Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1866-11-23
The Remains of Roger Williams

Ninety years after the death of Roger
Williams in l77l, steps were taken t.
erect some suitable monument, but tn,
storms of the Revolution came on and the
work was forgo ten But recently The
question has been agitated anew, and viii
Hams may yet at least have some outward
sign to mark his greatness and perpetuats
his name. During period of 1873 years
not even rough stone has been set up tc
max the grave of the founder of Rhode
Island, till the precise locality of his grave
has almost been forgotten, and could only
be ascertained after the most careful ia.
vestigation. Suffice it to say, however,
the spot was found and the exhumation
made short time ago-though there was
little to exhume. On scrapng off The turi
from the surface of the ground the dim
outlines of seven graves, contained within
less than one square rod, revealed the bu-
rial ground of Rrger Williams. In colo
nial times each family had its own burial
ground, which was usually near the family
residence. Three of these seven graves
were those of children, the remaining four
were adults. The easterly grave was
identified as that of Mr.. Williams. On
digging down into the " "charnel house." it
was found that everything had passed into
oblivion. The shapes of the coffins could
only be traced by black line of csrbona-
ceous matter the thickness of the edges of
the sides of the coffins, with their ends
distinctly defined. The rusted remains of
the hinges and nails, with few fragments
OF wood and single round knot, were all
that could be gathered from his grave.
In the grave of his wife there was no
trace Of anything save single lock of
braided hair whigh had survived the Iapse
OF more than $50 years. Near the grave
stood venerable apple tree, when and
by whom planted is not known. This tree
has sent two of its main roots into the
graves of Mr.. and Mrs. Williams. The
larger root had pushed its way through
the earth till it reached the precise spot
occupied by the skull of Roger Williams.
There making turn as if going round
the skull, it followed the direction of the
backbone to the hips. Here it divided
into two branches, sending one along each
leg to the heel, where they both turned
Upward to the toes. One of these roots
formed slight crook at the knee, which
makes the whole bear very close resem-
blance to human form. This singular
root is preserved with great care, not only
as an illustration of great principle in
but as a great historic associa-
ton. There were the graves emplied of
every particle of human dust Not a
trace of anything was left 1t is known to
chemistry that all flesh, and the gelatinous
matter giving consistency to the bones, are
resolved into carbonic acid gas, water and
air, while the solid lime dust usually re-
mains. But in this instance even the
phosphate of lime of the bones of both
graves was all gone. There stood the
guilty apple tree" as was said at the
lime, caught in the very act of robbing
he grave.
To explain the phenomenon is not the
iesign of this article. Such an explana-
ion could be given, and many other SINH i
ar cases adduced. But this fact must be '
the organic matter of Roger
Williams had been transmitted into the
'pple tree; it had passed into the woody q
ibre and was capable Of propelling a steam 4
'ngine it had bloomed in the apple bios. il