The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-27
WHISPERS ON A DEATH MASK.
An extraordinary Development of
beard on the Mask of Lord Pal-
merstOn.


Beard on the Mask of Lord pal-
merston.
From the New York Sun.
Princeton, N. j., Sept. 22.-The re-
turn of Mr.. Laurence Hutton to his
Princeton home is awaited this year
with unusual interest, for in him seems
to be the last hope for an explana-
ton of a mystery which nobody here,
professor or student, is able to solve
One of the death masks in his cele-
brated collection in the University
Library has developed. so it is solemn
ly declared, beard during the sum-
mer months. That sounds beyond be-
lief; in very fact, hair raising; but it is
no jest.
However it may be explained, or
whether it is capable of explanation it
is a fact, which anybody can ascer-
tain to his own satisfaction by a per-
sonal examination that the plaster of
paris cast of the head of Lord Palmers-
ton in the Hutton collection of death
masks has not only developed a short,
stubby brownish-red hirsute growth
on the chin, cheeks and upper lip, but
of the Uranium. If bearded ladies are
something of an anomaly, what would
Mr.. Barnum say to hair on the face of
cold clay cast of the countenance
of a man who has been dead almost
half a century?
Perhaps Mr.. Hutton can explain the
mystery when he returns from Europe.
He knows more about death masks,
his friends believe, than any other liv-
ing man. 1t is pretty certain that this
is en- absolutely unique specimen, the
only one of its kind in the world. 1t is
also pretty certain that Mr.. Hutton
doesn't know that his likeness of the
celebrated English peer needs a shave.
for he has written a good deal about
this very death maSlxl but has never
said anything in his books about it's
having beard. Nor has he mentioned
the fact to his friends here, who are
sure that he is ignorant of this peculiar
manifestation.
And nobody else has, until now,
noticed the popularity, although thou
sands have seen the mask. Which
goes to show that his Lordship's ca
pillary adornment is of recent product
ion; in fact, it is possible to find sew
eral people who are positive that it
wasn't there when college closed last
spring.
The phenomenon has caused no end
of speculation among the professors
and students of Princeton since its
discovery few days ago by Mr.. John
Rogers Williams of the university Ii
brary. Mr.. Williams was passing
through the alcove in the library where
the death masks are on exhibition,
when he noticed as ray of sunlight
happened to strike the Palmerston
mask, that short hairs were sticking
out of the face. He was almost para
lyzed when he ran his fingers over the
chin and cheeks and felt the rasping
effect produced by the mysterious
growth.
He called some of the assistants in
the building, who were only convinced
of it's genuineness by feeling the pallid
face. 1t wasn't long before a line of
professors and students were filing
into the library feeling Lord Palm
erstons whiskers." OF course, nobody
would believe until he saw and felt the
beard.
Lord Palmerston died in 1865. The
death mask owned by Mr.. Hutton was
made by Jackson just after the noble
Lords death. 1t is the only cast Of
his features ever taken and was used
as a model for shaping the head on the
statue of Palmerston in Westminster
A ".
time of his death Lord Palmerston was
more than so years old, and his bios-
raphers say that his hair and beard
were white and that in early years
his beard was black. The hair and
beard on the death mask are reddish
brown.
The only theory to explain the dis
covery in the Princeton library is adj
vanced by a professor in the scientific
department of the university, who says
that in taking the matrix for the cast
of the face some of the SUBJECTS WINS
kers and hear were pulled out, OWNS.
TO the adhesive quality of the plaster.
These were in turn transferred to the
cast when it was made from the ma
trix. The fact that the beard had not
been discovered until this fall was ac-
counted for by this professor in the
suggestion that the hairs had either
been buried in the plaster when 1t dried
or at least had been so smoothed down
and held that they had not shown on
the surface; that the extremely humid
weather of the past summer sottened
the plaster slightly. and that this,
counied with the excessive heat and
subsequent GOODNESS, had caused them
IN obtrude from the surface, perhaps
through the contraction of the plaster
of naris. The professor who advances
thie tentative explanation is known to
the correspondent. but he prefers not
10 be brought into the story by name
just now.
This. however. is not an altogether
satisfactory explanation; first, because
the hairs on the mask do not corre-
snond in color with those known 10
have been on the face of the dead peer;
also because it is not likely that the
hairs could have been pulled out in the
nrocess of taking the cast and trans
farred in the making Of the mask, with
the exact appearance of mans beard.
THE heard has every appearance OF be-
inc natural. On the left side OF the
face the hairs are growing downward
and are soft and silken, although some
FARTHER down toward the chin on
hotb sides they are thicker and are
stuhbv and stiff. while on the chin
nroner they are thick and bristly.
Moreover. they are of uniform length.
80 tbev should be on different parts of
The face. and have the exact appear
ance of the beard of man accustomed
60 shave with about weeks growth.
And what is more startling, some who
ha,1e watched Il aver that this remark
ahIe heard seems to have become no.
ticeablv longer than 1t was when hrst
discovered. - - -