Ransom:1878 Grave Robbery of Millionaire's Body, NY City, St. Mark's In-the-Bowery

nycemetery.wordpress.com:

 Millionaire A.T. Stewart was interred in a vault in the east yard in 1876; two years later his remains were stolen and reportedly held for ransom. The suspicious events surrounding the theft and rumors of ransom demands were well publicized for several years following the crime.  The case was never officially resolved, although some stories hold that Stewart’s widow negotiated the return of the remains in 1881 and reinterred them elsewhere.

“Desecration of the vault of A.T. Stewart,” (Harper’s Weekly, Nov. 16, 1878)

answerman@washpost.com, washingtonpost.com/johnkelly:

 Alexander Turney Stewart was a retail giant. His Manhattan department stores — the largest dubbed the “Iron Palace” — revolutionized the shopping experience. He died in 1876 and was buried in the churchyard of St. Mark’s in the Bowery.

Two years after his death, grave robbers broke into his vault and spirited away his putrefying remains. Through an intermediary, they contacted Stewart’s widow and demanded $250,000 for their return. It took another two years before the two sides could come to terms. Mrs. Stewart finally paid $20,000 for a satchel full of bones, presumably her husband’s.