The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-07
TIE SKULL OF MOZART.
A Legacy to a Salzburg Museum and
What is Thought OF 1t.
From the Ne,o York Times.

Legacy TO Salzburg Museum and
What is Thought OF 1t.
From the Ne,o York Times.
Prof. Hytrl, the famous anatomist of
| Vienna, who recently celebrated his S0th
birthday, announced ON that occasion, in
oonversa ion with several friends, that lie
had bequeathed in his will the skull
OF mozart, which has been in his
possession for several years, to the
| "MoZarteumn at Salzburg. 1t has
been known for a long time in Vienna,
says the correspondent Of the London Stand
ard, that Prof. Hytrl has received from his
| brother, the late eugraver, a skull which
| was believed to be that Of the great COM
| poser. But is 1t really the skull of Mozart9
| rhrenologstS who have examined it have
doubted 1T, owing to the absence OF all
| peouliariLie5 which, according TO present
theories, should mark the existence OF musi-
cal genius. But these savants were equally
| astontshed when the remains of Beethoven
| were exhumed to observe that the skull Of
| the great master did not answer the expec>
tations of the chronological theorists; it
| was, in fact rather a small skull and might
| have been supposed to belong to man Of
| restricted intellect rather than to genius
| like the great master.
| similar results were arrived at in meas
| uring the skulls of Haydn and Schubert,
and IN this way those who were ske Jtioal as
| 10 the genuineneSs Of Professor HYrtPs
| treasure were silenced. The local historians
stated that MCzart's widow, who long sur
vived him, did not know the exact spot in
| the st. Marker Cemetery where her hus-
baud was inferred; how, therefore, could
any one else, at later period, know the To-
| calitys 1t was, moreover, supposed that
| the skull was severed from the rest Of the
skeleton, There was for a time even
ioterT doubt in S ~ MARX Mozart T,n was
Vienna. or elsewhere, but an en-
try in the register of the parish of
St. Stephens settled this point. This entry,
| dated Dec. g. 1871, says: Died the previous
day, the Honorable Herr Wolfgang Ame-
deus Mozart, imperial and royal conductor
aud court composer, in the house called
| 'Kleines Kaiserhaus,' go Rauhensteiugasse,
| aged %; cause OF death, high malaria fever;
buried in cemetery of st. Marx; third class
burial, for which paid forms, So kreutz-
| ers, and for carriage FORMS In the uni
| verstty library was found an article in the
| VdterlGndtSche Batter, written in 1908, in
which contemporary of Mozart wrote:
His widow was, Immediately after he
| breathed his last, taken seriously i'll, and
| could not attend the funeral or occupy her
self with thu arrangements for it.
| Baron Gottfrisd van Swelten, son Of the
| celebrated Gerhard van Swieten, undertook
| the management, aud as he wanted to
| economic 10 the interest of the widow,
| who was quite destitute, he arranged for
the interment in common grave, and not
| even the luxury Of stone or tablet show
| ing which common grave it was did he give
him, 50 that the widow reproached him
| atterward with not knowing where TO go
| to pray for her husband. The
| grave digger pretends to know by the date
of the burial that the common grave
which incloses Mozart's remains must
| be either i'll the third or in the fourth row,
| counted from the cross, and that these COM
mon graves are turned over periodically.
| The next digging up taking place eight years
| hence (lSl6) 1t would be very fortunate if
by some special sign at least the skull of the
| great composer could be discovered aud pre-
served. This grave-digger of st. Marx said
in lS45 to still living army officer that
| Mozart's grave was situated on the left side
| from the entrance, in the sixth row from
the cross, and that it was the eighth in the
| common shaft-a determination Of the
place more distinct than any former one.
Prof. Hyrtl has some additional reasons
for believing that he really possesses the
skull OF Mozart, aud his account, romantic
as it would seem, is apparently convincing
| According to this a mass was being cele-
brated in one of the churches of the suburb
| LandstrRssSe, when gardeners son, upon
whom the music had made q great impress
sion, became more interested IN it on being
told that it was composed by a boy of his
own age. a certain Mozart. The gardeners
son was afterward appointed gravedigger at
st. Marx, and when on a stormy December
day third-class hearse halted before the
churchyard door with a single conffin,
destined for common grave, and he found
on piece Of paper handed to him the name
Mozart, he remembered the composer of
that name, whose mass he had heard in his
vOmth and ma of ia no of
the dead man being the same The common
grave then In use was nearly full, only one
more place being left; the cotfia was there
fore placed N it as the uppermost, and the
gravedigger noted that circumstance in a
calendar, with the intention of informing
himself later VIII ether the Mozart in the
grave was Identical with the composer.
Ten years passed and this grave was re-
dug. The digger, remembering the ccm-
poser Mozart and the eX1ct place in which
he had put his GOTTA, took the uppermoss
skull, wrapped it in linen and Kept it in a
cupboard at his home, showing it only to
, his most ultimate friends. The finding of
the skull was recorded in the calendar, and
when the grave-dgger died his successor
found both the skull and the calendar where
they had been deposited. The new grave.
digger, being en- enthusiastic lover Of music,
Kept them with reverence exceeding even
that Of his predecessor.
| The cemetery was frequently visited by
the engraver, Hyrtl, owing to its contain
, ing his mothers remains. One evening.
being overtaken by terrible storm, he was
invited by the grayedigger into his dwell.
= ing, where he was shown the supposed skull
of Mozart, which was subsequently pre-
sentei 10 him, the engraVer, Hyrtl, having
mentioned that his brother, the professor.
was a phrenologist. and that % him the
skull Of Mozart would BE- Of the greatest
interest. In this way the Hyftl came into
possession OF the relic, and the professor
who wanted 70 verify the story OF the
, grayediggsr about bis predecessor, sent bis
brother, the enZraver, 10 an official in thf
town ball. who kept tbs records Of tue 81
Marx cemetery.
"fbis Official, Instead Of giving ioforma-