The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-07-23
WEDNESDAY, JULY %, 1879.
AN1HoNr WAYNEs GRAVES.

History makes no mention of the
strange circumstance that Mad An
thony Wayne's remains are inferred in
two graves. Yet an Erie correspond
emit details the fact and relates a plaus-
ible story. He says: In 1896 what is
now Erie, Pa, was Fort Presque Isle.
The fort was nothing more than q
wooden stockade. Gen. Wayne, after
his successful campaign against the In
dams, returned to Presque Isle in the
above year. He o afterward died
in the fort Of govt. He was buried at
the foot of the flagstaff. In 1916 his
family obtained permission to remove
the remains to Chester county. A son
of Gen. Wayne's made the journey clear
across the state, much of it then a dense
wilderness, with a horse and gig. He
had informed DR.. John c. Wallace, Of
Presque Isle, of his intention to remove
the remains, and requested him to dis
inter them and prepare them for re-
moval. DR.. Wallace was an old Indian
fighter, and had accompanied Gen.
Wayne. through all the latter's cam
paign's. He exhumed the remains.
He was surprised to find that the body
had not decayed, but that the flesh had
become as hard us bone, and of great
weight. Knowing that it would be
impossible for the son to carry the body
to Chester county in that condition,
DR.. Wallace determined to remove the
flesh from the bones. This was done
by boiling and the use Of knives. The
bones of Gen. Wayne were then care
fully packed in convenient form, and
were delivered to the son on his arrival.
He wa not informed Of the operation
that had been performed. He returned
the box to Chester county, where its
contents were buried with appropriate
ceremonies. A fine monument com
memorative Of the dead hero and his
deeds, was subsequently erected at the
grave The portion of the remains re-
moved by DR.. Wallace was placed in a
coffin and returned to the grave where
Gen. Wayne was buried in 1895. The
lid Of the coffin bore the initials of the
deceased, his age and date of his death,
made by brass-headed nails. Fort
Presque Isle gradually went to decay;
in the course Of a few years nothing
remained to mark its site or that Of the
grave. The parties concerned in pre-
pairing the remains for removal died,
and everything connected with the
burial was forgotten. Four years ago
an antiquarian was digging for relics
around the ground where the old fort
stood. Two feet below the surface be
found some pieces of wood, which he
removed. On one of the remnants was
headed nails. Other pieces contained
lettering and figures in brass-headed
nails. These decayed pieces of wood
proved to be the remains of the coffin
in which the detached remains of Gen.
Wayne had been buried. They were
returned to the earth, a mound made,
and the spot enclosed by a heavy iron
chain hung on four posts. Last winter
the citizens Of Erie petitioned the legis-
lature for an appropriation to pay for
raising a monument over the grave of
Gen. Wayne. Inquiry by members of
the legislature resulted in establishing
the above facts. The grave in Chester
county, already marked by a monu-
ment, was regarded as the real burying
place of Gen. Wayne, however, and the
appropriation was not made. The cit
liens af Erie are now moving to rear a
monument on the old Fort Presque
Isle grave by voluntary subscription.