The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-01-13
HE FOUND A PETR|F|ED MAN.,
As Perfect as q Statue and Withal q
Great Mystery.
Who Could lie Have Been. and When
Did lie Die?

There are petrified men walking about
and taking up valuable space in the
world without doing any good to COM
pensate for the air they breathe, but no.
body seems to take account of them and
their names get into print only when
they get into Jail. Another kind of pet
ritied man is the business man who tries
to get along without advertising. He
gets into print only when he fails or
goes to the poor house. But here is the
story of a petrifed man who evidently
got into this hardened condition only
after ne was dead. The case is described
as follows in the Salt Lake Tribune:
Blaine Stills, "A plasterer, was ~excavat-
ing on a vacant lot heal Daniel Davis
residence when his spade came to an i'm
pentrable obstacle. which at first ap-
peared to be a stone. Continuing his
work, he uncovered what he took to be a
limb or bone of some long-buried animal.
But the object was hard, resembling
marble in this respect. Mr.. Stills cur
iosity being aroused at this peculiar sub
stance, he began in a more careful man
ner to disinter the phenomenon. AS he
progressed his surprise grew until he had
assured himself that it was petrified hu-
man body. Then he was amazed. 1t
was no small job to remove the dirt so
as to make the whole form plainly dis
cernable. But his eager desire to learn
just what he was about to unearth made
his work easy and interesting. Each
minutes work developed the features
and limbs more clearly. After uncover
ing the remarkable find the workmen
stood and viewed it with mingled as
constituent and admiration.
There lay a perfectly-formed human
body, back downward, and arms folded
peacefully across the breast. The CON
tour of the limbs was absolutely perfect.
There was not the slightest evidence of
decay from head to foot. A better
formed, more symmetrical head could not
be imagined by the deftest sculptor.
The body was lying at full length, as
though it had been placed in a coffin, no
evidence of which existed anywhere
about the excavation. The length of
The body from the ball of the heel to the
top Of the skull was exactly five feet ten
inches. The man must have been about
30 years of age at burial. The eyes are
closed and the mouth slightly open,
showing a beautiful set of teeth. The
expression is as natural as if the man
was alive. Even the ears. the toes and
fingers are perfectly preserved. The
workman was sorry to discover that he
had broken off the thumb of the left
hand. but of course the REIMBURSEMENT of
that member is AN easy task.
The white man OF stone was taken up
and conveyed to Mr.. Sills' residence at
81 South Second west. 1t took six
men to carry the wonderful stiff into the |
house. where it was laid cut and cleaned
up. The weight of the pctrifaction was
300 pounds.
\ Tribune reporter called to pay his
respects to the unmouuted piece Of
sculpture. and he never viewed a more
perfectly formed human being. There
is yet considerable soil on the body and
it can lever be made stons-white all !
over, as the formation Of stone is some
what darker on different portions of the
body. The reporter scrutinized the rock
very closely and was unable TO detect the
least imperfection. except that what
to be a broken blood vessel APP
peared on the right leg between the knee
and ankle.
No one had the least notion of who or
what or where the marvellous find might
have been. 1t is attractive, and not. as
such things usually are, repulsive. The
face is round and full, with no signs Of
decay anywhere. The finder is so over
whelmed with surprise that he does not
know what disposition will be made Of
the body. 1t will be examined by those
"a position to speak automatically on
of that md. Upon the re-
suit of this examination depends the
inal disposition Of the Salt Lake marble
Adonis.
The World Enriched.
The facilities of the present day for the
production of everything that will con-
luce to the material welfare and comfort
Of mankind are almost unlimited and
when Syrup of Figs was first produced
he world was enriched with the only
laxative known, as it is the only
which is truly pleasing and re-
to the taste and prompt and
eTectual to cleanse the system gently in
he Spring time or, in fact, at any time
md the better it is known the more pop
,lar it becomes.
Buy a sack of Gold Dust flour; only