The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1879-10-29
ORIGINATING DIR. LIE MOYNE.
The Eccentric Physicians Body Burned
In His Own Furnace at Washington,

In His Own Furnace at Washington,
Pa.
The burning of the body of the modern
apostle of cremation, DIR. Julius LIE
Moyne, was done in the furnace on Gal
lows Hill at Washington, Pa. The event
created very little excitement. as it had
been anticipated, and since the several
cremations in the place, the novelty has
worn off. The LIE Moyne family, some
of whom are reported to be as greatly
opposed to cremation as the most ortho-
dox, made every effort to have the cere-
mony performed without any display, in
which they to large extent succeeded.
There was one departure from the usual
custom of these scenes. In this Instance
it was preceded with religious services.
These were held in the lie Moyne home
stead, and were conducted by the Rev.
George P. Hays, D. D., President of
Washington and Jefferson college. who
delivered an address on the occasion of
the cremation of Baron de Palm. The
family, the relatives and some friends
assembled at the house at about nine
o'clock, where the services were held.
I he Rev. D. S. Brownson of the Presby-
byterian church, of w ashington, assisted
DR.. Hays. The religious services were
brief and simple, consisting of the read
ing OF some Scriptural selections, and
the offering up of a prayer by DR.. Hays.
At their conclusion the remains were re-
moved to the hearse in readiness. The
family and their friends entered the car
riages and were driven to the crematory.
The olergymcn also accompanied the re-
mains to the crematory. Upon arriving
there it was found that about one hum
bred curiosity seekers had assembled.
After the body had been placed on the
catafalque, DR.. Hays, standing on the
steps of the building, said ''We have
now brought our deceased friend to the
place of his choice and here we leave
him." After announcing that the rela-
tives requested all persons to return to
the town, the doctor pronounced bene-
diction. and the door was closed. shut
ting out all but the relatives and those
employed to do the work.
Four special policeman had been en-
ployed to guard the place from intru-
sion. They were not specially needed,
however, as the people went away and
seemed to care nothing about the affair.
The body was removed from the coffin
by the pall-bearers and placed upon the
iron cradle, and at 1890 the door of the
rctort was taken down, the sody was
thrust quickly in. and the mouth was
again closed. Instantly dense volumes
of black smoke rolled out of the chin
ney, akd the odor' of burning flesh was
distinctly noticeable to the score or
more Of persons on the outside. 1t was
then apparent that the furnace was not
hot enough, the heat being many de-
grees below what it had been in the De
Palm and Pitman cremations. The fire.
men kept stirring the fire, however. The
sizzling of the cooking flesh could be
heard in the building, although there
was no perceptible odor. Outside,
however, the smell was strong, and the
black smoke from the chimney indi-
ted that the work was being imper-
iectly done. AT about twelve o'clock
the body was still sizzling, and the pro-
cess of cremation was slowly going on.
A look through the peep-hole of the re-
tort revealed nothing. However, the
sheet saturated with alum-water which
enveloped the body was standing up,
and concealed the body from view. At
one o'clock the heat had perceptibly
increased, blu. still the work was slow.
At two o'clock the surface indications
were that the work was going on prop
erly. Each half hour careful observa-
ions were made, and at 4 40 P, NJ, six
hours after the body had been put into
the furnace, the last vestige of the frame
had crumbled and fallen through the
iron crib to the retort. The furnace
was then sealed up for several days to
cool off. In the De Palm cremation the
time occupied was only two hours, and
in the Pitman case it was less. A curl
Gus fact in connection with the case is
that the post-mortem examination of
the body developed the fact that DIR.
Lemoyne's brain weighed only forty
three ounces. six ounces less than that
of the average man, and one less than a
WOman's