Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-04-27
PORTY-FOURTH CREMATION.
s9R bODv or a CINCINNATI EDTroR
RsDUCRD rO WBTrx AsBss.
4 Man Of Prominence In His Profession-one
ef sbs Early witnesses and Converts to
the new rrocess--Newspsper Men
Largely In Attendance.

Some years seo, Il will he remembered,
whom cremation was moro novel than now,
the iucinention Of the body Of Mrs. Benn
Pitnssn, st the lie Moyne crematory, near
Washingtou, Pa, was an event of great in
tercst 70 the country. Her husband was the
founder and Ii master of the famous schoo!
Of design in Cincinnati; he had been
associated with his brother in the inven-
ton and perfection Of the system OF phono-
graphy which has become cosmopolitan !;
and he had advanced notions of funeral re-
form. The young ladies OF his school made
from their own wood carvings cask ct for the
body Of his wife and when 1t was brought
on to the cremstory, newspaper men Hooked
thither from all parts OF the country. They
were rebuffed by the eccentric founder and
owner OF that concern; denied ADMISSION
and took their revenge, many OF them, by
writing most abusive and maliciously false
accounts of the whole affair. These distorted
reports had good deal to do with the early
popular prejudice against cremation.
Among those present on the occasion, how
ever, sympathizing as friend and In hearty
accord with the new method of disposing OF
the dead, was Florus Plimpton, of the Gin
cinnati Commercial GaSette. Riding home
from the cremation he said to his friend, Mr..
Mccormick, that when he died he hoped TO
have his remains disposed of that way.
Last evening, within the walls OF the Ian
caster crematorium, Mr.. Pittman and Mr.
Mccormick, with other friends and inter-
ested spectators, saw that Mr.. Piimptons
wishes we're carried out
MAN OF DISTINCTION.
Mr.. Florus Plimpton was about So years of
age; fine-looking man, of good size, with
fair complexion and gray mixed whiskers.
He was long ago in the newspaper business
IN Elmira, N. Y, and braved popular oppo-
sition by fierce hostility to the Know Nothing
movement but his fearless course crippled
him professionally and be went TO Pittsburg,
thence TO Cincinnati, where for a quarter OF
century he has been associated in journalism
mostly with the famous and dashing editor,
Murat Halstead and at the time of his death
was assistant editor of the g1eat Republican
organ, the Commercial Gazette. He has
been In ill-health for a year and died last
Friday Of fatty degeneration of the heart
On Sunday the funeral services were
held, addresses being made by Mr..
Halstead and by Gen. Cox; ana many
manifestations being made OF the high es-
TEEN In which he was held by his late asso-
ciates. The same night the body left the city
OF his late residence for the cremation, in
charge OF his son, Mr.. Lucian f. PlimptoD,
who Is an architect and has in hand
the designs tor the new Cincinnati
crematorium Mr.. Benn Pittman and
Mr. Louis O'Shaughnassy, representing the
editorial staff of the Commercial Gazette and
correspondent of the New York Herald
Mr.. Mccormick, (the well.known "Macon')
of the Philadelphia NeVs, came on from the
latter named city, representing also the
Cincinnati Enquirer, which to-day prints an
extended account of the cremation.
The second section of the Day Express
being late, the body arrived here about
1880 and was at once taken to the crema-
torium. There the friends gathered together
with the committee of the Baltimore society,
Prof Maish, of the college of pharmacy,
Philadelphia, and several gentlemen from
this city.
THE CREMATION.
The night was very calm and still. The
scene was impressive and solemn. The
odor of the wild apple and Towering shrubs
that grow thick upon the steep bank leading
down to the Conestoga made the air heavy
with perfume The body had been brought
on in a handsome funeral casket, which is to
be destroyed it was taken therefrom, pre-
pared for the Tetort ana placed in it without
ceremony of any kind. And then the spec
tators LETT.
About 1890 several OF them paid another
visit to the place and the furnace was still
kept up to an intense degree OF heat. A view
OF the interior through the peep hole dis.
closed only the form, slightly sunken, as il
had been placed in the crate, the outlines of
the alum-soaked winding sheet retaining it's
enclosing form, and that alone visible in the
quivering OF the crimson light
The newspaper men went East on the 2:35
a. m. train; the younger Plimpton and Mr..
Pittman remained over night at the Stevens
house, and went home this afternoon with
the ashes OF their dead. Both were yery
much interested in the processes, and salts
he'd with the operation "a seen here.