The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-15
HONE, SWEET HOME. F"
Mr.. WOTthinstOn Tells How Payne
Was Brought Home.
pisinterment of John Howard Payne
at Tunis.
Arthur Stedman in New Orleans Times Dem
nprat


ocrat
New York, July 81 CHANGED upon
John Worthington the other day just after
his return from Malta, where he has been
United States consul since his appoint
ment to that position by Presidents Arthur
in 1882. From time to time l have no.
ticed extracts from his consular reports
in the newspapers, which is apt to be the
case on the rare occasions when a man of
education and literary ability is appoint
ed to such position, but I particularly
remembered his connection with the re-
moval of John Howard Payne's
remains to this country from
Tunis, at the instance of Mr.
Corcoran of Washington. 1t was
more than interesting to hear Mr.. Worth
ington describe this event, at which he
was present He himself is well known
as writer for the press in the vicinity OF
his family home, at Cooperstown, n. Y,
and he contributes occasionally to the
magazines besides. He chatted enter
tainingly of Malta and his life there, and
of the native Maltese and the foreign pop
ulation.
MIR. Worthington said that one of the
earliest and most interesting duties he
had TO perform as consul was to go to
Tunis and exhume the body of John How
ard Payne, tine author of Home Sweet
Home" This was on Jan. 5, 1888. Payne
had been the American consul at Tunis,
and died there in 1852. His body lay in
St. Georges cemetery, IN the heart of the
town of 1unis, for thirty-two years, when
Mr. Corcoran, the Washington banker,
4 obtained permission from the state de-
partment to take it up and bring it to
America.
~When 1 arrived at Tunis, " Mr. Worth
ington continued, lit was noon-the ex-
humation was to take place about
o'clock. At the grave found assembled
Sir Thomas F. Reade the British consul
reperaD, one or two gentlemen connected
with the American consulate, and about
twenty other gentlemen, some of them
Tunisiaus, dressed in the costume of the
country. Among the latter was Paynes
old dragoman, who had been present at
his death and funeral.
There was nothing whatever left of
the body, except the skeleton, and in re-
moving this skeleton from the grave to a
coffin we had to put some Of the earth in
with it, as the coffin in which the body
had been buried had crumbled away the
earth and bones becoming mixed.
In STOPPING over the grave l noticed
that the root of tree-a pepper tree
had Just begun to creep over the forehead.
This pulled away, and in so doing eX-
posed piece of bone as white as ivory,
which, together with branch of the pep
per tree, / sent to Mr.. Corcoran at Wash
ington. / also obtained five or six brass
buttons from the uniform in which Payne
had been buried one of which l sent to
Mr.. Corcoran, one to the Secretary of
State-in fact, gave them all away, not
keeping even one for myself.
"rhe body was then taken to the little
English Protestant church, at Tunis,
where, the coffin having been covered
A,1r rTa~.T
q table at the foot of the chancel and
directly under window which had been
erected to Payne's memory by English
and American residents, and on which
was inscribed:
=" TO the Memory of John Howard
Payne, Author of Home, Sweet Home "
This was Just about sunset. The cere-
mony which took place was of a simple
nature. An English naval officer "a cap
tain played the air of Home, Sweet
Home on a little American melodeon
which stood there, and, after consider
able urging, l induced my wife to sing the
words. This she at last consented to do
and, standing there in the beautiful twi-
light, singing, helped to make one of the
most pathetic scenes | have ever wit
messed. AT first she sang in brave tones,
but gradually as she began to think how
this little scene might some day become
historic, her voice trembled and trembed
which only added pathos to the scene
until there was not a dry eye in the
church. Arabs, foreigners and all were
wiping away the tears; 1t was simply
overwhelming.
There we left the body all night The
next day at noon we again assembled,
when the coffin containing all that was
left of Payne was Carried to Marina,
whence 1t was put aboard a French ship
bound for Marseilles. 1t was then trans
ferred to ship coming direct TO the
United States, finally arriving in America,
where it was taken to Washington and
buried.
over the grave in Washington Mr..
Corcoran dedicated a handsome monu-
ment with Appropriate ceremonies.
The people of Tunis, as L learned af-
terward, felt aggrieved that even the
old tombstone which had covered the
grave for thirty odd years had been
taken away to America This was done
by mistake, Mr., Corcoran wrote me,
and when he was informed of their feel
ing he at once authorized me to have a
monument put up over the empty grave
in Tunis. This did, duplicating the one
II putting a bust, as on the Wash
ington monument, had little
group of symbols cut for the top,
one ribbon on which were carved the
first few notes of Home, Sweet Home,
and the inscription (from Mrs. May Riley
M oil4II y pObLu, IOOu6 LING IuGu w
Content, Poor Heart and the others a
Lutte and book"
II suppose, Mr.. Worthington, you OBJ
tanned considerable information regard
Ing Payne's life in Tunis?"
Yes, 1 did; particularly from Mr.;
Alfred Chappillie, the present United
states vice CONSUL in Tunis, he having
been appointed to that Office within the
past three months. He knew Payne very
well and was very kind to him. 1t was
through MIR Chappillie largely, that
Payne was enabled to deceive the assist
ance which made his last days comfort
able, without Payne knowing that it was
charity. He was proud; he fancied-and
all his friends led him to believe-that
the money he was living on was his own,
whereas, as matter of fact, his friends
were helping him. He supposed it was
money which had been saved for him out
OF his own income.
Payne lived in a fine large house in
Tunis, which he had succeeded in getting
the oey to let him occupy in his capacity
as servant OF the United States. AS he
began to fail he stayed in the house a
great deal, sitting in q large chair, well