26. America's Most Notorious Grave Robbery: Patrick Jones & the AT Stewart Case

In 1878, one of the most infamous crimes in Gilded Age America stunned and captivated the nation: the corpse of Alexander Turney Stewart — an Irish immigrant turned millionaire merchant — was stolen from its grave in Manhattan and held for ransom.

What followed was a drawn out saga that dragged another Irishman into the spotlight: Patrick Henry Jones — a Civil War general, lawyer, and public servant — who found himself forced to act as reluctant go-between for the body snatchers and Stewart’s grieving widow. This is a story of grave robbing, coded newspaper ads, and the high-stakes politics of class, loyalty, and legacy in 19th-century New York. And at the centre of it all were two Irishmen — one dead, one in danger of losing everything.

We’re joined by historian Mark Dunkelman, biographer of Patrick Henry Jones and expert on the Stewart body snatching case, to dig into the truth behind the scandal that rocked Gilded Age America. 

AT Stewart Dictionary of Irish Biography

Mark Dunkelman's Website: The Hardtack Regiment

Mark Dunkelman. Patrick Henry Jones- Irish American, Civil War General, and Gilded Age Politician (LUS Press, 2015). 

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