“‘The times have been,
That, when the brains were out,
the man would die (Macbeth).’
But not so in these times…’”
– Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” quoted in the Hanover (Pa) Guardian, March 31, 1819
In the previous month’s column, we covered Part 1 of a fascinating true crime tale that took place in Central Pennsylvania between 1817 and 1819.Part 2 of this story takes a spooky turn as we cover the trial, public hanging, and alleged resurrection of James Munks.
Munks’ capital murder trial commenced in November of 1818, about a year after the murder of Reuben Guild. It was presided over by President Judge Charles Huston at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte. The prosecution had a lot of circumstantial evidence, such as James Munks’ songbook that he dropped at the crime scene. The defense did their best to advance alternate theories, but the evidence piled up. It was a long and sensational trial. In a town with only about 400 residents at the time, some 44 witnesses were sworn in. One of the witnesses, John Leggit Jr., had unknowingly purchased Guild’s stolen horse and saddle from the defendant, James Munks. Also present were the victim’s two sons, Aaron and Joseph.[1]
Guild’s sons were instrumental in identifying their father’s stolen belongings, like his pocket watch. They even recognized their father’s teeth[2] when his skull was presented as evidence. Munks also had in his possession the victim’s pocketbook, which had the following inscription inside it: “Reuben Guild’s Pocket Book. This Pocket Book is my property now, but I know that I won’t own it long.” It contained less than $10 when Munks stole it off Guild’s dead body.[3]
Another key piece of evidence, also found in Munks’ possession, was the winter “great coat” that belonged to the victim. Like the bloody shirt, it had a hole in its back. A local tailor[4] was reported to be a star witness, identifying that he had personally made the coat for Mr. Reuben Guild. When the time came, the jury found “the defendant, James Munks, guilty of murder of the first degree in manner and form as he stands indicted.”
The sentencing followed on Dec. 1. Judge Huston struck his gavel and addressed the courtroom: “James Munks, it is considered by the Court, that you be taken to the common jail of the County of Centre. There to remain until you are taken to the place of execution and there to be hanged by the neck until dead.”[5]
James Munks was a condemned man. While awaiting his execution, he wrote his detailed confession and specifically thanked the Rev. James Linn “for the trouble he has taken in the welfare of my immortal soul.” Munks also thanked Sheriff John Mitchell and Joseph Williams, the jailer, for their “kind treatment and care”[6] during his stay in prison. When the fateful day dawned on Jan. 23, 1819, Munks was ready. He asked Sheriff Mitchell if he could walk to the place of execution and requested an old Scottish air, “Mary’s Dream,” to be played by the fifer.[7]
The gallows had been constructed and were waiting for him “at the foot of the hill,” near Ridge Street. The Democratic Watchman (in 1885)[8] reported that the hanging took place “just above the Cummings House” (Haag Hotel). More recent accounts recall that the hanging occurred at the corner of Cherry and Penn streets (near present-day Jim’s Italian Cuisine). Considering such input, it’s reasonable to say that the execution occurred somewhere along East Cherry Lane, between south Penn and Ridge streets, an area that became known as “Monks’ alley.”[9]
Throngs of people had come to witness the execution. Copies of the confession were sold to the spectators for the benefit of Munks’ family. The fifer, William Armor, a War of 1812 veteran, also played the “Dead March” from beneath the gallows. Munks addressed the crowd directly from the gallows, speaking for about an hour and a half.[10] Sheriff Mitchell put the rope around Munks’ neck and carried out the execution.[11]
According to the Feb. 6, 1819, edition of the Lancaster Intelligencer: “He [James Munks] left prison at 12 o’clock, guarded by a company of militia commanded by Capt. Lowrey, and attended by the Rev. John Thomas, and other pious persons — his countenance appeared perfectly calm and placid — he made a full confession of the crime he had committed — expressed a full belief in the justice of his sentence, and his confidence in the christian religion. He was launched into eternity at 45 minutes after 1 o’clock. The scene was truly affecting.”[12]
The hanging of James Munks was a dramatic consequence to a tragic crime, but his story was not over. In fact, the name of James Munks carried on through the centuries among countless fireside tales, retellings, writings, and songs. Perhaps it was a mysterious turn of events that helped perpetuate it. Just a month after the execution, newspapers began to report that Munks had been seen alive in other towns, and that upon investigation of his coffin, it was found to be empty! Folks speculated that holes must have been bored into his coffin for air, because Munks had escaped the grave.[13] No, this wasn’t a religious miracle; it was something else.
Bellefonte authorities responded curtly that such claims were “absurd” because “some two or three thousand people of this and adjoining counties who were present at the execution, can bear witness to its falsity.”[14] However, many readers were not satisfied, and it did not matter that Munks had died because he could have been resurrected from the dead![15] Historical context is important to making sense of any historical event. This plot turn seems to the modern reader like it came out of nowhere, but it was a logical theory in 1819.
