takers, but they used the federal government fully and freely, counting on Uncle Sam to provide money, jobs and military protection. Both pushed and implored Congress to create a new territory. Impatient in the extreme, they set up their own extra-legal forms of government, hoping that Congress would take note. Their timing was bad, however, for the Panic of 1857 set in motion an economic downturn. This was followed by Indian attacks on the settlements and by the Civil War that distracted the attention of Washington, D.C. While Dakota Territory was created in 1861, development of towns was slower than the speculators expected and the great fortunes that were dreamed of never materialized. This book is a series of inter-connected essays and each essay is a narrative within a larger narrative. It features photos and illustrations never before published, a bibliography, and a comprehensive index to full names, places and subjects.

Cavaliers of the Dakota Frontier

Heritage Books

Tales of Dakota Territory

Mariah Pub

Frank and Jesse James, the infamous brothers from Missouri, rode with marauding Confederate guerrillas during the Civil War. Having learned to kill and raid without compunction, they easily transitioned from rebels to outlaws after the war, robbing stage coaches, banks and trains in Missouri and surrounding states. It was a botched bank robbery in Northfield, Minnesota, followed by an improbable escape through the Dakota Territory and Iowa, that elevated the James brothers from notorious criminals to legendary figures of American history and folklore.

Chasing Frank and Jesse James: The Bungled Northfield Bank Robbery and the Long Manhunt

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 
From Chapter 1: We all live to become someone's memories, but for most of us, all remembrance disappears into the vast, unfathomable realm of unwritten history. Because of his intelligence, single-mindedness and conviction, Pettigrew was destined to escape the fate of the forgotten. Like anyone who rises to prominence and power through storms of controversy, Pettigrew earned a substantial place in recorded history.

Echoes of November: The life and times of Senator R.F. Pettigrew of South Dakota

Wayne Fanebust

The book consists of ten essays or "tales" about life on the wild Dakota frontier. Each is a true story about a person or an event that took place in the 1860's, 70's and 80's during the formative years of Dakota Territory. Included are chapters about outlaws, frontier politics, the Black Hills and a final chapter on Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands.

Tales Of Dakota Territory, Volume 2

Mariah Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Fanebust, Wayne. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Fanebust, Wayne