Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-06-17
Ethan Aliens Remains Found.

The story-mongers about the country have
met with great calamity. The BONES OF ETHAN
ALLEN are found in their original restng-plaee
in Grass Mount Cemetery in Burlington. The
hasty and imperfect examination few weeks
ago of the ground where the old tombstone was
laid, did not bring them to view,-and from
that time till Tuesday of this week, the business
of getting up all sorts of fabulous and gossip
ing stories about the place and manner of the
interment of Ethan Allen and what had been
done with his remains since $780, has had full
swing in the United States and Canada. Wheth-
er Europe was agtated on the subject, we must
await further arrivals to know.
The examination of the ground referred to,
was not deemed at the time a satisfactory one by
the Commissioners, and one of the Commission
ers remarked to us at the time, that notwith-
standing all that had appeared, he thought it
quite likely that when thorough removal of
the earth was made the bones would be brought
to light.
In the complete excavation made on Tuesday
of this week for the purpose of laying the
foundation of the monument, by our townsman,
Mr.. Seth Morse, at a depth of five and half
fret from the surface, within the Allen enclos-
ure, a few inches to the north of the location
of the old tablet, portions of mouldered hui
man skeleton were exposed to view No other
stone or grave is very near the spot, so that no
room is left for doubt that they were the remains
of Allen, or that the tablet very nearly covered
his grave. The bones found consisted of the
skull (nearly perfect, and still retaining some
of the hair,) with the bones of one hand and of
the fore arm. A bit of decayed wood, re-
semblng a corner of a coffin, was found in the
same spot. More of the bones ,oould, doubtless,
haze been discovered, had further explorations
been made; but the position in which the body
was evidently laid, brought only the upper por-
ton of the skeleton within the line of excava-
ton, and no more of the dust of the Patriot
was disturbed than was necessary.
Mr. Morse informs us that, in digging on the
eastern side Of the excavation for the founla-
ton, the workmen disclosed the skull of Mrs.
Heber Allen, ETHAN Allen sister n-law,) who
was buried two years before Ethan. 1t was
found at the same depth, in fair state of pres
ervation, and attached to it was quantity of
hair, still plainly distinguishabe by its length
as a woman's hair.
Some soils would, undoubtedly, have preserv-
ed these remains much more perfectly. De
. composition takes place with comparative ra-
pidity in our sandy soil. The bones of some of
the soldiers buried near the Battery in 1872,
when discnterred only twelve Or fifteen years
after, in order to procure skeletons for students
of the Medical School, were already so much
decayed us to be nearly worthless for that pur-
pose.
The remains of Allen, thus found, were plac
ed in box and deposited under the centre of
tho foundation. The northwest corner of the
base of the Monument, will cover the grave of
Ethan Allen and it is not, we trust, presunp-
tuous in us to hope that all will, henceforth, be
disposed to cencedc that the Monument is d" at
the burial place. Huntington Free Press.
QuERY.-We wish to call attention to two
lines, which we have italicised, near the middle
of the above. and the whole of the last para
graph of the article, and ask why the whole of
, the remains were not g boxed up - instead of a
part, and why this part of the remains were
removed some feet from the rest? This leaving
a part of the remains at the " northwest cor
ner," and removing the remainder to I" the CEN
tire y of the Monument, looks as though there
would DO no harm in going still further, and
distributing them all over the State, as there il
\ no need of care to keep them together. The
c friends of that location had better keep strict
= watch, or the " Battery will have what arc
left under the corner 60 boxed up" and trans
ferred few feet the other way.