The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-10-04
A STRANGE MANIA.
A Georgia Widow Clings to Her
Husbands Remains.
KEEPING THEM IN HER PARL0R.
Holding Gold Headed Cane in His Hand,
Decorated with Diamonds, the Embalmed
Body Stands Erect In a Glass Co IN.

Especial to THE HERALD-Examiner Dispatchl
CoRDELE, Ca, Oct 3.--The embalmed
body of man upright III a giass-faced
in his hand and with profusion OF dis
monds and other iewelry, decorates the
parlor of Mrs. George W. Marvin's hand
some residence in this town. The en-
balmed body is that of her husband, who
died on the 10th Of last July. Dr.. Marvin
was the wealthiest man in Cordele and was
worth something over 100000 He had a
passion for diamonds, buttons and snowy
jewelry and several charms always hung
from his watch chain. Dr. Marvin and
his wife were infidels, though few people
knew it until his death.
Mrs Marvin was wild with grief at the
time of her husbands death, and made the
startling announcement that she had made
solemn compact with him agreeing that
they would both enter oblivion at as near
the same time as could be easily arranged
by means OF suicide. Those who were
with Mrs. Marvin al the time thought. OF
course that when the excitement caused
by DR. Marvin's death wore off she would
forget her threats of self-inhicted death aud
take up the cares of life again. 1t seems
however, that the assertion that che in
tended to kill herself was the announce
ment of fixed determin alton, and she still
contemplates taking her own life as soon as
she has made some arrangements for the
permanent interment of her husbands re
mains.
l. When the doctor died an embalmer came
down from Macon and prepared the body
for burial. The body was followed to the
grave by all the people of the town. -Four
DAYS after burial, in the darkness Of night,
few trusted friends, whom Mrs. Marvin
had requested to act, went TO the cemetery
and brought back the body. The next
morning Mr.. w. ID. Alvarson, young en-
balmer, arrived from New Orleans and at
once began the process OF embeiming the
body 80 il could be preserved Indefinitely.
Al the same time an Italian sculptor ar
rived and began preparing plans for an I'M
mense mausoleum to be erected IN Cordeie
in memory of DIR. Marvin. Mrs. Marvin
intended placing DR.. Marvin's body in the
tomb and then killing herself. leaving the
whole of her wealth az an endowment to
sustain park around the monument But
she has given up the idea OF building a
tomb and has substituted the building OF a
college as living monument to her hus-
| bands memory.
In the meantime the body Is kept in the
house erect in metallic glass front casket.
His diamonds are in his shirt front. The
centre one is great cluster as large
around as a silver half dollar; and his
fingers, which close around gold-headed
cane, are bedecked with many rings. Mrs.
Marvin refuses to separate the jeweIry
/ from the remains of her husband. To
bury him in the cemetery she fears the
body will be exnumed and the jewels
stolen, therefore the body is kept in the
| of
until she decides some sort of a safe tomt
for the remains of herself and husband
1 When such is prepared by her own hands
she says she will join him.