Evening star., 1895-05-28
MAJ. GEN.. HANCOCK
Project to Remove His Remains to
Arlington.
His PRESENT TOMB CRUMBLING
Action Taken by the Second Army
Action Taken by the Second Army
Corps Association.
PROTESTS AGAINST REMOVAL

Since February 1886, the remains of Maj
| Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock have reposed
| quietly in an out-of-the-way corner of an
| obscure cemetery at Norristown, Pa. The
Second Army Corps Association desires to
have the remains of its favorlte command
er transferred to the Arlington cemetery,
| and has secured the approval Of Col. John
| Hancock the late generals brother) and
| other close relatives of the deceased hero
| to the proposed change. Action to accom-
| plish this purpose was taken at a recent
meeting of the association in this city, and
| a committee was appointed to carry the
project into effect. This committee con-
sists Of Gen. Batchelder, Quartermaster
general Of the army; Gen. Joseph s. Smith,
Gen. ]. b. Brady and Col George A. Arms
They have the matter under consideration,
but as yet have taken no decisive action
His Present Resting Place.
Ever since Gen. Hancocks interment
there have been projects innumerable for
| raising fuLds for the erection of shaft to
mark his resting place In Montgomery
cemetery at Norristown, but none of them
succeeded. Meanwhile the walls of the
tomb containing his remains have slowly
crumbled away, the steady decay being due
to the poor quality of the sandstone used
in their construction. One of the persons
to take cognizance of this deplorable con-
dition of the tomb was Col. l.. w. Read,
surgeon general of TIE Pennsylvania Ma
tional Guard, who occupied a close relation
ship with Gen. Hancock during the war,
and who was personally interested in the
perpetuation of his memory. He gave
CT ders for the rebuilding of the crumbling
walls at his own expense. Plans were
drawn and the stone selected. Work was
to have been begun early last week, but
was suspended in consequence Of the re-
ceipt of a note from Mr.. H. w. Spofford,
private secretary to the quartermaster gen.
eral, saying:
II am asked by Col. John Hancock the late
generals brother, who Is i'll at present, to
request you to take no action in regard to
any expenditures of money on the grave of
Gen. Hancock, as the Second Army Corps
Association have permission to remove his
remains to Arlington"
People in NOrristown Indignant.
Mr.. Spofford says he wrote this letter
solely at the personal request of Col. Han
cock and altogether outside of his official
connection with the office of the quarter
master general. 1t resulted in a revocation
of the order for the rebuilding of the tomb
and no change has since occurred in the
situation. 1t appears that the proposed re-
moval has caused great indignation at
Norristown and vicinity. According to a
press dispatch from Norristown, Gen. Han
cock personally selected Montgomery cem-
etery as his place of sepulture. THE tomb
was erected" says this dispatch, soon
after the death OF Gen. Hancocks daugh-
ter, and he gave minute directions as to
the details of It's construction, even to the
inscription on the door, which. he said, in
a letter dated Governors Island, N. Y,
July Is 1883, should be Hancock and be
placed somewhere on the inside Of the
vault. 1t was his emphatic declaration on
numerous occasions, in the presence of per-
sens still living. that 1t was there he de-
sired mis- remains should repose. Within
five hundred yards of the tomb are the
walls of the little old-fashioned house into
which Hancock was brought when seven
weeks of age, after the removal of the
family from Nontgomeryville, this county,
where he was born. Equidistant in the
opposite direction is the grave of Gen. John
are the tombs of Gems. Zook and Slemmer."
Protests Forwarded.
Protests against any interference With
the remains have been forwarded by Mer-
ion Chapter, Daughters of the Revolution;
veterans of the war in Hancock's division,
and citizens generally. Pennsylvania Com
gion, of which Gen. Hancock COM
mander, is prepared to offer determined
opposition if it is undertaken to invade the
precincts of the tomb to carry out the de-
signs of the Second Army Corps Associa-
ton. a serious obstacle in the way of the
Arlington project will be legal proceedings
by the cemetery company, which, 1t is un-
derstood, will seek an injunction from the
court, II necessary to restrain any person
unauthorized from breaking the seal of the
vault.
The only other body in the tomb Is that
of Gen. Hancock's daughter. His widow
was inferred in cemetery in St. Louis in
accordance with her wishes. 1t is under
stood that the Second Army Corps Asso-
citation have also obtained permission to
disinter Mrs. Hancocks remains and place
them by the side of those of her husband
at Arlington.