The Osceola times., 1882-05-27
A FATHERS STRANGE vow.
He Declares That His Children Shall Never
Leave Him and Keeps Their Bodies En-

He Declares That His Children Shall Never
Leave Him and Keeps Their Bodies Em-
balmcd.
Philadelphia Press
A funeral took place in Palmyra, N. j.,
on Tuesday last, which furnishes the Sc
Quel to one of the most remarkable cases
ever known. The bodies of three en-
bal y ed children, which had been pre-
served by an eccentric father for twenty
years, were inferred in one grave, the
father having died three months before
and the remaining members ofthe fami-
ly being unwilling to perpetuate his sin
gular idea, in violence to common Gus
tom.
In 1859, Henry Coy lived in a com.
Portable old fashioned dwelling, on the
northeast corner of Front and Cooper
streets, Camden. His family then con.
sisted of himself, a wife an two children
one girl of five years, and the other a
curley haired handsome boy oftwo. Mr..
Coy was surgical instrument make r
engaged in business in this city, on
Eighth street near Walnut, and after.
wards in the neighborhood of Second
and Dock streets. He was regarded as a
skillful man at his trade, and was said to
be worth money, but his reticent dispos-
ition and disinclination to mix in society
prevented any specific inquiry as to his
exact financial standing. People who
knew him in a business way, however.
were content to spread the rumor that
he was man of no inconsiderable
wealth. His entire time out of business
a. r.. 40 L.
appeared devotedly attached.
Soon after the war began Mrs. Coy
died, after giving birth to another child
"a girl. She was buried, and after that
the father seemed more than ever in
love with his children. The little daugh.
ter was rather delicate child, and in
1872 she was taken ILL, and died after a
few weeks sickness. Unceasipg attend
ance at the little ones bedside, and the
constant loss of sleep, seemed to have
strangely affected the fathers mind. lie
weuld not even permit any of the neigh
bors to touch or even look at the dead
body, and declared that it should never
leave his sight while he lived And the
eccentric man then went to work TO ac.
complish that purpose. With the az.
sistance ofa mysterious stranger, the lit
tie corpse was subjected to an embalm-
ing process, and then encased in an air.
tight casket and carefully deposited in
one of the upper chambers of the dwell.
ing. Old time residents of Camden, re-
m smber well that it was popular super
stition that the spirit of the child ured
to regularly appear at the windows in
supplicating attitude, and the house was
said to be haunted. All attempts to see
the mummified corpse or to learn the
truth of the queer story were fruitless,
and in few months there were not
many persons who gave it credence.
Some time between the latter part of
1868 and the summer of 1864 observing
people noticed that the baby disappear
cd also, and the previous appearance Of
a physicians chaise at the door a dozen
times during the week led 10 the belief
that the infan, had died and had been
embalmed, as the first one had been.
The doctor was strange one, and moth
ing could be cleaned from him. Just
when the boy died is not known, but
it is supposed that he followed not long
after the second death, and was also
put in casket and laid alongside his
brother and sister.
In 1866 the story Of the mysterious en-
balming was renewed, and for some un-
explained reason it was whispered about
in the upper part of Camden that Mr..
Coy was Mormon that he had q dozen
or more wives concealed in the house,
and that every night prayers were said
over the bodies Of the dead children.
There appeared no Just foundation for
these stories, for the father was rarely
seen on the street, and during his trief
absence from home the dr. cary old house
seemed entirely deserted. The upper
stories were never opened, and cobwebs
collected under the windows and under
the caves. The man became such a
thorough mystery that all efforts to fer
ret out his secret were abandoned, and
the gossips were obliged TO build their
startling stories of ghosts and uncanny
noises by night purely from imagina.
ton. Mr.. Coy left Camden for a time,
and, 1t is popularly supposed, took the
bodies Of the children along with him !;
but nothing definite was known of his
movements nor of thotruth of the rumor
until five or SIX years later. when he
moved. II was then noticed that three
oblong boxes were carefully packed in a
wagon, and the father drove away with
them.
Nothing more was heard of Coy until
his recent death was announced; and
then the story oftwenty years ago WAS
either I1rsotten or deemed too incredi.
Bile for revival. The triple burial at Pal.
myra, on Tuesday refreshed the strange
tale in the minds of few, and it was
shown that the rumor had been correct.