About a year prior to the execution of James Munks, the first edition of Mary Shelley’s famous science fiction novel, “Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus,” was published in 1818. Her work was inspired by a new scientific and global trend. Galvinism was the study and practice of applying electricity to dead animals and even human corpses. Early advancements in chemistry and electrical batteries, such as the Voltaic pile, allowed anatomists and surgeons to wow crowds with their experiments. Similar to Victor Frankenstein and his “creature,” practitioners of Galvinism activated nerves in various post-mortem animal and human limbs, heads, and other parts, causing eyes to open, faces to grimace, and more. The study sought to better understand human life forces, which some believed could potentially bring life back from the dead.[16]
The fact that this wave of scientific mystery attached itself to the execution of James Munks is not so surprising, given the historical context. It was common for “body snatchers” (grave robbers) to supply a growing demand for medical experimentation. In the United Kingdom, the Murder Act was passed in 1752, specifically allowing convicted murderers to be used for such purposes. By the 1820s, the macabre trade for any profitable cadaver was on the rise.
Rumors of the resurrection of James Munks persisted for a couple years, until finally an interested party claimed that they dug up Munks’ grave, about a mile from Bellefonte, to solve the mystery. If their account is true, the group unearthed the corpse of James Munks right where it was interred on the day of his execution, and their “olfactory nerves could testify” to this fact.[17]
Paranormal activity is often associated with “Monks’ alley” and “jail hill” in Bellefonte; however, it was likely scientific trends and clever newspaper work which manifested life back into the story of James Munks. It may also have been the power of songwriting that was most influential in keeping this story alive. It is poetic that James Munks dropped his songbook at the scene of the crime. His confession was transformed from prose into a song written by a local Irishman named Samuel Taggert.[18] Taggert was celebrated in the area for writing poems and singing songs for tips. Many other variations were published throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Music is important to the story of James Munks. Even on the day he left this world, martial melodies of the fife filled streets of Bellefonte. One witness recalled that the last words of James Munks were spoken to the fifer when he said, “Farewell, Major.”[19]
The unfortunate story of James Munks and Reuben Guild is a great example of the importance of historical context, a window into the past. Out of the darkness, it shines a light upon religion, science, crime, punishment, social norms, and even music in the early 1800s, in Pennsylvania and beyond. It is a reminder that while history can be mysterious and even uncertain, the truth and its pursuit is always more important, and often more interesting, than the alternative. T&G
Local Historia is a passion for local history, community, and preservation. Its mission is to connect you with local history through engaging content and walking tours. Local Historia is owned by public historians Matt Maris and Dustin Elder, who co-author this column. For more, visit localhistoria.com.
[1] Court documents
[2] https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83031987/1883-12-12/ed-1/seq-3/#words=James+Monks
[3] Confession of James Munks held at Princeton Special Collections (Firestone Library). Published by Aaron Guest (Newark, NJ), 1847.
[4] https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83031987/1883-12-12/ed-1/seq-3/#words=James+Monks
[5] Court records at CCLHM
[6] Princeton
[7] https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t24b3c15k&seq=45&q1=%22James+Monks%22
[9] https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83031987/1899-03-09/ed-1/seq-5/#words=James+Monks
[10] https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83025588/1819-03-02/ed-1/?sp=3&q=%22james+munks%22&r=-0.212,1.176,0.644,0.252,0
[11] https://archive.org/details/historyofcentrec00linn/page/58/mode/2up
[12] https://www.newspapers.com/image/556561138/?match=1
[13] https://www.newspapers.com/image/773754995/?match=1&terms=%22James%20Munks%22
[14] https://www.newspapers.com/image/559718493/?match=1&terms=%22James%20Munks%22
[15] https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83031986/1819-04-19/ed-1/seq-2/#words=Fish+fishes
[16] https://library.si.edu/exhibition/fantastic-worlds/body-electric
[17] https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83031987/1883-12-12/ed-1/seq-3/#words=James+Monks
[18] https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83031987/1883-12-12/ed-1/seq-3/#words=James+Monks
[19] https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83031981/1877-09-14/ed-1/seq-8/#words=Giles+Monks
Sources:
Aldini, Giovanni. Essai théorique et expérimental sur le galvanisme [Theoretical and experimental essay on galvanism]. Paris, 1804. P. 385. Link.
“An Interesting Record.” Democratic Watchman (Bellefonte, Pa.). Sept. 14, 1877. Link
Bellefonte Patriot (Bellefonte, Pa.). April 19, 1819. Link
“Body Snatching.” UK Parliament, May 14, 2014. Link.
Confession of James Munks held at Princeton Special Collections (Firestone Library). Published by Aaron Guest (Newark, NJ), 1847.
Criminal Court Records held at the Centre Library & Historical Museum (Bellefonte, Pa.).
“Execution.” The Lancaster Intelligencer (Lancaster, Pa.). Feb. 6, 1819.
“James Munks.” The Hanover Guardian and Monthly Friend (Hanover, Pa.). March 31, 1819.
“James Munks.” The Lancaster Intelligencer (Lancaster, Pa.). April 23, 1819.
Linn, J. Blair., Mitchell, J. Thomas. (1883). History of Centre and Clinton Counties, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts. P. 58-59
Maynard, D. S. (1877). Industries and institutions of Centre county: with historical sketches of principal villages, &c., &c. Bellefonte, Pa.: Republican job printing house. P. 33-35.
The Bellefonte Republican (Bellefonte, Pa.) Dec. 12, 1883. Link.
The Bellefonte Republican (Bellefonte, Pa.) March 9, 1899. Link.
“The Body Electric.” Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, January 1, 1970. Link.
The New Hampshire Gazette. (Portsmouth, NH), Mar. 2 1819. Link.
