The trial of James Green was straightforward—after shooting Samuel Mars, he turned himself in to a justice of the peace, acknowledging he had shot Mars but claiming he wasn’t guilty. He was arrested, and in short order, he was brought to trial. A parade of witnesses verified that Green carried a gun and that he had confronted Mars, then shot him.

Green was convicted quickly and then sentenced to death. In April 1853, his time came. Articles from various periods cover it—Green was featured decades later in at least two articles looking back at Gettysburg’s history. In the various accounts, Green is depicted as pondering his life, meeting with a minister in the days leading up to his death, and making his peace with his Maker. The article that appeared just after the execution mirrors many of the same sentiments.

And that would seem to be the end of the story.

Except that, possibly, it wasn’t. Green was buried at the Adams County Alms House Cemetery, but search Find-a-Grave and other sources and you won’t find his name on any record there. That’s not terribly uncommon for executed prisoners whose graves are often not recorded so as to prevent desecration and acts of vandalism.

But there may be more to the story. Various only sources allege that Green’s body didn’t make it through the first night at the cemetery. Why not? From the 1840s on, medical schools’ interest in anatomy exploded, and they needed bodies for dissection and research. Executed prisoners were a main supply of bodies for universities, but there weren’t nearly enough to keep up with demand. In Philadelphia, a corrupt relationship opened between the University of Pennsylvania and the Blockley Almshouse that kept a steady flow of the poor’s remains headed to the medical school.

In Adams County, prominent doctor Edward Mumma built up a large and lucrative practice; he also spent years as the elected county coroner. He received and reviewed the body of Samuel Mars after the murder, and it’s believed he also pronounced Green dead at his execution. According to various commentators, Mumma then saw to it that Green’s body was dug up from the Alms House Cemetery and taken to a local medical university for study.

Is the story true? Hard to say. All parties were incentivized to work in secret and not keep records. But the common practice of using executed prisoners, particularly those who were indigent and members of minority classes, suggests the strong possibility. Nothing about it harmed Dr. Mumma’s reputation. In 1905, he passed away, and his death was publicized on the front page of the paper with a laudatory article.