Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-07-31
ANTHONY WAYNE'S TWO
.-.ts GRAVES. 9
How it Happened that the Remains
of Stony Points Hero Lie
4, = a.ai. in Two Places. Ga0f9
{ Erie (Penn.) Cor. New York Sun. =

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There are few persons outside
tofE this Immediate vicinity who
know that the remains Of Gen
Anthony Wayne, the hero of
Stony Point and the Northwest
ern Indian wars, are inferred in
two graves -one being in his ma
tive county of Chester, in the
southeastern corner of this State
and 'onepon the shore of Lake
Erie, in the northwestern cor
ner. History makes no mention
of this singular, fact, but it is
well authenticated. The circum-
stances connected with it will be
of peculiar interest now, as the
centennial anniversary of the
storming and capture of Stony
Point, one of the most important
events of the Revolution, is to
be celebrated on Wednesday
next at the scene of "Mad An
thongs" great exploit.
In 1876 what is now the city
of Erie was Fort Presque Isle.
The fort was nothing more than
a wooden stockade. General
Wayne, after his successful cam
paign against the Indians, re-
turned to Presque Isle in the a.
boye year. He soon rafterward
died in the fort of gout. He was
buried at the foot of the flag
staff. In 1915 his family OBJ
tanned permission to remove the
remains to Chester county. "A
son of Gen. Wayne's made the
journey clear across the State,
much of it a dense wilderness,
with a horse and gig. He had
informed DIR. John G. Wallace,
of Presque Isle, of his intention
to remove the remains, and re-
quested him to disinter them and
prepare them for removal DIR.
Wallace was an old Indian-fght-
er and had accompanied General
Wayne through all of the latter's
campaigns. He exhumed the re-
mains. He was surprised to find
that the body had not decayed,
but that the flesh had become as
hard as bone, and of immense
weight. Knowing that it would
be impossible for the son to carry
the body to Chester county in
that condition, DIR. Wallace de-
termined to remove the flesh from
the bones. This was done by
boiling and the use of knives.
The bones of, Gen. Wayne were,
then carefully packed in conye-I
nient form and were delivered to
the son on his arrival. He was not
informed of the operation that
had been performed. He return
ed with the bex to- Chester coun-I
ty, where its contents were bu-
ried with appropriate ceremonies.
A fine monument, commemora-
tive fof The dead hero and his
deeds, was subsequently erected
at the grave. The portion Of the
remains removed by DR.. Wallace
was placed In a coffin and return
ed tosthe grave where General
Wayne was buried in 1876. 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 few years nothing
remained to mark its site or that
of the grave. The parties con-
cerned in preparing the remains
for removal died, and everything
concerning the burial was for
gotten. -Four years ago an anti
quarian was digging for relics
around the ground where the old
fort stood. Two feet below the
surface he found some pieces of
wood, which he removed. On
one of the remnants were found
the initials, IA. W., u IN brass
headed nails. Other pieces con-
tanned lettering and figuring in
brass-headed nails. These de-
cayed pieces of wood proved to
be the remnants of the ceffin in
which the detached remains of
General Wayne had been bu-
ried. They were returned to the
earth, a mound made, and the
spot inclosed by a heavy IRON
chain hung on four posts. Last
winter the citizens of the city
petitioned the Legislature for an
appropriation to pay for the raj
sing of a monument over the
grave of Gen. Wayne. Inquiry
by members of the Legislature
resultedin in establishing the above
facts. The grave in Chester
county, already marked by a
monument, was regarded as the