Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-07-04
RESTORING A LOST ART.
A WEST VIRGINIA MANS WONDER
Full DISCOVERY OF EN-
BALMING,


BALMING.
Three miles over the mountains
near Pbilippl, w. Va, is the house
of G.. w. Hamrick. 1t is a FIVE
room log house, the exterior wealth.
erbOarded but not painted. The
front windows face a narrow valley
that is bounded by hills so high
they shut out the sun after 4 o'clock.
There is nothing about the house
and its unpretentiOus yard to at
tract more than a passing glance
from any one who may chance to
travel the unfrequented country
road that winds its way lone.
somely into the hills beyond, yet it
is fall Of curiosltles that have puz-
zled the nations and set some OF
the brightest minds in the county
thinking.
The plain Od house is tull of
mummies, both of brutes and hui
man beings. Here are mummi,
that out.ri, al any Egypt ever Knew.
The Egyptian emOalmerS removed
brains and blood and vlscera and
wrapped the clay shell that was
LETT in bandagIng, saturated with
oils and ointments. 10 this house
lie the bodies of two adults, natural
almost a. ia life, every particle OF
he sklu exposed to the air, blood,
brains and viscera remaining. In
the veins and arteries the blue and
black blood stands out as clear and
natural as when these people lived
and walked aad knew tue passions
and emotions of beings.
The hnger and toe nails show the
PINK flesh of life, and on the check
CT one who died OF consumption the
scarlet mark OF that disease re-
manned clear and distinct. For
two years exposed to the air with.
out decay or Odor, these bodies
have lain in this mans house just
above his bedroom. Ills process
is dicovery of his own, but it is
so simple, he says, that a boy OF
fifteen, after single lesson, can
do the work as electualll as the
inventor himself. The rooms Of
Mr.. IIamrick are miniature muse
nms. In the DOR that leads to his
bedroom huge white cat sits
guard, its tongue, undecayed, lolI-
| ing out as if it were about to lap
milk. For four years that cat has
been the sole guard of that lone
some door. On a mantel, in an at
titude of listening is young deer.
Rabbits, pigs, squirrels, chickens
and even calf are to be seen, all
as natural as IN life and all pre-.
served by this wonderful secret.
Mr. HamHck claims that in an
hour he can prepare body without
making an incislOn of any sort or
removing any part of it, so that it
may be taken around the world
without Ice or arsenical iuids.-
These two bodies which lie in mod
est state in this humble house have
turned parchment color with the
hurrying of time, and the eyes have
become much sunken. There is no
odor, no putting up OF the flesh.
The ghastIy is wanting, and one
almost feels that it is not the solid
fled clay of some lone one, but a
wonderful likeness caused by a d.
vine scultOr from some rare wood.
Think of sleeping with these dead
and petriGed bodies!
But this is not all that this old
wonder.worker of the mountain
does. He can stop decay at any
polnt. Cures ulcers of land stand
Ing by an external application OF
this discovery. By the same pro
cess he keeps fresh, without icei
salt or brine, all his meat, butter
and eggs, and does the same fol
mis- neighbOrs. Fruit of all sorts
vegetables, &C., are kept iustas cas-
lily without decay, anG watermelons
strawberries and peache es and
cream are now assured for the
Christmas dinner. Mr.. Hdmrick
has made little or no effort to pul
his process, which such Learned
men as Drs.Cllley and Freeman, oil
this city White, of Washington
Doremus, of New York, aud Hor
desley, of Wheeling, w. Va, pro
nouce it one Of the greatest dlscov
2 cries Of the age, far ahead of wha
: the Egyptians knew. Indeed, Ham
B, rick seems to regard it rather as
=. curious experI nent than otherwise
l Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.