The Restless Arm - Do you remember that old campfire story about the severed hand that wouldn’t die? Well, here’s a true story of a severed arm that kept its owner awake at night.

In the summer of 1894, John Stephen Motely, age 17, lost his arm in a cotton gin accident. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment. His arm could not be saved so it was amputated and placed in a box. The box was eventually taken to the Motley Family cemetery and buried.

John’s recovery was slow. He often companied he could feel the ants eating his arm. This drove him to such despair that the family dug up the arm, replaced the flimsy wood box with a sealed lead container, reburied it, and marked the site with a gravestone that reads “ Here lies the arm of John Stephen Motley”. John went on to live a full life but when he did die, he was not reunited with his arm, instead he was buried 22 miles away in Grand Prairie.

Bonus Parts: In 1911 Grover Cleveland Motley lost his foot in a riding accident. When asked what to do with the foot he said to bury it next to the arm.

The Motley Family cemetery is located on the south side of the Eastfield Community College campus. 3737 Motley Dr. Mesquite TX.

Brad Ford Smith

Brad Ford Smith