Omaha daily bee., 1882-12-22
WHAT AN OLD GRAVE REVEALED
Adipocere, Often Mistaken for Petri-
faction-A Corpse Weighing
500 Pounds.

Cindnsati Rnqulrer.
AS q general rule, after bodies have
lain In the grave for q long lapse Of
| years, an attempt to disinter them re-
cults In the discovery of nothing hore
than y few Ct the larger bones of the
skeleton and the skull with its hideour
array of teeth and eyeless sockets A
case has Just been developed, however,
which, while 1t does not present any
facts that are not already known to
tho scientific world, still offers numer-
ons points Of interest. Twenty-three
years ago the mother OF MIR. Robert
Lsitch, owner of the printing works,
IL West Eight street, died sud-
denly ct the then family res
idencei near Dupont, Indiana.
DR.. s. b. Lewis was In attendance,
and pronounced the disease paralysis
or apoplexy-the latter, probably, RS
she was quite Aeshy. The body was
buried in the cemetery at that . place.
Not long since the son determined to
unearth the remains, bring them to
Cincinnati and place them In the fami-
ly lot in Spring Grove cemetery. The
sexton who did the work of opening
the grave, was possibly surprised when
he reached the coffin to find it as per.
feet, almost, as on the day when 1t
was go reverently lowered to Its rest-
ing place. The casket was lifted out,
and all who had any connection with
the work of removal remarked upon
the extreme heavinesB of 1t. 1t was
expressed here, and six strong men
found 1t no easy task to lift it into and
out of the wagon. The weight was
fully 500 pounds. The buria! case is
of the peaked-top style, common In
those days. The cloth covering for
the outside still remain intact. A
glimpse at the interior explained the
cause of the object being so heavy.
The body was found to be almost In az
good order as regards form and outline,
as on the day of death. The head
had separated from the body. The
features, with the exception that they
were withered In appearance, were
well preserved. The eyes were but
little suLken. The body was perfect,
and with arms laid close by the side
and the hands folded peacefully across
the breast, presented a startling real
istic appearance. The lower limbs
were intact to a point midway below
the knee. There the left one pre-.
scented the appearance of having de-
composed ere the preserving process
had begun. Both the feet were gone.
Faint lines here and there indicated
where the grave clothes had been. The
heavy inner.lining of the casket still
remained, although lapse of time had
loosened it from it's ~fastenings. The
body was black, except In one or two
places. There it had scaled some-
what, and presented the appearance of
wet plaster of Paris. Not the least
odor was apparent. The form looked
to be as solid az stone, but an exami.
nation developed the fact that it was
of the consistency of wax and easily
penetrated with the finger.
ga body which has undergone this
conversion, says the American En-
cyclopedia, may be afterward pre-
served for an indefinite period of time
without changing materially It's form
or appearance" The conditions nee
essary to produce the change are that
the body must be buried in a moist
place, "and one," says the author
quoted above, Sin which the water
collects In considerable quantities and
remains standing on or about the
level of the coffin without being rap.
idly changed" The first notable in
stance of the kind vas revealed with
the disinterment OF the bodies from
the Cemetery of the Innocents, In
Paris. in 1887, and again In the re-,
moval of bodies from the old Potter's
field at the junction of Forty.ninth
street and Fourth avenue, New York,
In 1849. The soil In which Mrs.
Lsitch was buried was red clay, un.
derlaid with limestone, conditions
propitious for the process performed,
The case became noised abroad In
Dupont, and Mi. Lietch has beon the
recipient of numerous letters from
persons Of a speculative turn In mind.
One even went 30 far AZ to offer $500
cash for the body, which has now bsen
safely dispoBed of,