Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-04-03
GENERAL wAYNE'S TWO GRAVES.


MAD ANTnoSY's BURIAL rLAcE--A CURIOUS
STORY OF GENERAL WAVES BONES
From the buffalo Express.
General Anthony Wayne il one OF the
few famous men who have two graves.
each equally entitled to commcmora.
ton. lie died of gout Mt Erie, Pa, then
Fort Presquc Isle, in 1896, when he was
on his return from his successful In.
dian campaigns in the Northwest. lie
was buried ut the foot of the flagstaff in
tho fort, aud there lay undlsturbcd for
nearly twenty years. Then there came
through the woods from the other end
Of the State, in n sulky, his son, Isaac
Wayne, in seach of his fathers bones.
He engaged DR.. John &. Wallace, who
had been through the Indian wars with
General Wayne, TO cxhumc his bones
and pack them in n box, that they
might be strapped 10 the sulky and
taken through the woods and over
the mountains to the family residence
in Chester county. When DR.. Wallace
opened the grave he found TO his sur.
prise, the body in an almost perfect
state of preservation. The flesh had
not decayed. But it was impossible for
young Wayne to carry the coffin and
contents in his sulky. So DR., Wallace
who seems to have been as devoid of
feeling as one of the Indians whom he
fuught-decded, on his own motion
and without consulting Mr. Wayne, to
separate the Generals bones from their
cuycloping flesh, and thus enable them
to be removed. To accomplish this,
boiling had to be rcsortcd to, and was
resoricd to. and the bones were then
dcnuded of the flesh hy the use OF
knives, and were packed and carried
away by young Wayne, and buried near
the homestead in which General Wayne
was born and in which his descendants
still live.
The account Of the ghoullIke pro.
ceedlngs of DR.. Wallace has an incrodi.
BILE sound, but it il literally and strictly
true, and will bc corroborated by any
old citizen of Erie. Young Mr. Wayne
knew nothing Of DR.. Wnllace's opera.
tons until many years after. He was
then greatly shocked, and declared that
he would never have permitted such
treatment of his fathers remains, but
would have returned them to the grave
aud postponed their removal 10 more
convenient season. tt tbtfe Is no
reason To doubt that DR.. Wallace, who
was useful and prominent man in his
day, thought he was doing everything
for the best, and meant no disrespcct to
the mortal part Of his old friend and
patient and army comrade, General
Wayne.
Over the Generals bones in Chester
county monument was raised but his
ilcsh was returned to its grave at tho
foot Of tn" flagstaff in Fort Prcsquc Isle
10y Dr. Wallace, and WAS forgotten.
The fort-a mere stockade--crumhled
away, tho flagstaff decaycd, and the
pFcaisc location Of the grave was lost.
Some four years ago, however, a dig.
ger for relics on the site of the old fort
unehrihcd n coffin cover, into which
brass headed nails had been 80 driven
as to form the initials "a. W." with tho
figures OF Wayne's age, date Of his
death, etc. This determined the loca
ton Of the grave, and there has since
been in Erie feeling that 1t should bc
marked by a monument Of SON" sort
Il has. in fact. been surrounded By
chains supported by four pieces Of 81.
persnuuatcd ARTILLERY and also marked
hy hlestaT; but something more per
mancnt Is desired aud will doubles be
buiit--if not By legislative aid, then by
local subscription.