Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-07-06
A Petriaed Corpse.
Philadelphia Record

fntlauoiphla hecOrd.
While the grave-digger of the Phil
anthropic Cemetery at Passynnk road
and Tasker street was examining a
number of bodies the other day,
preparatory to the opening of Tasker
street through one corner of the
grounds, he upturned a curiosity
which, for a genuine surprise, throw
even Yorick's skull in the shade. The
object which the spade brought to the
surface was a petrifed human form
that had laid in the earth for forty
years. TWAS the body of two year
old child, and had the frame been
carved out of Parian marble it could
not have been nearer perfection. The
workmen and curious persons looking
on stepped back aghast; but DeHart,
the grave-digger, merely rolled his quid
over in his mouth to get leeway, and
remarked: Father used to say that
some people were too id mean to
mingle with the earth, and so when
they were tossed under the sod they
petrifed; but l guess this juvenile
will rather stagger him.
The transformed corpse was found
in lot which belonged to Charles
and Hannah Ware, who went to their
final account thirty or forty years ago,
and of whom the only known descend
ant was George Ware, First District
policeman. Four children had been
laid in turn in one grave, and the pet
rifed body was at the bottom of the
pit. 1t was found lying in sandy
earth, Astounding in soft rock or stone
OF an extremely friable naturs. For
some eight or ten feet below the grave
there was stratum of very fine sand.
The body itself was a solid effigy, pre-
senting the appearance of human
figure carved from the block of wood
or burnt lime. The outline was SO
perfect as to make the ak easily dis
tinguishable as feminine. Strangest
Of all was the fact that while the body
was so we'll preserved there was not a
vestige of the coffin or shroud left,
and nothing remained of tho other
three bodies but few bones that
crumbled while being handled. The
eyes of the petrifed form looked like
.statusry oculars, and the slightly ex.
posed teeth were blackened. The
contrast of colors gave to the face
rather hideous appearance. In all
other respects the figure resembled a
well executed sculpture. There we're
fifteen bodies in all in the Ware lot,
and in two or three other cases there
were evidences OF petrifaction, but
not of such thorough nature as that
described.
When the Philanthropic Cemetery
was laid out in 1882. it was far re-
moved from the populous portion of
the city, but for number of years the
opening of Tasker street through q
small southern section of the ground
has been a crying necessity. In Octo-
Der OF last year Councils were pre-
vailed upon to take the initiatory step
Of passing an ordinance directing the
street to be opened, providing the cost
to the city should not exceed $1,000.
Under authority of this ordinance,
Attorney Law E. K. Nichols insti-
tuted the necessary legal proceedings,
and jury, after visiting the locality,
awarded the Cemetery Company the
amount stipulated in the ordinance.
The award was confirmed by the Court
of Quarter Sessions in May last. Since
then nearly two hundred bodies have
been exhumed and re inferred, some
in other portions of the same ground
and the balance in other cemeteries.
The grave diggers will finish their
work in about a week.
The finding of the stony corpse has
filled the superstitiOus residents of
the neighborhood with awe, and fire.
quently, when the night is we'll ad-
vanced, they can see robeless phan-
toms fitting among the tombstones in
the shadows of the moonlight. The
petrifed body has been re.interred
with its disorganized fellaws in the
northwest corner Of the cemetery.