The Saint Paul globe., 1897-11-22
Doctors and Residents
of Perry, To-, in
Ecstasies Over the
Discovery.

conviction that it is a genuine speci
men of limestone petrifaction. The
body was taken from the side Of a
bank about three feet from the top of
the surface and directly from under
tree which had grown to a height Of
nearly twenty feet. A number of the
roots of the tree were entWined about
the body and had to be cut before it
was removed. The body was carefully
lifted from its long resting place, and
DR.. Aiken of this town, took charge of
it and brought it to the city, where
committee of four. Drs. Aiken, Trouth,
Mower and myself subjected the spec
linen to as careful an examination as
was possible under the circumstances.
Upon washing or spOnging off the te
nacious clays which adhered to the
form we found a perfect and natural
reproduction of a mans head, face,
body, arms, hands, legs and every
fea ture 1t appeared to be the re-
mains of a man from thirty to thirty
five years of age. He was fully de-
Veloped muscularly, and seemed to
have been in the prime of life when
he died. He would, to judge from his
build, have weighed somewhere near
1870 pounds, in life, and evidently met
his death from a large cash along the
left side of the head above the temple
and ranging back over the ear, which
had fractured his skull. There were no
other marks of violence. He measured
6 feet and y an inch from the top of
the head to the bottom of the feet, and
was lying upon his back when found.
The right arm was lying across the
breast with the hand in easy position,
fingers extended and traced as dis
tinctly as upon my own hand.
THE left arm rested on the stomach
and the hand was not so perfect, which
we judge was owing to the fact that
the large root of the tree which grew
over the body, rested on it, and, of
course, had pressed it down and also
absorbed some Of the deposit. The
teeth. which can be seen where a part
of the upper lip was removed are
perfectly natural and we'll preserved.
| To discover the nature of the petrifac-
! ton, after various other tests, 1 at
| tempted to drill into the body. AT a
| depth of seven inches the point of the
| drill was broken off. [ exposed the
dust taken from the operation to the
action of powerful nitric acid with
out noticing any effect whatever The
body weighs 800 pounds, and l consider
| 1t perfect specimen of genuine lime
| stone petrifaction.
From the conditions. circumstances
| of the finding, and the absence of data
! relating to the burial of a murdered
man in that vicinity, obtainable from
| the oldest settlers. it is my opinion
| that the body is that of a frontiers
man, pioneer, hunter, or trapper, who
made his lodging in what. half a CEN
| tury ago, was vast wilderness, and
| met his death in combat with the In
| dians E. J. Miller, NJ d.
| In the face of these statements,
which can be supplemented by those
| of other medical men of Perry. disbe-
lief in the Importance of Mr.. Olds' dis
| covery is impossible.
| The whole town is elated over the
| find, and Mr.. Olds' house is besieged
with visitors who want to see the pet
| rified man. Photographs of the re-
mains have been taken for various
! learned men of the country, who, find
| ing Olds' proof against all appeals to
| part with the specimen in the interest
| of science, are forced to be content
with picture of it. Whether or not
| Olds can be compelled to give up the
| petrifed man, on the representation
| that some of the doctors talk of making
| namely, the body is the property of
| the county. having been found on
| ground owned by the government, re-
| mains to be seen.