Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-07-25

Editor Of the Free Press and Times
In your article of Saturday on " Ethan
Aliens Grave" you are quite mistaken as
to facts. When the excavation was made
for laying the foundations of the monument
there was much excitement as TO finding hls
bones and many people were present. The
excavation. which was some ten feet square
and five feet deep, was made under the d.
rection and personal inspection of the com
mittee having the matter in charge-Mr.
G. p. Marsh and myseli-and was made
over nd included the exact location of the
slab Of marble which contained his epitaph.
No human remains were found, but a few
decayed fragments of the bones of a young
child, which might all have been laid on a
tea saucer-these were found on the north
side Of the excavation, about half the way
down. Much disappointment was express
ed at this result. but no one at that time
pretended that it was not conclusive as to
the location being elsewhere. But II l.
now said that these fragments of bones were
the remain of the skeleton of Ethan Allen
" doubtles having decayed and mingled
with the loose and sandy soil which was not
o. char acter to preserve for many years
the rema ins committed to it - The force Of
this assn mption Is illustrated by the fact
that the remains of Stephen Lawrence,
which lay within ten feet of the grave of
Allen and were buried about one month
after him, were exhumed and removed a
few weeks since, 3 complete skeleton having
remained in the gave twelve years longer
than those Of Allen But what Is the use
OF reopening controversy, which is in
itself 20 unimpOrtant? in
We have not the slightest desire to re-
open the old eontro versy, and have had no
thought Of doing 50. So far as any ques-
ton of facts is concerned, however, we pre-
fer to reeur to something more positive than
our own or anybody else's present recollec-
ton of mat tiers which occurred fifteen years
ago. Tu' ming back to the files of this pa
per, We find in the FREE PREss of June IL,
1858, statement. signed by John n Pome-
roy an Geo. P. Marsh, which says that in
making the excavation for the foundation
If tt e monument, " there dropped from the
n orth side of the excavation about foot
and half or two feet above the bottom,
= few decayed human bones, which, with |
- Others which were taken out, made some |
= eight or nine pieces, consisting of a thin |
. piece of the skull about three inches in |
= diameter, another smaller and thinner
piece of skull, and the remainder small
bones like those Of the hand" 1t is
Idded that these remains 'afiorded no
means of Identification as the bones of Al
en- - but it is not stated that they were
he bones of "a young child,'' nor that
here was anything about them to forbid
he supposition that they might be portions
# the remains of Allen. On the other hand,
o far from its being the case. as Mr.. P0me-
oy supposes, that no one at the time
PRETENDED that il was not conclusive as
o the location being elsewhere" we find
hat the FREE Press took the ground at the
lme, that there was no open question as to
he location of Aliens grave; that it as
lmed the remains found to be probably
hose Of Allen, though it admitted that
here was no possible N cans of indentifca-
on-as, if complete skeleton had been
'und, no one could has sc proped that it was
Hens, or have got any nearer to proof
ian the fact than it was found las we're
lese remains) where the remains of Allen
light have been expected to be FL und. We
I'D mention Of the fact that the skeletons
soldiers of the war of 1872. buried
similar soil. were found. whe dis
TERED only fifteen years after bur-
|, very much decayed. We find that the
ZEE PRESS steadily maintained that |
the absence OF positive proof to the c IN ;
Try, 1t was not a supposable case til at
len : widow would have permitted ston
llch declared that beneath it rested the
rporeal part of Gen. Ethan Allen to have
ID placed anywhere but over his place of q
rial that there was no proof to the con- G
ny and that there was much positive S
Dol In the testimony of living witnesses. a
II that was the burial place.
his Is all that we maintai now. Asue a
'e SAID, there is in existef zee what we re- q
y ~ 'ncontestable svids nee that Ethan >