diff --git a/cpp/BayesTree-inl.h b/cpp/BayesTree-inl.h
index 2391beee6..02bd8ce47 100644
--- a/cpp/BayesTree-inl.h
+++ b/cpp/BayesTree-inl.h
@@ -171,6 +171,37 @@ namespace gtsam {
 		return marginalize<Factor,Conditional>(*bn,keys12);
 	}
 
+	/* ************************************************************************* */
+	template<class Conditional>
+	typename BayesTree<Conditional>::sharedClique BayesTree<Conditional>::addClique
+	(const sharedConditional& conditional, sharedClique parent_clique) {
+		sharedClique new_clique(new Clique(conditional));
+		nodes_.insert(make_pair(conditional->key(), new_clique));
+		if (parent_clique != NULL) {
+			new_clique->parent_ = parent_clique;
+			parent_clique->children_.push_back(new_clique);
+		}
+		return new_clique;
+	}
+
+	/* ************************************************************************* */
+	template<class Conditional>
+	void BayesTree<Conditional>::removeClique(sharedClique clique) {
+	  if (!clique->isRoot())
+	    clique->parent_->children_.remove(clique);
+	  else {
+	  	// we remove the root clique: have to make another clique the root
+	  	if (clique->children_.empty())
+	  		root_.reset();
+	  	else
+	  	  root_ = *(clique->children_.begin());
+	  }
+	  BOOST_FOREACH(sharedClique child, clique->children_)
+	  	child->parent_.reset();
+	  BOOST_FOREACH(std::string key, clique->ordering())
+			nodes_.erase(key);
+	}
+
 	/* ************************************************************************* */
 	template<class Conditional>
 	BayesTree<Conditional>::BayesTree() {
@@ -319,21 +350,20 @@ namespace gtsam {
 	template<class Conditional>
 	template<class Factor>
 	FactorGraph<Factor>
-	BayesTree<Conditional>::removePath(const string& key) {
-		sharedClique clique = (*this)[key];
+	BayesTree<Conditional>::removePath(sharedClique clique) {
 
-#if 0
-		cout << "removing:" << endl;
-		clique->print();
-		cout << "from" << endl;
-		typedef std::pair<string, sharedClique> sometype;
-		BOOST_FOREACH(sometype clique, nodes_) {
-			clique.second->print();
+		//if (clique==NULL) return;
+
+		bool verbose = false;
+		if (verbose) {
+			clique->print("removing");
+			cout << "before" << endl;
+			BOOST_FOREACH(typename Nodes::value_type clique, nodes_)
+				clique.second->print();
 		}
-#endif
 
 		// convert clique to factor
-		FactorGraph<Factor> factors(*clique);
+		FactorGraph<Factor> factors(*clique);// = removePath(clique->parent_);
 
 		while (!(clique->isRoot())) {
 			sharedClique old_clique = clique;
@@ -343,6 +373,12 @@ namespace gtsam {
 		}
 		removeClique(clique);
 
+		if (verbose) {
+			cout << "after" << endl;
+			BOOST_FOREACH(typename Nodes::value_type clique, nodes_)
+				clique.second->print();
+		}
+
 		return factors;
 	}
 
diff --git a/cpp/BayesTree.h b/cpp/BayesTree.h
index 6dcc70eb2..422896f07 100644
--- a/cpp/BayesTree.h
+++ b/cpp/BayesTree.h
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ namespace gtsam {
 			Ordering keys() const;
 
 			/** print this node */
-			void print(const std::string& s = "Bayes tree node") const;
+			void print(const std::string& s = "") const;
 
 			/** The size *includes* the separator */
 			size_t size() const {
@@ -94,34 +94,10 @@ namespace gtsam {
 
 		/** add a clique */
 		sharedClique addClique(const sharedConditional& conditional,
-				sharedClique parent_clique = sharedClique()) {
-			sharedClique new_clique(new Clique(conditional));
-			nodes_.insert(make_pair(conditional->key(), new_clique));
-			if (parent_clique != NULL) {
-				new_clique->parent_ = parent_clique;
-				parent_clique->children_.push_back(new_clique);
-			}
-			return new_clique;
-		}
+				sharedClique parent_clique = sharedClique());
 
 		/** remove a clique: warning, can result in a forest */
-		void removeClique(sharedClique clique) {
-		  if (clique->parent_ != NULL) {
-		    clique->parent_->children_.remove(clique);
-		  } else {
-		  	// we remove the root clique: have to make another clique the root
-		  	if (clique->children_.empty()) {
-		  		root_.reset();
-		  	} else {
-		  	  root_ = *(clique->children_.begin());
-		  	}
-		  }
-		  BOOST_FOREACH(sharedClique child, clique->children_) {
-		  	child->parent_.reset();
-		  }
-			std::string key = *(clique->keys().begin());
-			nodes_.erase(key);
-		}
+		void removeClique(sharedClique clique);
 
 	public:
 
@@ -179,11 +155,10 @@ namespace gtsam {
 		template<class Factor>
 		BayesNet<Conditional> jointBayesNet(const std::string& key1, const std::string& key2) const;
 
-		/** IMPERATIVE! Return the factor containing all nodes contaminated by key; also,
-		 * removes those entries from the Bayes Tree, resulting in a forest of orphans
-		 */
+		/** Remove path from clique to root and return that path as factors */
 		template<class Factor>
-		FactorGraph<Factor> removePath(const std::string& key);
+		FactorGraph<Factor> removePath(sharedClique clique);
+
 	}; // BayesTree
 
 } /// namespace gtsam
diff --git a/cpp/testBayesTree.cpp b/cpp/testBayesTree.cpp
index 10089bc11..342ad0b5a 100644
--- a/cpp/testBayesTree.cpp
+++ b/cpp/testBayesTree.cpp
@@ -332,21 +332,15 @@ TEST( BayesTree, removePath )
 	expected.push_factor("A","B");
 	expected.push_factor("A");
 
-	SymbolicFactorGraph actual = bayesTree.removePath<SymbolicFactor>("C");
+	SymbolicFactorGraph actual = bayesTree.removePath<SymbolicFactor>(bayesTree["C"]);
   CHECK(assert_equal(expected, actual));
 
-	// remove A, nothing should happen (already removed)
-	SymbolicFactorGraph expected2; // empty factor
-
-  actual = bayesTree.removePath<SymbolicFactor>("A");
-//  CHECK(assert_equal(expected2, actual));
-
   // remove E: factor graph with EB; E|B removed from second orphan tree
 	SymbolicFactorGraph expected3;
-  expected3.push_factor("C","A");
+  expected3.push_factor("B","E");
 
-  actual = bayesTree.removePath<SymbolicFactor>("E");
-//  CHECK(assert_equal(expected3, actual));
+  actual = bayesTree.removePath<SymbolicFactor>(bayesTree["E"]);
+  CHECK(assert_equal(expected3, actual));
 }
 
 /* ************************************************************************* */