The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-01-15
A BRIDGE TURNED TO STONE
a Fatal Draught from stone E1a a GeoI-
Ogist's Cabinet.

A BRIDGE TURNED TO STON1
AFafsl Draught from a stone IN. a Geo
Ogists Cabinet.
New York Sur.
SR-There have been so many con
ments in the papers, and I receive S
many letters which it is impossible fl
me to answer, in reference to the cur
Gus case Of petrifaction which recentl
came under my notice, that L am col
strained to write an account of th
whole affair, giving at the same time M
hypothesis as explanatory of the II
tionale.
Mr.. Fredriek Haller is by professio
lawyer. He early acquired, howevel
quite fondness for the naturs
sciences, especially geology. He ha
| perhaps, the largest and most complet
| geological cabinet In Louisiana. When
| ever he wishes to relieve himself froI
tE Q dry details of law, he withdraw
into his 4" Rock Study" as he calls th
apartment where he keeps his cabine
| and books relating to science, and ther
passes many hours in experiment., j
reading, and in manipulating the gee
/ logical and archaeological collection
which, through period of nearly thil
| ~ AC HIS NAAHA LOlCllloCs
THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDGE.
Having married early in life, som
five years ago he lost his wife and CAV
up his household affairs to an eiderl
maidensister Something over mont
ago he married again, taking as hi
| bride beautiful and charming youn
girl of sixteen. AS physician to he
| fathers family and an intimate friend
~ Nkn 4
ceremony. I am sure / never saw
more beautiful and happy bride. n
one could have dreamed of the strang
fate which awaited her.
On the morrow after the wedding MI
Haller took u young bride to his resi-
dence, q splendid mansion IN the sub
urbs of the village. She was accom-
panied by a number of her femal
friends, who were to spend the day wit
her, while he, having business of i'm
portance at his Office in town, promised
to return as speedily as he could dis
! pose of the business. The bride, bein
installed IN her new home, cared to tax
little notice of household matters 70
the first day of matrimonial life, pre-
| ferring to amuse herself with the friend
who had come over with her, KNOWN
| that the domestic affairs we're IN goo
hands.
IN THE GEoLoGIsT's CABINET.
| At about one o'clock she and som
/ three or four of her most intimate friend
went into Mr.. Haller's "Rock Study,
| already mentioned, to look over th
cabinet ofcuriosites, where they amuse
themselves in frivolous gayety, such 8
young girls would indulge in, Harmless
| and innocent to all appearances. Anon
| the curiosities which Mr.. Haller ha
gathered were several round boulder
brought from Arkansas. These boulC
ers, on being broken, present in til
central space a crystalline formation
| and are usually not much larger ,ha
| the double fists. One of these, howeve
was unusually large, measuring twent,
| one inches in circumference. Frequen
| ly the internal surface, always hollOv
contains water, or..rather a concentrate
solution of silica in water. This fal
was known to one of the young ladie
| who mentioned it. At once they all b
gan to wonder whether there was watt
in the large boulder. Two of the smal
| er ones had been broken, showing in Il
center large crystals, and had containe
/ water, according to the assertion of Il
young la y who had gained her inform
! ton at some other time in a previoi
visit.
THE FATAL DRAUGHT.
at once it was proposed to break Il
large one, and several Intellectual q
| temps were made by them with g ge
! logical hammer always present. The
called te their aid, q eolOred man,
servant on the place, who was requeste
to break open the rock, as they called
| He readily assented, being willing
thus render his first service to Il
new mistress. A pitcher beir
placed underneath the boulde
as the man held it, one sturd
blow of his stalwart arm cracke
it, and the fluid within ran out and Wi
collected in the pitcher, scarcely Iosin
a drop, there being half a pint of l
A few additional blows opened the bou
der, presenting large, fine Transporter
crystals of quartz. These were muc
admired, and other friends we're calle
from the parlor to look at the novelt.
The bride, without ever giving 1T
thought, conceived the notion of drinl
ing the water from the boulder. 81
poured most of it into a glass tumble
nearly filling it, and lifting it to ht
lips she drank first to the health of ht
husband, then to that of the unmarrie
friends in the room. wishing the,
shortly to be happy brides like hersel
and drained the glass, all being done {
quickly that no one had time to int
fere or to think that any consequence
might follow.
RIGID IN DEATH.
AT first it was thought that no har-
! \ "A 81 vaa.A.n
joke and much merriment was mad
But in a few minutes the youthfI
bride complained of excessive pain
the stomach, s1d she began to realii
the Fashness of her action. A messeng,
was sent IN haste for her husband an
myself. MIR. Haller's Office being nei
my own, we received the message a
most simul ltaneously, and We rapid
drove together in buggy to his hous
| When we arrived she was dead, per
cd of fifteen minutes having elapse
from the time of taking the fatal draugl
to the time of extinction of lif,
They were just laying her OF
on our arrival. To my surprise four
she had grown In that short period
rigid as to render it difficult to straigh
en- her limbs. In the course of thre
fourths OF an hour her entire body b
came as hard and as infiexible as bon
I pass over the grief and constern
ton of the husband and the family
something too sacred for remark, co
fning myself exclusively to the scie
tific facts. 1t was plain that somethii
akin to ossifcation had taken plac
On more minute examination and
! auiry found that the dissolved sill
she had taken into her stomach had e,
absorbed and transmitted by the cbyl
poletic apparatus and blood vesse
throughout her whole system, and th
her whole body was
A PETRIFACTION.
The case being so singular and
, sudden the husband and the brid.
family consented to q partial post mo-
EN- examination, other medical IA
coming to my assistance. We found
impossible to cut thr, yh any porti
with our scalpels. DR.. Ferguson bro
his scalpei in the first attempt. '
were able only to break through Z