The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-12-23
NUMBER Ill.
A singular C1reunssanee-Reasrka Co.
isesd~see-oolutasn sG . Mystery and Iacn.
unessisn Of . Csrpse by Science.
IFrsn The Pisssbars Gazette, December Isl

tfrsn the Pittsbarg Gazette. December Isl
Among the victims of the recent heart.rendpr
ano terIIoie river calamity on the beautiful Ohio
were MIS-. Commooore Thompson, Q young mar.
rss ,s1y 2, & ne. u,iesn. on her way back to the
Grifip, who bad resided in the sams place Ths
day following the awful night OF the sccidept ths
bodies OF both these ladies' were found, a. il Vas
friends for interment. They we're placed 10 the
Episcopal Church ct Madison, Indiana not far
rom the scene of the wreck, and the ladies of
the parish very kindly rendered the remains
every proper attention, and prepared them for
Church, Rev. James Runcel, ID. D., officiating.
The graves were prepared and the interesting
funeral services had progressed nigh to an end /,
Thompson, directing that the bodies Of his wife
and Mrs. Griffin be forwarded to Philadelphia for
interment there. At the same moment Mr.. Wolf
cousin OF Miss Fahenstock, Who was also Lost In
claim to the supposed body Of Mrs. Thompson q
that OF his unfortunate relative. The friends Of
Mrs Thompson insistedj that the charred CORPSE
belonged TO her, and In order to prove that they
their deceased friend owned and wore q plain gold
ri on her finger with the name Of Grace" en-
g 'aved 10 side, and it was by this ornament that
they had succeeded in Identifying the body.
Mr.. Wolf was surprised at this announcement.
as 1t was just on such ring o. that Identical
shape, and bearing the very came simple legend,
(" Grace" that be depended on making good his
claims to the corpse a. that OF Miss Fahnestock.
wearing such ring in lie. and vas a douSiv SIv
assured OF the fact BY kilograms from Pittsourg.
asserting that while here, Just few days before
her terrible death. the young lady had on her
finger such ring. Here was dilemma. The
friends OF Mrs. Thompson were equally positive
with those of Miss Fahnestock, that the ring
found on the corpse had been worn by her. and
beyond doubt fixed Identification. After q calm
discussion the friends determined to forward tho
body to Philadelphia, and there endesvor to solve
the mystery. The two lost ladies were about the
same size and build, and as the clothing had ell
been burned away, and the features horribly mu-
tilated the confusion arising from the remarkable
coincidence Of both having rings on their fingers
OF exactly the same kind and bearing the same
legend, was quite natural, and, Of course, sorely
distressed the respective friends.
The corpse arrived in Philadelphia, and the
question Of Identification still remained unsettled.
AS last resort, several gentlemen Of the medical
profession we're called to bring science 10 solve
the perpexing problem. A post mortem exami-
nation revealed the fact that the dis6gured body
was not that of married lady. and the friends Of
Mrs. Thompson willingly scquiesced in the dsci.
sion and the corpse was surrendered for burial to
the relatives of Miss Fahnestock. The coinci-
dence OF the rings was very remarkable, and had
both the lost ladies occupied the relations in
life, the identification, perhaps, never could have
been made, unless, indeed, the body Of Mrs.
Thompson be yet dragged from the river in such
preservation as to render the features recog-
TIE Madison Courier of the 18th saws. bodv
was brought to the city yesterday for medical ex-
animation, supposed to be that of Mrs. Commo-
dore Thompson, of New Orleans. II was con-
signed to DIR. w. Collins for examination, who has
expressed his belief, nom other corroborative
evidence, that 1t is her remains. The body was
terribly burned and charred, and was left in the
hands Of Mr. C. Vail, undertaken, to await the ar
rival Of her brother from the wreck.