The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-13
A ooNNoIssEUR IN ooFF1Ns.
Mrs. Killer Spends $4,000 for Her
Own Burial Robe.
Rrort he ye,g YORK IYorld.

Fross the Nev York World.
BOSTON, Dec. S.-The eccentricities OF the
late DR.. Henry Hillen and wife Of Whining
ton. Mass. whose fad was magnificently
carved and luxuriously upholstered burial
caskets, have been described in the World
already. The doctors funeral took place a
year ago to-day and the corpse was carried
70 ITS last resting place in a silk-lined,
gold-plated, deliberately carved casket
OF solid mahogany, inclosed by another
casket no less extravagantly appointed.
Six richly caparisoned coal-black Perch
erons in gold-mounted harness, each at
tended by colored groom, carried the cas-
ket TO the temporary vault. There the doc
tors body has been guarded night and day
by grim old Waterman. A $500 lamp
stading IN front has shed its bright rays in
the path of possible body-snatchers or
grave decorators, and every morning the
faithful widow has gone to see that every
thing about the place was all right.
Not satisfied with the ghostly magnifi-
cence OF a year ago, the widow has been at
work on the construction of new caskets.
one for her husband, the other for herself,
which easily surpass in magnificence and
grotesqueness of ornamentation anything
OF the kind the world has ever seen. Each
casket is in two parasitic caSket proper
and TIE sarcOphagus. The material in all
four IS solid mahogany, imported specially
from South America. The uphoistering
inside Is as elaborate as money could
make it Corded silk of the value
of $40 yard is the material used. The lids
are made OF separate panels, highly pol
lshed, richly carved and fastened by solid
gold hinges, with knobs of solid gold for
opening them. The doctors new casket
Is fastened by heavy brass door of Got ic
design, having a knob made of six pounds
Of solid gold. On the panels are solid gold
tablets inscribed with the DOCTORS favorite
passages Of Scripture, such as 81 know that
my redeemer hveth," BLESSED are they
that die in the Lord"
Standing at the head of the coffin is a fig
ure of the doctor built out of solid mahog-
any and reduced to a hight of eighteen
inches. About him are the figures of four
angels welcoming him to Paradise. Mrs.
Miler's coffin, on the other hand, has her
| figure recumbent on the lid, with three an
gels ministering TO her, and the doctor
| kneellng beside her with his right arm sup
| porting her head. But the most remarka-
BILE feature of this remarkable burial casket
| is the carving on one of the side panels.
The sculptor has drawn a sketch of a
| landscape, showing at intervals meadow,
river, hill, forest, a valley, and, last
| or all, mountain, at the apex of which is
white cross. Clinging to the cross is a
| naked cherub and behind another cherub,
| and then another, until twenty-three are
| counted elm ing toward the cross. During
the twenty-four years of her married life
Mrs. Hitler says she bore her husband
twenty-three children, none of whom lived.
The procession up the mountain, she says,
| perpetuates the memory of her little ones
Mrs. Hitler has also had made for herself
burial robe Of which it may be truly said
| that it beggars description. The dres -
maker completed it after four months labor
and an outlay of $4,000. The robe is made
Of white ottoman silk, corded heavily.
| There is also wilderness of white silk lace
running in perpendicular panels and tucked
| and gathered and fiuted until it stands
| out to a distance of five inches.
There are other panels of white surah of
| the most expensive manufacture. Be-
| tween the panels of silk and lace are inter-
| mediate panels constructed solely of daisies
made in France of pure silk, after design
bought in Boston for $40. 1t is estimated
that 5000 of these daisies are sewed into
| this gown. The robe opens in front, and is
fastened by upwards of 200 solid silver
| hooks:.deslgned like serpent's head.
| The total outlay by Mrs. Hitler will be
| not far short Of $500, 900. The mausoleum
will be of hammered granite. In the four
walls will be built windows through which
| it is planned to have rays Of colored light
enter, different light to each window,
which, blending, will fall upon the caskets
resting side by side within. The caskets
| will stand each on four huge brass legs, aud
chairs of magnificent design will be in the
mausoleum for the accommodation of sight
| seers.
Mrs. Hitler will soon hold reception for
the exhibition of her caskets, the invitation
| to which is a picture of coffin with
admit one" written beneath.
| Mrs. Hitler says Queen Victoria sent to
| her for all the American papers that con-
tanned notices of the DOCTORS funeral When
she had read them she said that Mrs. Hitler
was the only woman who had surpassed her
majesty in doing honor to dead consort.
| Local Record for the Morning News.
local forecasts for Savannah and vicinity