Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-12-05
HAMRICK DYING,
And With Him Will Perish His
Wonderful Method of Preserving
Human Bodies and Animal Flesh.
Special to the Register.

Special to the Register.
Phlippi, w. Va, December 4.-"Old
Man Hamrick," who resides three miles
from here, in little story and half
house of the poorest type, is lying at
deaths door, and cannot possibly live
a great length of time.
The old man has become famous by
his great knowledge of the embalming
methods known only to the Egyptians.
The old house is CHASTITY appearing
place to visitors. Everywhere about
the place are to be seen mummies of
all kinds, human beings, animals and
reptiles, but with all this the home is
void of any odor other than that
usually noticed by visitors to the coun-
try where wood is used as fuel.
With the old man will probably die
his wonderful method of preserving
flesh He has said that he gained his
knowledge from the Bible, and he
therefore considers it no secret to those
who wish to know the methods, but
contends they must acquire the knowl-
edge of the art as he did.
His wife, who is also quite feeble,
lives with him, and scattered about
over the State are several of his chill
dren by his first wife, none having been
born to him by the second union.
The only secret of the wonderful en-
balming method of the old man is that
his liquid, a portion of which is made
of herbs gathered by him in the noun
tafls, is that it kills the germs of de-
composition in the flesh, or whatever
it is applied to.
The women mummies in the house,
which were secured from the insane
asylum in this State by the old man
ten years ago, and put through his
wonderful process, although little
shriveled, are still in a perfect state Of
preservation and are to be seen at the
home in a glass case, besides the
negro's head which he secured from
Cincinnati medical college in 1890, and
which is also in a glass case, the
beard and flesh being as soft and pl1able
as if that of living person.
About the house, on twigs extending
from the wall and limbs of trees, are
to be seen squirrels, birds and all man
ner of animals, here and there a huge
snake coiled as if ready to attack, and
hundreds of other curiosities.
In an old cigar box, Hamrick's wife.
who takes great pleasure in explaining
to visitors the different objects OF
curiosity, showed the correspondents
some reddish colored pieces OF some
thing which much resembled piece OF
sole-leather after the shoemaker had
placed it in the water before putting on
the sole, in order to make it pliable.
The old woman said: do you know
what this is? This is the blood OF a
human being prepared by father years
ago, and which has remained in this
condition ever since"
What is most wonderful about the
process is that little of it put in milk
before being churned, will preserve the
butter from the churn for an indefinite
period. but the people, especially the
women of the Han1rick settlement, will
not venture the use of it.
The old man is now suffering from
diseases incident to old age, and is as
mum as ever as regards his secret al
thought he has received f1attering OF
fers to make them known from medical
men and scientists.