The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-10-07
LOST ART Dis oVERED.
secret OF Egyptian Embalming Foun
by q West Yirxinian.

Dy West YirRinian. sz
John Hamrick Of Barbour county. w.
va, has discovered the lost art Of Exyp-
tan embalming. Hamrick is plain, I'M
pretentious mountaineer farmer, who
lives ten miles from Pruntytown. He Is
q peeuilar man, but always receives Wis
lt0rs with cordial politeness and takes
pains to make their calls both nleasant
and profitable. His visitors number
among the hundreds each year, many OF
whom come from the large cities to see
ms queer museum of human curiositie,
and make him tempting offers for his
secret. But he will not give it IN: and
IS content to live in plain, but comfOrta
bic way with his wife as his sole com
panl0n. He devotes the whole of his
winters to embalming experiments
Some of the facts about this ma,,'s dis.
covery have been published at random in
the country press, but the stories have
been disbelieyed because of their vague
ness. No writer can do justice to the
facts in any description in the contents of
this queer mans home nor Of his fasci.
mating and instructive conversation.
His home is carpeted with the wild cat.
fox, coon and bear, all embalmed. From
the time You enter the house ron sten
noiselessly about from room TO room mon
the skins of beasts which have been
preserved by Hamrick, with his com
pound. The furs retain their natural an
pearance, being very smooth and glossy.
The skin remains soft and pliable. HE
says that his treatment of an animal lasts
only tWenty-four hours, when it is then
in q condition of perpetual preservation.
The flrst thing that greets the eye upon
entering the home is a magnificent pea.
cock, with his brilliant plumage fairly
shining; This bird, with spreading tail
and trailing wings. has not been stuffed.
but embalmed. Mr. Hamrick said that
by pouring little of his fluid down the
throat of the bird decay has been ar
rested:
Many 6ther birds and fowls adorn his
hope, as well preserved. He has large
collection of snakes and other reptSies
which have been on hand for years. His
z0olbsieal collection would make valu.
able addition to any museum. S
"A little negro boy baby ornaments the
parlor mantel-piece in this house. Mr.
Hamrick says the baby has been EN-.
baimed for more than three years. The
body looks plump and the features quite
natural. The corpse was obtained at the
county almsbOuse. He has the bodies of
two women who were raving maniacs al
one time. The corpses were secured al
the insane asylum at Weston two years
ago. The embalmed bodies of the two
women lie side by side on a slab, clothed
in dark shrouds. The faces are dark. hui
the skin is not shriveled like the dark
skin of the Egyptian mummies. The hail
and teeth are well preserved.
A large glass jar contains the head of q
mulatto, who was executed at Cincinnati
years ago. The spectacle is hideous. thu
appearance of the heaa being much as il
was in life, the eyes staring Into space
and the lips drawn tightly away from til,
big white teeth as if grinning: There art
two more bodies of infants on exhibition
also two white men and d white boy
Some of these corpses Mr.. Hafhritk ha,
sitting up in chairs apparently duite a.
home, but certainly leaving d picture i,
the mind not pleasant to recall in 5ne
come places.
There are some wild beasts dhd doiiies
tic animals, a sheep, calf; heads If I'M
mails and insects. What Hahfiritk la,
failed to preserve are fish and tfieif Kin
dred water associates. He SAYS he ha
failed utterly to preserve a EST and f,re
vent more or less wasting aWay. -
While he carefully gtiards His secret
he is by no means averse to sh}wifi9 n,
wonderful fluid he EMPLOYS to fcco15plisJ
these marvellous RESULTS: He keebs It il
a two-gallon glass JAZZ, and it is SO trans
parent that at first glance the jar appear
to be empty. However, it is almost, i
not fully, as heavy as lead, and VIVA
makes it still more interesting is Mr.
Hamrick's statement that all of the in
gradients are found upon or nearby hi
farm Morgantown dispatch to st. Loui
TI0hp- Democrat