Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-12-06
Cremation.


The cremation oesemunies at Washington,
Pa, are expec,el TO take place to-day, accord
ing TO previous announce ment, aud the remains
Of Barrow Dc Palm have already been i rWard-
I'D. Thy have been deposited 10 vault 10
the Luthsrao cemetery al Williamsburg, New
York sace his dea'h. IaSt May, and would
havs before :h,s been cremated, at bis request,
bur for the feet that 90 suitable furnace was IL
resdioess. That de6c:euoy has DOW been sup.
piled by Or. +. julius dc Moync. The re.
mains were conveyed to Washington by rail
road, aud were enclosed IN rosewood cctta
will silver mountiugs, enclosed 10 q suitable
box. Is, fore beise uurued, however, the corpse
H,il be ,akeD Out nt the, cJttu aud wrapped 10
1uds OF white linen ciolb. aui will men DC
placed on an iron cradle, made tor the purpose.
wnich will be inserted into the furnace. This
cradle Is SO constructed that the ashes OF the
deceased Will be kept separate aud can be
easily gatheted after the furnace cuols. Care
has been taken TO r, move all offensive features
from the operation. Besides the white cloth
ID which il will be eove!oped, the body Will bt
covered with flowers, and aromatlc spices aud
guns, such as cln0amoD, acacia, traDkloccnsc
aud uyrrh, viii be strewu over 1t. Alter the
cr' nation, which 1t is supposed will occupy
atput three hours, the ssucs will be collected
and placed 10 az auique vase, procured for the
purpose from b. # siou OF the Upper Nile by
Col. Olco;t. Tins Vase is of pialn red clay, aud
bas shcrt neck. with a handle on each side.
aud 10 shape is very ike those recently fouod
10 the excavations at Cyprus. Ou one side OF
che vase brass plate, bearing the uaue, az
aud title. oil the deceased, will be attached.
I, - Il H.,
tive pounds, w.lI be spriukIed With perfume
before beiug inclosed 10 the receptacle pro-
ri 0 for hen, af, er he uanner piac iued BY
aocien Greeks and r mans. There will be
no scrq.ces perto, m ,va! the remains at the
crematory, as the executors say II W te s!mp.
IL and solely tho act ut creu.a i)n tor the de-
csnt disposal + The dy, which should have
occurred lmm. diateiy after the services 10 the
Masonic empie OF he TbeusopLlcal Society,
last May, tut winch we're: delayed for the rea
son already gwen.
Col. O.cot, aud bis fellow exc cu,or have
carefully seaIced the statutes aud ascertaued
tha, 90 legal difficulties are 10 the way 10 pre-
vent cremation, aud they have invited repre-
sen,atiVes OF the Boards of Health from Phil
adelphia. Baltimore, Washington. Ciuciunati,
New Orleaus aud other cities. Il is sup
posed public discussions 10 regard TO the cers-
mopy as a sanitary measure will be held at
Washington, and tbe whole sutjeci will be re-
viewed. 1t is said the idea OF cremation is not
y part of tine Theosophcal creed, aud there is
Is uuch variety OF opinion about it among the
sncubers as there is about auy other matter.
AS w. stated some days ago. this is not tn" first
ac; IF cremation pracsiced 10 the UriLsd
States. In the year 1892 :he body OF Henry
L,urens, Tie Amerlcau patriot aud statesu 40.
Was burned oo bis plantation IN South Carol!
MA, acoordiog 10 the express directions 10 bis
son, lett BY him in his viii. they we're very
explicit aud minute, aud LET. tho young mao
u, discretion 10 the mater. Following Is the
tu!l clause Of the wtl!
solemnly eoioin it on my son ss al lndis
peasaoie duty, that as sOo0 AZ he conveniently
oau after my Gecesse, to cause my bodg to be
wrapped 10 we've yards Of low cloth and burn
ed uu;i it be entirely consumed, and then
coll, cUg my boues, depos 'hen wherever
he may think proper
now to be found. The most authentic now ex
tant, however, which is given b;low, is cou-
taioed 10 The New York Journal aud Patriotic
R.vister of Saturday, January %, 1898, DOW
on file 10 the rooms OF the New York Histcri-
cal Society. =,
The followiug extract of letter, dated Char
lest,n. S. c., d c. "a, is .ak.u trou the Nor
wioh Weekly R. gstrr of January IA.
A few days since departed this life, Hsory
Laureus, esq, about VeD,y years OF age, aDd
hi, corpse was burned the Thursday after bis
decease. This was dooe by bis sou at the re-
quest of bis father, who made this reserve 10
hs will, that unlcss his son COMPLIED with this
he should be cut short 10 aoy OF his estate,
which was worth EGO 0O0 The ashes remain
ing from the body were taken up and put in'o
silver urn for that purpose.
The reason Mr.. Laurens gave for this desire
was hat his body was too good to be eaten by
worms.
An,,ber account says that upon the occasion
of the d, q n of one OF his children by small
pox, atd willie the body was lying 10 the room,
My, Laureus ordered the windows to be opened
10 order TO admit fresh air iuto the aparr meot.
The cool brc e caused the child to revive, aod
its barrow es>ape irom beug buried alive,
caused 50 grea; AN impression upon Mr. Lau-
reus' m nd, as to iuluce him to determine that
he would avoid all risk of meeting 80 dreadful
fate by havlog his body burned. The tune
raj pyre was erected on a beautiful spot on the
brow OF a hill ou his plantation, and the body,
wrapped 10 cloth, as he had directed, was
b rpc to the place on .he shoulders OF tour OF
his tavorite slaves. After being placed upon
the pyre, iuccuse and pe;fume were heaped
upon 1t. The services were then performed
au the torch applied. After the body bad
been reduced to ashes. they were carefully
gathered up and placed 10 beautiful silver
vase that had been provided tor the OCCASION.
The lnstau,es of cremation ln modern tlmes
10 Europe have beeu more frequent, Inc
,urulug oil the body OF he poet ohel'ey, oy
rrder of the ruscan Government, IN the shores
o. the Msduerraucan by bis friends Lord By
ron, Leigh Hunt, God Mr.. rrcIawney, 10 1922,
is probabIy the best known. His ashes were
afterward deposited 10 The Protestant buria
grouod 10 Rome. |" 1870 or 1871 the body
of aa East India Prince, who dieu III t,orenoe,
vas burned by his attendants IN the Eastern
syIe. aad bi. ashes were taken back TO lodls'
Abou one year ago the body of Al berto Keller
OF Milan, was burned IN .euple erected 92S
.,s orders iu q cemetery near that CITY. IL
1875 The body OF Lady Dixie. and that ut the