Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-09
A GRAVE SUBJECT.
Taking UP Patrifed Body-Hair Grow
ing After Death-A China Tree Eating
Up a Corpse

Taking UP a Patrified Body-Hair Grow
ing After Death-A China Tree Eating
Up Corpse.
From tho Athens t6g.) BaRaer- Waterman.
Sometime since We had a long cOnvers$
ton with an old man whose business for
years it has been TO attend to the graves
in city cemetery, aud as he was in a
talkstive mood we drew him out quite
freely. In reply to our inquiry if he had
taken up many bodies, he said;
Eyes; hundreds of them in my day, and
often it is difficult and disagreeable
task. 1t is singular, too, the difference in
dead bodies. Some Of them will lie in the
ground for years, and when you take
them up the corpse is we'll preserved and
all the features perfectly natural; while
in other graves You only find little hand
ful OF dust in the decaying coffin, or parti-
Giles of bones. ! remember / once removed
body that had been dead seven years,
and was buried In a metallic casket. At
the request OF relative | unsCrewed the
cover over the glass, that was quite large,
exposing the face and bust. In glancing
into the casket WAS momentarily
paralyzed with astonishment. The face
Vas as natural as if the body had been
held white rose. and the flower was as
fresh as If still on the bush. The corpse
was reburied without being further dis
turbed. l opened another grave, II or 10
years old, on top OF which a good sized
China tree had taken root and grew.
When the bottom was reached no sign OF
the coffin was visible, but tho roots of the
China tree had encircled the corpse and
formed an exact representation of skel.
of nn-.E run stnan,
gold ring, that was on the finger Of the
lady when buried. | raked up what dust
l could find, placed it in new coffin and
turned 1t over TO the family as all that
remained Of their loved one. But once
handled casket that [ would have given
ten dollars for the privilege of opening.
When i had removed the dirt and tried,
with my assistant, to raise it from the
grave, found | had just as we'll attempt
to lift so much lead, and finally | had to
hire ten men to get it out and into the
hearse. What was the matter? Why,
the body was petrItieu, of course, but the
friends of the dead man positively refused
TO have the casket opened, and it was re-
inferred in anew cemetery just as taken
from the grave. If | ever turn ghOul that
will be one grave Pll open, for during all
my experience l have never seen a human
body that had turned TO stone. They say
1t is caused by some properties in the
earth, but it was not so in this case, for
have removed bodies not ten steps distant
from that grave, and there was nothing left
OF them. Does hair grow after death
In some cases it does and in others it
don't. l remember once moving the body
OF gentleman that | bad helped to nurse,
after it had been inferred for more than
three years, When buried, the corpse
was shaved clean, but when | opened the
casket, there was set of coal black
whiskers reaching to the waist, and they
had grown since burial, too. The body
was unusually well preserved. | have
often opened cuffins that were filed with
but little else than hair grown since
burial. But not many families will let a
coffin be opened, but prefer having the
body or dust quietly removed with as lit
tie excitement as possible. What does it
cost to take W and renter body? From
$40 TO 500, and it is dearly earned money
too. Ii 1t is fresh corpse you run great
risk of being poisoned by the drippings
from the body getting into a sore on your
hands, or by innaling the foul gases that
arise from the grave. often a mans
stomach is badly turned, and his appetite
destroyed for long time. Removing dead
bodies is one thing you can't get accus-
toned to. But the most ecOnOmi-
cal work ever did in this
line, was at the order OF a family
well-to-dO. They wanted to change the
bodies of some deceased relatives from an
old cemetery to the new, but refused
TO pay my price. They finally compro-
missed by leaving the remains OF their
friends in the ground undisturbed, but
employed me to move the handsome
monuments over their graves and set them
up ia their new lot. The work was quietly
done, and no one knows but what the
dead sleep beneath the marble shafts that
record their many virtues. 1t was about
as good an idea as any, however. tor / am
not much Of an advocate for disturbing the
ashes of the dead. Did Lever see a ghost
| am surprised at a sensible man ask
ing such silly question. 1 have work
ed in graveyards, often alone, at all hours
Of the day and night, and often trans
lerred bodies from one spot 10 another at
the dead hours Of night, and i never saw
anything That ] could not account Tor.
never had grain of superstitiOus fear
about me. aud when ia the dim moonlight
| saw an object that looked unnatural
always walked straight up to it to inya-
rlablY md something very ordinary. Why,
| had as soon sleep IN a graveyard as
anywhere else, if | was made comfort
able. Do ! think water in cemeteries MT
TO drink? | do not, and if the vein OF a
spring or well comes from beneath graves
| had as soon take that much poison into
my system. Why have seen on springs
that come from beneath graves a greasy
scum in the morning that undOubt-
eddy oozed from dead bodies. |
don't want any Of your graveyard
water in mine. Is not my life cheerless
oneY Yes, it is, for l am naturally sym-
pathetic, and / see so much grief.
have witnessed at some burials scenes 50
touching that they did not leave my mind
for months. But a man in my business
will get hardened To certain degree, but
every now and then something occurs
TO touch his heart afresh."