Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-01-20
BOGUS rETRFlED WOMAN.
4 Female Cordin Giant Turns Up in
the East.

church yesterday and improved the op-
portunity offered them to seek the
truth about the alleged petrihed wo-
man which Mr.. L. J. Taylor has on ex-
hibltion at 1915 Pennsylvania avenue
Mr. Taylor had been very honest in
wishing TO have u thorough eNamina-
ton, and the scientists were curious
To conduct it in the interests Of their
Hing. They do not believe that flesh
win petrify under any conditions be-
fore it decays, and they went home
from their examination thoroughly con
WINGED Of their own wisdom on the
point
In fact, the petriied woman turned
on, TO be only q petlided humbug;
that is, the scientists declared that
1t was not natural perifactlon. The
lump Of rock was removed from the
bier on which it had been resting and
hole bored into one of the lower
limbs. 1t was discovered that the com
position Of the borings was nothing
but what might be made from sand
and Portland cement If they were
mixed i'm the right proportion, Some
of the anatomiStS. who were convinced
that it was not genuine before the ex-
animation was made, predicted that
he man who was pushing the bit
into the specimen would strike rod
Of iron, but no rod was found.
The specimen purports to come from
the mountain Businesses near Fresno
Cal, and the scientists unite in beliey-
ing that Or Taylor is honest, but say
H. has been deceived, and that it is
product of a petrifaction factory
near Fresno, which is run by a certain
Press" Bozcman. That factory, says
the San Francisco Examiner of May
10, 1898, was running full blast at
that time, and had turned out six or
seven fine specimens, of which q
"paclwood" man was the first and
attracted considerable notoriety. Boze-
man has been turning out these fakes
for three years and the models are
q likeness Of his beautiful daughters.
Mrs Mamie Bozeman and Miss
Norah are both said to have done duty
in the clay. and also a Miss Myrtle
Raymer, who was brought from San
Francisco At the time the exposure
was made by the Examiner Mrs. Ma
ME Bozeman left for Missouri with
man named ]. ]. Colwell. A long,
heavy box was deposited in the freight
shed about the same time by Bozeman,
directed to Missouri, Notices appear
ed a little later in the papers Of that
state announcing the exhibition of a
perified woman.
The contract on which the humbugs
were furnished called for the payment
of 81, 500, ana promised a petrilied wo-
man so cast as to Ike apparently the
pehifed remains of a member Of the
ancient race OF mound builders of
Central America. The figure was TO be
discovered, as though in good faith, in
the coast range of mountains and
under circumstances likely to rise to
press reports favorable to the story
that it is a genuine peuifaction.
The "packwood' man was on 'eN-
hibition in various towns and cities
i'm North Carolina during the month
of September as having come from
Fresno, Cal, in an alkali district
where everything peuilies, even snakes
ana toadS This fake was exposed 10y
the News and Observer and State
Chronicle, Of Raleigh. ~ c., on Oct
T. in a letter from the postmaster of
Fresno City. Cal 1t stated that the
alleged petrifaction was made in that
county and planted in the Cantua
district, which is not an alkali district
but is unavailable because no means
for irrigating it are practicable.
The petrifaction was afterward dis
covered by a Mr. Packwood, and was
exhibited in the cities of California
with a degree Of success. This petri-
faction was followed by that OF a
female form The marvel was eXhib-
tied by DR. Grant, who was describ-
ed as a nice man. Both the perifac-
tions, he says, were made 10y DR.. Boze-
man.
Mr. Taylor was asked yesterday
about the decision which the gentle
men from the Smithsonian had made.
and said that he was disappointed.
1t was evident he said, that he had
been deceived He maintained that the
form might be cast from nature, al
though it was not genuine petrifac.
ton, and that as such it was a curl
osity.
Mr.. W. J. Niece, of the chronological
bureau, who conducted the eXamina-
ton, said there was no doubt Of Mr.
TaylorS sincerity in the matter. No
one but an honest man would write
so genlemanly an invitation to the
scientists TO investigate his exhibition
and offer to them every facility for
conducting it, Mr. Taylor has the GER
tihcates Of hundreds Of medical and
scientific men between here and the
Rocky mountains testitying to the won.
derful character and anatomical per.
lection Of the per.faction.