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This really needs to stop

CONCORD, N.H. -- Police in Concord are looking for any information as to who may have vandalized 50 gravestones at the Old North Cemetery.Police said the vandalism occurred sometime between 9 p.m. on June 15 and 5:00 a.m. on June 17. Investigators said the gravestones were pushed over or dislodged from their bases.

There is no monetary estimate of the damage.

Police said vandalism of a cemetery is punishable by a class B felony for each damaged gravestone.

Anyone with information is asked to call Concord police.

 

 

Grave Robbery In HILLSBORO, N.H.

Police said the grave of Sarah Symonds, who died in 1821, was dug up in the Bible Hill Cemetery and her body was taken."The body's certainly missing," said Lt. Darren Remillard.A caretaker discovered the hole behind Symonds' headstone, WMUR-TV in Manchester reported.It was 5½ feet deep and perfectly rectangular, with mounds of dirt on each side. No trace of the body was left behind."We're looking into the reasons why, to see if there's any background that Miss Symonds had in relation to why she would have been taken," Remillard said.One theory that police are considering is that it might have been the work of someone who believes in witchcraft."With it being Halloween night and the fact that the hole was dug so perfectly, we don't believe it was grave robbers, because the way it was done and the way the dirt was positioned," Remillard said.Police said that some believe that if a skull is stolen on Halloween night, it will grant powers to a person who holds it."We believe it's something other than someone digging it up to steal jewelry, so to speak," Remillard said.Investigators said they are looking into all possibilities. A monument in the graveyard was also tipped over that night, but it was put back in place.Town historians said the Symonds family was well respected. They said they don't know why her grave would be targeted.

http://www.wmur.com/video/14529669/index.html

  Hillsboro police have arrested three men accused of digging up a grave on Halloween. Police said the grave of Sarah Symonds, who died in 1821, was dug up in the Bible Hill Cemetery. A caretaker discovered the hole behind Symonds' headstone. It was 5 1/2 feet deep and perfectly rectangular, with mounds of dirt on each side. No trace of the body was left behind. Investigators said an anonymous tip set them on the right track. Eric Houghton of Hillsboro, 18, and Brandon Dutton of Washington, 17, were arrested and charged with felony grave disturbance. A 16-year-old boy was also involved in the incident and faces juvenile charges. Police said it appears to have been a stupid prank and does not appear to have any links to occult activity. They also think the body was never removed from the grave, but that Symonds' remains are situated below where the grave was dug up.

http://www.wmur.com/news/15124416/detail.html

 

Specters and Skeletons in the Graveyard

News from New England Curiosities

http://www.newenglandcuriosities.com/

Between Keene and Concord is the little country town of Antrim, New Hampshire.  Settled in 1741, it was named for County Antrim in Ireland which was the native home of the land's owner, Philip Riley.  Superstitions and burial customs intertwined into the lives of the early settlers of the town.  One belief was if a corpse were kept unburied over the Sabbath, they felt sure another death would occur in town before the week was out. If a dead body were carried out of the house head first, there would be another death in the family the next year had passed. If twice there were raps on the door, and when the door opened to reveal no one there, it was considered a sure warning of speedy death in that house. Dreams also had superstitious meanings, both good and bad.  With the common saying "Saturday night's dream, Sunday morning told, was sure to come to pass before a week old." There was said to be quite a belief in fortune telling, an d many in the town had believed in it.  
 
There were stories of haunted houses, and it was even said many in the town could not even be hired to venture into these spooky abodes.  Ghosts, were said to regularly appear now and then in the town.  Children were frightened into good behavior by their parents with the stories of warlocks, witches, bogles, hags, and beings of the darkest reaches of night! Many stories focused on cemeteries, which were said to have been inhabited by the most fearsome of spirits.  If someone had found themselves lost in the graveyard being chased by skeletons and the specters of death, they were told to run to the nearest stream; which Antrim had many.  Once safely across the waters one would be safe, for the belief was these undead creatures would not cross running water.