Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-12-20

W. iuIuuct. N ultft uDlt III tDD JIiIut T
" tort let the gases escape, and they the
se 20 through fifteen or twenty feet
re pipes before escaping into the air. I'll
II retort Is 8 feet long and large enouq
)f to hold the largest man. The furnae
II Is little longer and about two 10,
o wide and high. The door Of the retol
l. is marble, being fastened with q bue
% iron screw run into. heavy mounting,
Is A little hole il this door lets in sufi
o cient air and also gives the spectator
d q chance toTsee what Is going on insid,
J. The most curious little arrangcmen
o Is the little iron frame ia which III
|. body is TO rest. IL is raised about tw
) inchce from the foof, 10 that q listl
\ airmay circulate under. II Is made o
/ thin bars Of iron and is about six fee
G long and as wide and deep as an ordi
Q nary man. II looks very much like
cradle and very much like a grid-iron
] In this the naked body is laid, wrapped
: in sheet the red.hot door Of the re
] tort is unscrewed the body and IL
. liOu tlhult ult uulIlt1lN rHOFtu IIlt
{ the relort another door, luted with
cement, is screwed into place littls
hand-blower before the furnace door Il
started, and the baking begins.
( There were two solitary watchers on
} Gallows Hill last night. One was Mr.
! Jas. s. Wolf, the other was Times re
porter. i.vny tv:sTs s:..s ..; :a: IL: sh==n..
; en- body Of Baron De Palm was wrap.
ped in its pale winding sheet and laid
out, stark and cold, IN the long iron
cradle The cstafalque had been drawn
10 the centre Of the reception room a
bright FIRE had been started in the little
stove at the side Of the room, and the
back window had been raised for rea.
sons best known to anybody who went
into the room without holding his nose
In the furnace room Mr.. Wolf sat on
the bottom Of an inverted bucket,
smoking his pipe, occasionally opening
the furnace door and throwing red
glare over the little room and its occu.
i pants. IL was q spectral place. The
door between the two rooms stood opcn.
and the Baron Law in plain sight. com.
Portable in his cool quarters even out
side the building Things were A little
pbostly.
Galiows Hill is a celebrated place.
II is tull Of dark shadows and shady
rayines. and after dark every tree seems
TO wrap a white sheet about itself and
travel around for the frightening of
travellers. Half A century ago George
Crawford. who killed his son down in
the village, was hanged within fifty
feet Of where the crematory now stands.
A few years later Black Kit, Virginia
slave. ran away and escaped 10 Wash.
ington HismasterfoIIawed and caught
him baud.coffed him and started with
him for home. When they got a mile
or two out Of town Kit Jagged behind.
picked mn n niece Of board and killed
bis master and he was hanged on Gal.
lows Hin almost on the spot where
the Times reporter is writing. The
rope broke twice, but the third time
did the work. SoGallows Hill is quite
cheerful neigbborhood, and with
real baronial mummy within ten feet
on one side and the old gallows posts
leaning almost against the building on
the other, and Cremator Wolf to bold
a little kerosene lamp for the reporter
to write by, and chair from under the
cataialQue for q table, the cheeriness is
doubly cheered.
The retort that was red-hot IN the
afternoon was getting halfway between
red and white BY midnight Every
hour the bright furnace door was open.
ed and fresh supply Of coke was put
in. The furnace was hot, terribly hot,
two or three feet Of the ground, but
near the top IL was almost as cool as
the snow without. The intense heat
had burned away the plaster in crevices
between some Of the bricks and the
bright light shone through. The fire.
man is a capital ventriloquist, and he
used his voice occasionally with start |
ling effect, making the Baron say, now |
and then, Please stir up the fire lit
tie, or, ats getting cold here" or
Won't you give me glass Of waterl"
greatly 10 the fright Of country lad
who stepped in as be was passing by.
AT 7 O'Clock this morning, when the
red light in the East began TO throw
faint shadows Of the gaIlows posts
against the little building, tie under
taker climbed from the silent village
TO the summit Of Gallows Hill to see
that all was right. The furnace was
then white with heat The fur.
mace room was suffccaiing and the re.
tort was rcd-hot and white-hot In spots.
At quarter before s o'clock Colonel
Olcott arrived, carry his Hindoo ere
nation vase in one hand and half gallon
bottle Of alum water in the other. lie
took brief look at the body and then,
taking a package from his pocket,
raised the winding sheet and sprinkled
myrrh, cassia, and other
spices, over the Barou's breast, After
the sheet was replaced the alum water
was poured over il, wetting IL from
head 10 foot. This was 10 prevent il
from making blaze when h~t put
into the retort. Then the cvergrecns
and flowers were strewn over the body
and il was ready for the ceremony.
By this time il was after s o'clock,
and the reception room was nearly full.
DIR. Arsdale, Of the Pittsburgh Board
Of Health, was on haDd and DR.. Fol