The Coffin-Torpedo

In the 19th century the demand by anatomists for human bodies far exceeded the lawful supply. In Scotland, and elsewhere, the shortfall was made good by grave-robbing. The wide-scale theft of bodies by men known as bodysnatchers or resurrection men led to mass revulsion and panic and a variety of methods were used to prevent it happening. One rather robust and potentially deadly approach, was to rig the coffin with an explosive device.

For example, a news item from the London periodical The Graphic, dated Saturday May 14, 1881, reads:

"RESURRECTION-MEN. Curiosity drew together a crowd of people on Monday, at Dundee, to witness the funeral of a child, which was consigned to the grave in a novel manner. The father, in terror of the resurrection-men, had caused a small box, inclosing some deathful apparatus, communicating by means of wires, with the four corners, to be fastened on the top of the coffin. Immediately before it was lowered into the earth, a large quantity of gunpowder was poured into the box, and the hidden machinery put into a state of readiness for execution. The common opinion was, that if any one attempted to raise the body he would be blown up. The sexton seemed to dread an immediate explosion, for he started back in alarm after throwing in the first shovelful of earth."

A number of American inventors designed explosive devices to deter or maim grave-robbers, including this one patented by Philip K. Clover on the 28th of October 1878. Clover named his device, which was designed to "prevent the unauthorized resurrection of dead bodies", the coffin-torpedo, torpedo being an archaic term for any explosive devise. Hidden at the head of the coffin, and connected to the corpse by hidden trigger wires, the torpedo would fire several lead balls into the thief with deadly force should the body be disturbed.

An article in the January 27 1881 edition of the Richwood Gazette shows that such devices were put to good use:

"Grave robber killed .... three men who attempted to rob a grave near Gann in Knox County Ohio met with a horrible obstacle, when nearing the coffin, they struck a torpedo."

Should you wish to watch a coffin-torpedo in action then here is the video!