The National tribune., 1899-12-28
JOHN HOWARD PAYNE.
Removal Of the Rsmlins of the Author of
Home, Sweet Home" to American Soil.


Frank LeSlie'S Popular Monthly
Mr.. W. w Corcoran, Oct IA, 1882,
applied to the Secretary of State for permits
sion TO ''disinter the remains of our country
man, John Howard Payne, which now
rest IN grave near TuniS, in Africa, that
theY may receive more appropriate sepul-
ture in the bosom of his native land. Ii
seemed to me-" wrote Mr. Corcoran. that
the precious dust of an American citizen.
who sang so sweetly in praise of Home,
sweet Home should not be left TO mingle
with any soil less dear to him than that of
the land which gave him birth, and which,
by the beauty of its home life, gave TO him
his best poetical inspiration"
The Secretary of State replied that the
proposal met with his warm appreciation,
and promised his readiness to do what he
could in rendering fitting tribute ito the
memory of one whose touching verses
have so endeared him to his countrymep.'
James Russell Lowell was then Minister
to England, and in the absence of any
consular representative of our Government
at Tunis, Mr.. Lowell was requested to
obtain the assistance of the British Govern
ment in obtaining from the Government of
the Regency of Tunis permission to ex-
hume the remains. Accordingly, Mr.
Thomas F. Reade, Her Majesty's Agent
and Consul General at Trrnis, was in
structed by his Government to carry out
the wishes of the United States.
The eXhumation took place at - o'clock,
noon, Jan. >, 1883, there being only few
persons present. most of whom had come at
the request of the British Consul to act as
been at the funeral more than 30 years
before-one, Mr.. Pisani, friend, and the
other the old and faithful native servant of
the poet. The coffin was with difficulty
kept from falling to pieces, owing to its
state of decay. An eyewitness says there
was little else than the blackened skeleton
left. Traces of the Colonels uniform in
which Payne was buried were distinguish
able-sOme gold lace and few buttons" U"
After the body was put in secure cover
lngs, IL was conveyed TO a little Protestant
Church near the cemetery, where it remain
ed during the night of the 9Th under guard
\ newspaper correspondent who was
present, wrote: "When the body was
carried into the church, an English gentle
man at the little American-made organ
played the air. and a sweet-yoiced American
lady sang the immortal song of the dead
poet; and as the tender words tremulously
tioated through and filled the holy place,
charm from the skies seemed to hallow us
there. Tongue cannot tell nor pen de-
scribe the effect of that song, sung under
the circumstances stated. The cleaning
of the coming evening had crept into the
chapel: and the dim religious light that
Payne's poetic temperament could have
understood and absorbed, bathed all, both
living and dead, in its mellow radiance.
The twilight came on apace; and we left the
poor remains to lie there until the morrow,
guarded by the faithful dragoman who,
in life as in death, was stanch and faithful
to the last" The sweet-voiced American
lady was Mrs. Worthington. wife of the
United States Consul at Malta.
The remains were shipped to N'. Taylor
at Marseilles. "When the casket con-
tanning the body of Payne arrived" says
Mr.. Taylor, 81 was informed by the agent
of the steamship company which had
them from Tunis to Marseilles
that unless / made some arrangements to
take care of them the health authorities
would seize the remains and bury them.
'ln order to avoid any trouble with the
| hired barge, had the caskets
put upon it, and anchored out in the bay
a long distance from shore. Notwith-
this precaution, some days later,
while ] was waiting for the ship to sail
for New York in order to ship the body,
the health authorities in some way learned
of the fact that | had casketS containing
human remains anchored out in the bay,
and they proposed to seize them and have
them properly inferred. | had the caskets
opened and found that the body had abso-
lutely returned to dust The bones, even
We're only ashes. Mr.. Payne was buried
in his uniform, it would seem, as there
were streaks of bright gold running down
each side of the casket, which undoubtedly
came from the gold stripes on his trousers.
After numerous conferences, and many and
very emphatic expostulations, / prevailed
upon the authorities to allow the remains
to stay where they were until l could get
them shipped.
Another annoying circumstance de-
layed the shipping. The day before the
vessel was to sail. upon which the body was
to be shipped, l received notice from the
agent of the company that the contract
He said 1t had become current rumor that
the ship was to transport a CORPSE that
several passengers had cancelled their
passages, and quite number of the crew
deserted on that account. l called his
to the fact that the corpse on
sisted of but a little dust. l insisted that
the contract to take the body be carried
out and, by the way, was compelled
10 pay 1000 francs, double first-class
passenger fare, for the transportation of
he remains-but all my arguments were
The company would not accept
he shipment, and | was Obliged to make |
1ther arrangements. There was another |
ship sailing in a few days, and / made a |
contract with them. The box containing |
,he casket was taken on board in the night |
md stored away in the hold, and in this |
way the body was shipped to New York |
During the time that the remains were
waiting shipment, 1 received a cable mes
'age from the Department of State at Wash
ngton, telling me to hold the caskets
Until the stone which covered the tomb of
Payne in Tunis could be procured and ship
1ed at the same time. / sent a messenger
o Tunis to secure the stone, but the au-
horities there refused to let it go. 1t seems
hat, after the remains had been removed.
he tomb had been fixed up as before, and
his stone placed upon the top of it, so that
he appearance was precisely the same as
vhen the body was resting there. AtI
he time, although the French were in
of Tunis, and were the real
ulers there, the ostensible head of the
government was the Bey. the Arab ruler.
lie objected to the removal of the stone.
after considerable negotiation with nv
Messenger, who was my son, Willis A.
Taylor, and considerable correspondence.
succeeded, through the friendly inter
ession of MIR. Reade, of Her Majesty's
government, in inducing the authorities
D allow the stone to be removed. 1t was
hipped with the remains, and now lies at
lax Hill Cemetery, Washington, near the
Omb of Payne"
HEART DISEASE