Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-10-24
DR.. LEMOYNE'S BODY.
What is Said to Have Been tha Incl
dents Ct Thursdays Cremation.
From the New York Sun.

The belief to-day is that DR..
Lemoyne's body was cremated yes
terday in fact, one of the coatIess
and grimy attendants has communi-
Gated some of the particulars. The
family Of DR.. Lemoyne, with the
exception of one son, who lives in
Washington, will not speak Oh the
subject, and, as they do not see the
operation, could know of it only
through the attendants. So careful
were those who had the arrange
ments in charge to prevent pub
licity, that no notice was given of
the funeral services at the residence
of DR.. Lemovne. 1t was reported
that cremation would not be begun
until Friday. 1t was also said that
it would take place on Thursday
afternoon or Thursday night. But
yesterday forenoon it was discov-
cred that services we're being held
at the house, and at once there was
a rush of people over the steep hill
to the crematory. They were,
however, dispersed from the
crematcry grounds, and there wa,
special watchfulness taken to keep
out newspaper correspondents.
Then the doors were shut, and the
silence and quiet of the tomb pre-
vailed, barring a puff of black
smoke that issued from the crema
tory chimney at about 10 o'clock.
There was much laughter on the
part of the by-standers, and dis
position to make jokes. The im>
preston was very strong that DR..
Lemoyne's body still remained in
the coffin, and that the smoke was
merely sent up to mislead the
people.
Last evening, a man who was
called John, whom John Dye had
there to help him, became commu>
NEGATIVE. There is nothing left of
the body but few ashes On the fur
mace foor," he said 1t seems, &C
cording to his statement, that the
body was not tou ched until an hour
had elapsed after the benediction.
Then they took it out Of the coffin,
and John Dye, having opened the
slide to the retort, said that he
thought that the receptacle was hot
enough, so they shrouded the body
with a cloth that had been saturated
with alum. The body was then
placed in an iron cradle, which was
placed upon movable table aud
wheeled into the crematory. Then
Dye Fut fresh coke into the furnace,
and this it was that made the black
smoke in which some people thought
they detected the odor of burning
flesh. One Of the attendants stood
at the door of the re-
tort while Dye and John were
ready to thrust the cradle and DO "
into the retort. John Dye gave the
word, the door Of the retort was
opened, and, hiding their faces to
escape the great heat and holding
their breaths, they pushed the body
in and closed the door. In about
ten minutes John said that he ap-
| piled the pasteboard to his eye and
looked into the retort, but there was
a pinkish haze about the remains,
and he could see almost nothing
except the form Of the body. A
few minutes afterward he saw
fame, that seemed to be in color
the shading of green into yellow,
dart out from the right shoulder,
ran down the breast and then dis
appeared. 1t was like the flame
given out by burning alcohol. Lie
also said that he could hear more
than he saw. He heard sounds
such as might be expected from
flesh in great heat, and when re-
minded that no such sounds were
heard in the two previous crema-
tons, said that he knew nothing
about that. Baron De Palms right
arm rose and fell when his body
was first exposed to the intense
heat, and it seems by this attend
ants report that DR.. Lemoyne's
right leg also rose and fell, and
with such regularity and peculiar
motion that they could not help
laughing.
In a out ten hours there seemed
to be a golden tinged mist sur
rounding the body, and a heated
fame that was over the head looked
like bright crown. The form of
the body was then perfect, but the
crib was pushed forward, and this
motion caused the Generation to be
completed. The form disappeared,
the ashes fell to the bottom of the
retort, and the cremation was over.
An hour later the fires we're drawn
and the furnace sealed, the doors
opened, and John Dye with the
others came forth. To night the
furnace was cold, and the ashes
were collected and put in an urn,
and will be placed in a tomb in the
! No -tcn Nopo+on1-