, 1878-03-09

ington Territory at the National
Capital.
Bur'esque Cremators.
The excitement in the vicinity of
Washington, Pennsylvania, over the ex-
trordinary proceedings attending cre-
nation of Mrs, Pitman is still unabat-
ed. Among the good people of Wash
ington Mr.. Pitman is regarded as sto>
ic of the most remorseless kind, one
who is deaf to all human sympathies
and unmoved ty human affection. The
details of the funeral at Cincinnati are
certainly not calculated to diminish this
feeling. Among the poems read was
one containing the lines:
Let no stern priest with solemn droue
His formal liturgy intone,
Whose creed is foreign to my OWE!
Let no stale words Of churcb-born song
Float out upon the silent air,
To prove by Imr Icarion wrong
The soul of her then lying there!
why should such words be glibly surg
Der ole upon whose Lively tongue
Sdch empty phrases never hung?
Among the orthodox residents of
Washington such language is regarded
as little better than blaspheAous. Mr..
Pitman's eulogy on his wife, that she
could never have accomplished what
Sbo .fi1 hoA che hao,, n ,,,o,,,o ,rbo Id
worn corsets or high-heeled shoes, to-
gelher with his light hearted comments
ary on her personal habits. is also con,
demned as an exhibition of unseemly
levity. The Doctor and his furnace is
hourly growing in disfavor, and threats
of blowing up ''the LIE Moyne bone-
roasting establishment" as it is called,
are widely circulated.
The popular feeling against the cre>
majors eliminated some time since in
the production of hurlesoue ON the
De Palm Ubsequies entitled, The koas>
ted Baron or the Washington Cremat-
ors." The play was produced at Can.
nonsburg under the superintendent of
James Wolfe, the man who fed the fires
on the occasion of the burning of the
Baron's body. Wolfe is an original ge>
MUS, and his play gave evidence of de-
cided dramatic talent. The first act re-
presented the Theosophic ceremonies
in New York. Hierophant Olcott in the
capacity of Grand Panjandrun. The
second act pictured midnight in the
crematory. Two newspaper correspon>
dents were offering the devoted fireman
500 to shove the corpse in twelve
hours beforehand. and thus give beat
to their respective papers. The offer
was spurned with contempt, after
which the fireman. who is something
of ventriloquist, amused his audience
by making the corpse call for more fire
and glass of water. The third act
presented the interior of crematory
on the day of the burning. Hierophant
Olcott. in mystic garb. was in the act of
glancing through the peep hole. and
announcing from time 10 time, Zone
eye out! One leg gone" etc. Sudden
ly the bogus retort cracked, and the
dummy corpse exploded with terrific
aoise. filling the room with smoke and
scattering the assembled Theosophs in
all directions. In the fourth act pub
lie meeting in the town hall at Wash>
ington. in which the presidents of vari-
GUS colleges, scientific men. etc, parts
cipated, was numerically ridiculed.
The actors in the play and the greater
portion of the audience were from the
town OF Washington, and the perform
ance was received with unstinted laugh
ter and applause. So great was the
success of the Roasted Baron" that it
had a run Of several nights.
The rapidity with which Mrs. Pitman
was burned is attributed to the fact that
her body was embalmed with arsenide
OF soda. The period consumed in tile
incineration was twenty minutes less
than in the case of Baron de Palm. the
gain in time being ascribed to the SUI
perior freshness of the body as compar.
ed with the tough and dried up carcass
of the Baron.
Among the Improvements Which the
Doctor intends Introducing in his fur
mace before he makes final test of its
efficacy in person, is an appliance tor
the gradual reduction of the heat. The
idea is for the retort to cool without its
b,ipg cracked. At the same time
sufficiently high temperature is to be
kept up to reduce the bones literally to
asues and not leave them in the slack
baked condition of the Baron's.
In an old pincushion belong
ing to the late Mrs. Oliver Jew
ell of Cazenovia, N. Y, were
found $50 needles, 10 worsted