In the Heat of the Night

By Mike Simmons

The rain was still dripping from the Spanish Moss that hung heavily from the Live Oaks in the old graveyard. Like many nights in Southern Alabama, an evening rain had just passed through. The clouds covered the almost moonless night, making the cemetery even darker. Like an overcoat, the humidity still hung heavily in the hot summer air.

The small town of Bay Minette, Alabama was deadly quiet and still at the late hour of Friday, June 11, 1909. Most of the 492 people who lived there were asleep. Most…but not one, or maybe two.

If one were to look to the far corner of the old cemetery, a lantern could be seen, and movement in the dim light it spread. A hole was being dug into the dirt at the grave of old man H. W. McDonald. The grave was still rather fresh – only a little more than a year old.

The hole was small, barely large enough for a man’s hand. As soon as the digger reached the wooden coffin, he cut a small hole in the box directly over the corpse’s face, only large enough for the hand to feel around the decaying body.

A few days later, the desecration was discovered. The 1909 gossip spread faster than today’s text messages and before long, citizens made the trip to the graveyard, which became an instant tourist destination. A look from the top revealed what was left of the skull, verifying the fact that the old man’s rest had been disturbed, and bestowing bragging rights on the spectator.

Expert opinions surfaced immediately. Some believed that the invasion occurred to ensure that old man McDonald was really dead and buried. Others said that the robber simply got the wrong grave and, upon feeling around, realized his prize was mistaken. But the majority felt that some treasure had been taken to the grave with the body, and was either taken with the desecrator or found not to be within reaching distance.

In any case, it appeared as if the robber or robbers knew which grave they were targeting, because, even though the old man was wealthy, the grave looked like a pauper’s grave.

The Bay Minette’s newspaper, “The Baldwin Times,” reported that an investigation was underway. However, nothing further was ever reported. All has remained quiet in the graveyard since that day.

Mike