The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-03-22
A Talk with DR.. LIE Moyne-the
Great Cremator.

oEGAA SAGhs0As
Pittsburgh Leader.
Mr.. spans's measure making It a
criminal offsnse to cremate the human
body after death has been f~ayorably re-
ported in the house at Harrisburg, and
that which was at tirst supposed to be lit.
tie more than u Joke bids fair to become
alaw. Asthe case looks very much like
legislation againAt n man, the Leader
thought It Of sufficient interest TO get the
one man on record as representing the
other side, and accordingly q reporter
took the train last evening and in due
course presented himself in the labora-
tory Of DR.. Le Moyne, at Little Washing.
ton. He was very kindly received by the
Doctor, and upon stating that he had
gone out to ascertain his views In regard
10 MI. Spaug's bill, his face lit up with q
q smile and he exclaimed, "WelI | have
hardly thought about the matter at all;
II has troubled me so little that l actual
" have not read the bill"
Should the bill become q law, how will
itefect your plans in advancing the the
DRY :? asked the reporter.
iNot at ALL" the doctor quickly re-
piled. II will proceed exactly as though
itwere not in existence; the frat case that
| have occasion to cremate will find me
ready, and then we'll test the matter. It
they choose to exercise the law, and there
Ia not one cremationist among the Jury
(which will be strange) to prevent finding
q verdict against me, why I'll pay the
penalties cheeriully. But 1 hardly ex-
pect tito come to that; II will probably
be voted against before it reaches third
reading, and II II should pass the house
/ shall expect 1t to be stopped in the SEN
ate. There are steadier heads in the SEN
ate: besides It Ia too late in the day; PEG.
pIe are becoming too intelligent, and will
not permit persecution for opinions sake:
II It does pass Il cannot long stand
against the reform, but will be repealed,
and those who are now instrumental In
making II alaw, will be heartily ashamed
Of Themselves. / feel sorry for the man,
Spapg, that be is so far behind the age,
and when I first heard Of the measure
I said at once that he must be some
Observation-Disclosures from Ian.
aster or Berks-and had not kept
pace with the thought OF the
aee. The movement is not popular
now, and people who always go with the
mass are quick 10 call It's followers error.
ists, and say that il Ia all wrong; but SO
reforms in all ages have been considered
when first introduced. ! am not at all
frightened at this opposition. | am not
the kind Of . man 10 be frightened; go
long asI know a thing TO be right am
never turned from il; | never let crosses
trouble me much; when they can be OBJ
waited | see about it at once, but when
they can't l let them go. l worked hard
in The cause oil abolition for thirty years
before the war, and when it was most un-
popular. Legislation was tried once or
twice, but ' went through, 0 would
Il have deferred me il ii had. l prophe-
sied how II would be in the end, and it
has come about just IS lsaid. You can
not lind a man now who will acknowledge
TO have taken am other than the anti
slavery side. And SO in this reform,
though not near 30 important, the men
who opposed it will be ashamed Of them
selves ere long, and il Is SO arranged
proyidentially that their opposition aids
their REFORM
.If the legislature thinks best to perse.
cute II REFORM" continued the doctor,
who did not seem to tire Of the subject,
.sas Official bodies in all time have euga-
red in the same, useless and silly work,
1he reform will not be retarded. but
rather advanced, aud you can say. that
DR.. LeMoyue does not intend TO be intin.
enced by such actions, but will 30 on as
other reformers have before. Persecu-
ton always helps a good cause; 1t brings
Il into greater prominence than 1t other.
wise could attain, and people who are
free TO think and choose the better way
from the facts presented, are made TO
consider Il, and many are added who
only desire to side with the weaker. !
don't care to-haye no desire to-becone
a martyr; but II they COMPEL me, I'll take
the accruing benefits and won't COM
plain"
But were you not a little surprised at
opposition from this quarter? the re.
porter asked. "Noti in the least" return.
ed the doctor. ~ expected 1t. When l
started to build the crematory there were
voices raised against me; one preacher
spoke very strong about II, aud n pa
per here was quite yindictiye in the
matter and | was attacked by others
through the papers, and 1t was frequent
'ly ureedt that the law makers take action
sgainst Il. But they don't know how last
the reform Is moving. ! did not, myself,
know how many persons there are who
believe In this manner Of disposing Of
the dead. Why, l have received fifty
letters within the lastthree weeks asking
me to promise that they may be cremated
in my furnace at their death. have
refused all except one, q German named
Forsch, living near Chicago, who dont
seem 10 have any friends here, and wants
his remains sent to relatives in Germany.
I have granted his request with the stip'
ulation that he arrange for one friend to
accompany his remains TO assist me.
have returned the advice TO all the
Others that they with others Of their opin.
ions, build cfematorfea 10 their own
neishborhood. receive numherles. let
tiers OF encouragement, and many asking
what I will charge 10 cremaie their re.
mains; the impresaion seems to have got.
ten abroad that | am making Q business
q it which is entirely false, as / have
never charged for my services, and have
rather lost money on both occasions. |
built the crematory for my own family
use, but cremAted the Baron publicly for
the purpose OF drawing attention to the
subject and giving the movement a footing.
am not a public cremator but a reform.
err. I will give no more public exhibi.
tions, a. II Il not q matter Tor public
view. Mrs. Pitman's cremation was by
very special request, made 8 year before
her death, when In perfect health and re-
peated when dying. II was private, none
being admitted but a few Of the lady's
friends and mine. She was ahighly cul-
tiyated lady, moving In the best society
Of Cincinnati, and could not have bad
a better subject 10 give the matter seiat.
The cremation passed of very quietly
and successfully, with the exception Of
there being about twenty reporters who
swarmed IN the office and made several
attempts TO get into the crematory; but