The Bones at the Crossroad
Content Warning: This article contains a discussion of early 19th century beliefs about death by suicide that will be disturbing for some readers.
A chilly breeze was whipping through downtown St. John’s, NL on September 14, 1896.
It was Monday morning and a crew from the city’s water department were about to break through the surface of Military Road.
They were there to work on waterlines and it was going to require a significant disruption. The dig not only had to disrupt Military Road, it was it was going to have to run right through an intersection, effectively cutting off a second street.
Hoping to get through the interruption as quickly as possible, the crew began digging and soon they had a 3-foot deep crater in the intersection.
Suddenly one of the workers threw down his shovel. He had dislodged something, something unmistakable —
a human bone.
They summoned the men in charge.
After a brief discussion, they carefully cleared the earth, exposing an entire skeleton.
It was the remains of a man — a man with a stake through his chest.
The Skeleton’s Story
The discovery of the skeleton made headlines in the city and was covered in both the Evening Telegram and Evening Herald newspapers. By the time of publication, both papers had identified the bones — they were those of Robin Barry.
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The accounts of the papers differ in their details. The Telegram suggests the men were shocked by the discovery. The Evening Herald indicates the men may have been warned before they began that they may unearth a body.
Both papers indicate that Barry committed multiple murders. The Telegram says he killed children whereas The Evening Herald says he killed his own children and his wife.
The Telegram includes a discussion of suicide that The Evening Herald did not.
Between the two articles, a picture of Barry emerges… and it isn’t pretty. Barry was a dangerous man; a murderer, several times over.
In 1810, Robin Barry killed his wife, his children, and Ms. Thomas (the keeper of a boarding house).
After the killings, according to The Evening Herald (Sept 14), Barry remained at-large for days, until spotted by Lt. Col. Murray who pursued him “sword in hand.” Barry was apprehended, sentenced to death and buried.
The Evening Telegram (Sept 14 and Sept 15) brings another dimension to the story. In contrast to The Evening Herald they report that, though Barry was sentenced to death, there was no execution. In their words, Barry “cheated the gallows.” He died by suicide and that’s the reason “his body was buried at the spot where it was found.”
A Cruel Practice
Sadly, The Telegram was probably right.
Historically, death by suicide was not treated with compassion — it was considered criminal and punishable. Part of that punishment was to deny a Christian burial and to have the grave serve as a deterrent to others. The interment of choice was often a grave beneath a crossroads, sometimes with a stake through the body.
The grave was usually marked with a sign signaling to others that, if they behaved in a similar way, they could expect the same fate.
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The following Massachusetts law from 1660 illustrates the thinking of some early immigrants to North America:
'[Every person who died by suicide] shall be denied the privilege of being buried in the common burying place of Christians, but shall be buried in some common highway where the selectmen of the town shall appoint [...] and a cartload of stones laid upon the grave as a brand of infamy, and as a warning to others to beware of the like damnable practices. '
As dark and cruel as this practice was, it was completely supported by the English laws of the day and, like many English customs, it came to Newfoundland with settlers.
Burials at the crossroads continued in England until 1822 when the practice was condemned by Parliament. A year later, in 1823 they passed an act allowing people who died by suicide to be buried in a churchyard. Even then, humane treatment was coming slowly — burials were to be done only under the cover of darkness, and without a Christian service.
It was a horrendous way to treat the family and friends of the deceased.
Why at a Crossroad?
Well, there isn’t a good reason.
In truth, nobody is sure why crossroads burials began. There are some theories, though:
First, it might have been practical. If the burial was intended to posthumously shame the deceased and warn the public, a crossroads received traffic from several directions, meaning more people might see the grave.
Second, it may have been a sort of ‘next best thing’ to the Christian burial that the church and lawmakers were denying. The cross made by the intersecting roads is thought, by some, to have served as a substitute for the Christian cross.
Finally, others think it might have been influenced by superstitions. At the time, some people associated suicide with the influence of demons. Burial at a crossroads, it was hoped, would confuse any demon/spirit that might be lingering near the body. At a crossroads, they reasoned (?), ghosts might not know the way back to town.
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If the goal of the crossroad was to avoid wandering spirits, the strategy seem to fail in St. John’s.
As part of their research for the story The Telegram spoke to the Sir Frederick Carter, politician and Chief Justice. Carter remembered the details of the Barry case and included in his reminiscing:
“the boys of those days used often to say they saw his ghost but they were so accustomed to it that they didn’t mind.”
Considering that crossroad burials were often coupled with corpse-staking — something long associated with quieting the dead — it’s difficult to discount the influence of supernatural belief.
What Became of the Skeleton?
According to The Telegram, the skeleton was carefully collected by the men on site, put in a box and taken to the central constabulary station. The authorities were to oversee the re-burial.
When, or where, it was re-buried is a mystery.
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Evening Herald, September 14, 1896
Evening Telegram, September 14, 1896
Evening Telegram, September 15, 1896
Burying the Dead, UK Parliament
With a Stake in the Heart, Historical Society of Pennsylvania
