The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-10-27
Tho WIFE Burning In Milwaukee Philosophl.
ealiy and HjslQTtcaiIy Defended,
;, TEE ausnASD's APPEAL 70 ran PUBLIC. :.

grief at the death bed Of a beloved wife, who had e
all she loved earthf, me- from M NO little ones
the pledges Of our love-rom her friends aud from the
world could never dream in tLosl hours Of agony that
already on the next morning fierce fanetcs outdoing
in its frenzy the barbary OF the dark period Of the mid
die ages would venture to over the thresold
private house. consecrated, amongst savages In
such days peace and mourning in order not only both
to espy doings in preparing and disturb the full
hment o. the last request Of the deceased for the pur
pose % degenerate and falsy the facts and excite In
Eat way the Of ignorant people against act
o. pst at the request Of org and faithful consort Ia
might perhaps, be justified to pass over in silence
and despise wholly the foaming wrath and the
spttle thrown by miserable upon the coffin OF noble
we VINO died with words OF love and blessing all around
her and all mankind but the remembrance Of this pure
and humane being imposes the duty to appeal TO
the true facts Of the case and revealing the Ignorance
and perversity Of the dy American exhibited In it,
iaon and reasonngs contained in its issue Of the 10th
inst
As to the enlghtening the American boasts Of in his
anathe ma flung against the heathen funeral" he has
only betrayed his uttemost ignorance about the ma tier
spoken Of for every manual OF chemistry for common
schools would have taught him that the corpse CT man.
like the ifeless remnant Of any other living organic
creature undergoes, when inferred the chemics
process as that which takes place whenever such bodies
are exposed to heat in the open air the only diff
ference being that rottenness and decay processes
slow combustion and the consumption by aid OF the gni
ton OF combusbles il immediate reduction Of anims
ton therefore is only whether the one wsy OF th, prS
cess or the other would be congena TO the noble
form Of manwhethcr to leave the work Of unavoidable
dissolution ana destruction Of the dead the vermin
crawling in the bowels Of the earth 10 have Il done bv
aid Of the promethean element
The decision OF that question in favor Of the latter
agency has caused the ancents to choose this mode OF
treatment for the bodies Of the dead Ali nations Of an
t1uity that hive claim to the Advancement Of human
CIVILIZATION wherever the popularity Of the soil nnd its
products admitted to do adopted this kind funeral
solemny and even in nations where it was not intro
the Gu tom as distinction Of their class 30 much for
the historical view Of the ethics and estbetc Of the
case Let us consider the dietetics the sanitary
side OF the question The history of nearly thou
sand years past since the custom of buryng the dead
was generally adopted by the people has and
condemned the nterment of the dead Is fact proved
beyond any doubt that long as the burial places OF
the towns and cities kept within their PRECINCTS
within its walls around the churchesthe plague was
isgng epinemcaiy in the large cities, because the exha
lation OF the decayng matter underground the
air produced contagious and dangerous Diseases
The removal OF the cemeteries from the churchyards to
locations less distant from large cities has GER
tainy esscned that danger but long as the custom 0
bufying the dead continues. yellow fever, cholera,
typhus and similar scouges Of mankind, will continue to
demand victims by Thousands and ten thousands. All
these things are 80 generally known that only the organ
ism can dare feign to be acquainted with them
The Stiffness OF calling the deceased born Brahmin
proves how poorly the author is verscd ia topics
OF common school instruction, and this may likely be
pleaded for the whole tenor and tone Of his attack on
my person and character Astounding Ia abuse and cal
mon decency II one may draw, therefore, inference
from such demeanor TO the churches and schools in
the neghborhood Of which he has been brought up
where he got his educstion and refinement would BY
no means ejoice in such accomplishments but even ir
the heatheDish practice and the " hellish morality
would feel ashamed to the bottom Of my heart II ever
should he so base as 10 avail nyse OF domestic aie
ton in the private life Of whosoeyer to heap publicly
injury and contumely upon him. How little, az last do
the significant hints OF my 'honse being filed with the
airs Of luxury and elegance agree with the pretended
adherence Of socialism and red repubcanisu,.n Has
ever ors appealed to the and
has this American OF Know-Nothng principles Is the
summon on the business men to carry
foreigners into their business relations anything else
the most ooious trick Of unprnciped demagoguism re-
gardless Of the consequences OF the wicked plans OF their
contrivers
After this, pass over to the direct h.sGcation Of
facts In the report of the Daily American II says tcre
were the shayings the turpentine and the funeral pile
OF sixteen cords of WOOD This untrue for when the
aul Of the article IN question arrived A the spot
pipg OF the wood had only begun and Of the teen
cords Of wood scarcely the third part piled up Tho
following lie is still bareaced; II sounds ;he body
lay upon table envepped ia a shroud and all ready to
be carried out at the back door placed upon the pile
This insinuaiion aims evidently at nothing else but
persuadng the public that intended 10 burn the body
secretly and as fast possible, and that it be
laid on the funeral pile without any coffin Both
totally rue, since from os,entaiion a.
nom sccreting my beginning though intended to ayoi
Any manestati9ns that might offend the prsiudiccs o
sides encohned most deceny early In the morning AMI
so wa. found by the intruters into the peace Of
house The fasehood Of the statement that thc sheri
ordered coffin, and when came ordered the corpse &
be put INTO ~ is therefore self evident (ec below the
In this point however, shall certainly not take care
Of a successful answer to such an appention to IN,
meanest motives OF human character am not wont TO
give my interest to any influence whatever my prin
ciples and views about matters Ike those under nsid
Grafton, and those who imagine TO be able in
inns Way 70 give up my persuasion, VIII be totally de
cciyed.
In the face the facts stated above and the concla
sion drawn from them feel however assured tina, the
common sense Of true Americans win give an Impartial
sentence in the case between and The author 81 the
attack in the Daily <iBiaieda GUSTAV PEEL
The subscriber testAes hereby
j. That he has attended deceased Mrs Elizabeth pG
hs professional services homeopath, PHI stefan IL
Chronic disease both Of the lungs and the organs IL d.
gesuon, from October H. 1854 10 Oober IL 1855 and
=. That be early in the month Of September last rave
notice to the husband Of the deceased e Gustav Pel
that her had iaben hopeless turn and that de.
ceased would scarcely survive the rst iucement days
OF the npproac ching fall: aud
D. That when he attended licensed in the afternoon
OF the IL inst, at O'Clock he found her surrounded
BY some Of her friends, in ut Of entire exhaustion and
a. That when he repeated his vi at o'clock r. NJ
porous condition. from which she awakened shortly aer
wards, recovering on sudden the full Of both her
senses aud her mental faculties taking the last frexe
from her husband children, all present and from the
world; and
s. That deceased kept her full Consciousness for two
hours from that moment and having predicted her death
approaching she reminded her husband In way audible
10 al present. Of wow taken mutually In former days,
purportiDg that the surviving Of the .nced couple
would be pledged 70 have the dead body Of the deceased
to be burnt. instead OF being interrei 4; and
o. That sic expli-itly kept 10 this agreement and
hopet for its strict execution; ard
J. That when he left her death bed little after 10
clock 10 the night he was convinced shs would not live
to zee the next morning dawn.
Dr. T. 9: GtENfaER, Homcopathi, Physician
GHw1UsIE oct. 20, 1855.
sub-crlbei Ond affirmed befJre this Goth day OF oc
tober, 1855. G. wALWogTH Police Justice
SrAE or wlscoxsrv
County Of MI yautas [