Man Allegedly Attempted to Dig Up 1769 Salem Grave in Broad Daylight
It’s October, so Halloween enthusiasts are flocking to Salem by the thousands, lured by the historic sites and (probably) too many childhood viewings of “Hocus Pocus.’’
Being inundated by tourists is one thing, but a Beverly man allegedly got a little more hands-on with his Halloween mischief.
WCVB reports that Brian Bennett, 26, was arrested after allegedly trying to dig up a 245-year-old grave at The Burying Point, also known as Charter Street Cemetery, on Monday afternoon. Understandably alarmed cemetery visitors called the Salem Police Department.
Before his arrest, police said Bennett managed to clear an area measuring approximately two feet by three feet, revealing a broken stone slab covering the grave of a married couple. Nathaniel Silsbee, the man buried there, died in 1769. Martha Silsbee’s name is also on the stone, but no date of her death is given.
The Burying Point, established in 1637, is the oldest cemetery in Salem, and the second-oldest known cemetery in the United States. The Charter Street Historic District, of which the Charter Street Cemetery is a part, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Also interred at the cemetery are John Hathorne, a judge involved in the Salem witch trials who was also an ancestor of Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter, and Richard More, a passenger on the Mayflower’s original voyage.
A memorial to the victims of the Salem Witch Trials, dedicated in 1992 by Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel, is also located at the cemetery. The memorial consists of 20 benches, one for each victim put to death in the trials. The actual burial places of the victims are unknown.
Bennett was arrested and charged with desecrating a place of burial as well as disorderly conduct. He was also arrested on an outstanding warrant from Beverly for driving a vehicle without authority — that is, without permission of the owner.
Lt. Conrad Prosniewski of the Salem Police Department told Boston.com that Bennett’s mental state is in question and that he is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.
Prosniewski said that graveyard disturbances are not a common occurrence in Salem — even around Halloween.
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