Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-02-01
uNINviTlNG BUSINESS.
Detroit Woman Who Dresses the Hair
sze. OF Dead Customers.

ONINvi1ING BUSINESS.
A Detroit Woman who Dresses the Hair
.@~s OF Dead Customers.
Il was only twelve years DID," said
8 prominent lady hair-dresser, of this |
city, ''when I was called on by the
friends of an old lady who had died to
go and dress her hair" 1
'.And did you go?''
mo. ran and hid myself under a
bed and staid there a whole afternoon.
Although l loved her and had. often
dressed her hair when she was alive, I
could not bear the idea of doing it after
death. But I have done many heads
since for dead persons. and while do
not like it, have professional pride
in making them look we'll for the last
time"
at must be very distasteful to you?"
Not always. It comes in the way
of my business, and naturally my en-
ployes shrink from going. Sometimes
we have call through the telephone, TO
come to such number, and dress
lady's hair One Of the young ladies
will be sent with curling irons, pc:
mades. hair-pins and other things. only
to find that the lady is a corpse. The
girl viii not, or can not, undertake it,
and I go myself. There is only the
front hair to crimp and arrange becom-
ingly. One day last week I dressed
Mrs. IS hair for the last time. She
was young and very pretty, and looked
as if asleep. The hair does not die, so
that it is easily arranged. When it is a
wig or crimpee l have it sent to the
store, and when it is dressed. take it
to the house and put it on. Let me
tell you something that happened late
". A lady died in this city who wore
gray wig. dressed it and put it on.
You can just think how surprised was,
when couple of weeks later, a menu
Der ct the family came in here and tried
to sell it to me- She said they had it
taken off just before the casket was
closed for the last time
And did you buy it:?''
Buy it9 Certainly not. It is not
very long since a man came in and
offered NE a number Of switches OF diff
ferent shades and color. would not
buy them, and sent for policeman, as
thought he had probably stolen them
But. as it turned out, they came from
an undertaker's. and were the IN
claimed property Of strangers who had
been given pauper burial"
as it customary to dress the hair OF
the dead?''
1t is. I have some customers who
have exacted a solemn promise from
me that will dress their hair when
they die and make it look natural and
becoming. I have even been sent fol
by those who had only a few hours tc
live and taken my instructions from,
their dying lips
rs the process the same as with the
Hying?''
Just the same, except that l do no
arrange the back hair IN all cases Blu
Sometimes the hair is dressed entirely
just as it would be for an evening party
And I frequently furnish new switches
crimps or bangs, at the request OF rela
tives who want no pains spared.
':And you are not araidss'
Madame shrugged her handson
shoulders.
ut is a lonesome task she said
"and it certainly does make me nerv
GUS Once the corpse opened her eye
and looked at NE; OF imagined it.
nearly tainted. And once lady VIII
was holding a lamp went out Of til
room a moment, leaving me with loo
of hair in the crimping pins. A gus
of wind blew the door after her, and
was in the dark alone with the dea'
woman. I think if she had not opene
the door just at the moment she did,
should have fallen insensible. '-Detrol
Free Press.