The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-09-29
MUMMIEs OF ALL KINDS
Uttered Around the House of Old Man
Hamrick, of PhiIippi, w. Va.


HamriciS, of Philippi, w. Va.
In a secluded spot in West Virginia,
4 about two and a-half miles from the
Il town of Philippi, there lives an old
man who has dabbled in the mvster-
Ies OF the ancient Egyptians, iuggled
with death, consorted with corpses
and defied successfully the laws of ma
nire as far as the modification of the
human body is concerned. Skilled in
tne are OF preventing decomposition
and surrounded by deadly specimens
q his work, he lives a contented life,
glorying in his discovery and satisfied
TO carry his secret to the grave with
him To him belongs the credit of
Nfesting from past ages the myster-
4 us.sprocess of keeping intact the
body the process that gave to the
\ world the mummies of the Rameses,
Pharaohs and Thothmes, with accom-
panying history and light into the
life of centuries that came and rolled
along before the mission of the Mes
siah had begun. This individual is
thoroughly commonplace, practical,
and not of the Arbacian type. By
that is meant that he is not a sorcerer.
He is known as cold man. Hamrick
and is aged about seventy-one years.
By his mysterious embalming fluid he
has preserved forever, not only hu-
man bodies, but those of animals,
birds and fish. These gruesome OBJ
jects he has sprinkled all over his
house and few on the lawn, subjected
to the open air, which seems to have
no effect upon them.
But the most interesting part of his
house, to those who are not nervous,
is his den, a small stuffy room on the
second floor of his house. said S. ID.
Young, of Cumberland, the other
morning, who recently paid Hamrick
visit. Il am not easily startled,
but must confess that when he led
me in his preparing room or den, and
] saws CHASTITY grinning faces, that once
had the light of life in them. staring
me tixedly in the face, Istepped back
a pace or two to think.
1.-THE old gentleman noticing my
alarm gave one of those scientific
cackles, taking my temporary discon-
cernment as an involuntary compli-
ment to his work. My compOsure |
recovered at once and he began tell
ing me of his work and how it had
''been the study of his life. These de-
tails did not attract Inc at all and |
merely politely listened, while my at
tention was riveted upon the various
objects he had mummified. Seeing
that his conversation did not interest
me he began talking of the stray
works of his art about the place.
Notice those two bodies in those
two plain boxes over there he said
| looked and saw two women, life like
in appearance, with flesh tinted skin
and wide open staring eyes. q There
was nothing CHASTITY about them.
They looked as if they had just
awakened from a slumber. Continu-
ing the old man said: L bought them
for 81 400 from an insane asylum in
this State about fourteen years ago
and they are my greatest specimens
The bodies were merely covered with
cloth and were as hard and cold as
marble. Every vein was visible. He
next showed me the head of a colored
man with a full beard, which he had
obtained from a Cincinnati hospital
only short time before He also
showed me a ten -day-old baby, fowl,
fish, squirrels, cats, pigs, fruit, ETC.,
all in excellent condition, and many
years old.
SIN front of the house are a num-
ber of mummified snakes, coiled in a
striking attitude and calculated to
scare away any burglar who gets too
fresh around the premises.
''Hamrick occasionally goes'to Cum
berland to purchase the material out
|, of which he makes his embalming
fluid and his quaint appearance al
ways attracts the attention of those
who do not know him.
ITO prove the efficacy of his fluid he
frequently embalms a fresh quarter
OF beef, hangs it in the sun, and cuts
Z off steaks whenever needed. People
who have eaten them declare that
they are juicy and as good as a fresh
steak. In his composition he uses
herbs largely, that he gathers him
self Hamrick now has his second
wife, whom he sometimes leaves at
home for weeks at time with only
his CHASTITY curiosities as companions. .
Taken to the Pen.