Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-10-19
BODIES DON'T PETRlFY.
GOVERNMENT EXPERTS HAVE VET
TO LEARN OF AN INSTANCE.


man Fertilization May Exist, But He
Doubts t-story Of Mrs. Stone Brings
Weird Smile.
a mild sensation was created at the
chronological Bureau one day recently,
says the Washington Post. The head
OF a man reported to be petrifed, and
discovered somewhere in the wilds OF
New Jersey. was forwarded to the bu-
| reau, and a convocation of scientists
was called. A young geologist connect
od with The survey had discovered this
remarkable curiosity, and hat sent
detailed description to the bureau. They
are annual, or, rather, semi-annual &C.
currences.
"No such thing as human pctri6es-
ton has ever been discovered" remark
cd Professor w. J. MCGEE, "but that is
no reason to say that it cannot exist,
or has not existed. 1t may be possible
doubt il. and everybody else who has
inquired into the matter at all doubts
it. The human flesh has never beea
known to become petrified, but, never
theless. any case reported to us is in
quired into. so we awaited with some
degree of curiosity the coming Of this
gentleman"
"This gentleman was very carefully
packed and the box labelled glass His
description had aroused general interest,
so there was quite an assembage of eth
biologists, biologists and paleontologists
as well as clerks. and. in fact. the en-
tire bureau force on hand to view the
curious head as soon as it arrived.
No sooner was i. unpacked than
Professor MCGEE announced: This is
no petrifcd man." It so closely resem.
bied one. however. tic features were 80
plainly indicated and the substance SO
like a petrifcation that there were aues-
tons: What else is III" "What ID
lou call it," 1t was a limestone boul-
der. curiously fashioned. it was true,
into features very Xix, human beings,
tnt Limestone boulder none the less.
It was disappointment.
1--WE should like to discover eeru-
inc petrifed man." remarked ono of the
ethnologists: eve should really like to
find one after all these years."
The gentleman being thus rudc,y de-
elared a fraud remained for day OF
two on exhibition. and was then fired
back to his original habitation, wish a
; letter to the young gcologist.
But tbs petrifed nan was nothing
compared to his most recent predeces.
, scr. Hi. predecessor was woman
They speak of her still at the turcat
! as Mrs. Stone. and her story never fail,
t. bring a weird smile. "If 1t mad mol
esn for that gas pitc." remarked FRO
f,ssor MCGEE. gravely. "she would have
been remarkably fine woman, indeed.
All the ethnologists are very mys
FERROUS when conversng about her. Hel
, story is one of the most pathetic tina
the bureau has ever encountered.
"She came to us from the West" sale
, Professor MCGEE. sadly. where the.
usually come from. She had been cx
. hibitcd around in small towns. and he
appearance had invariably caused BIZ
sensation and she became the nine days
wonder. We heard about her from al
0 quarters. and at length decided to in
}. vestigatc. We had received several let
tiers from the company she was travel
, ing with. which. must say. seemed T.
h be anxious to sIbs,antiate her rcputa
!, ton, so we agreed to send on for her
4 She came. We went down in bod
!. to the depot 10 meet her and dS,de,
}. to have an inquest at once J. did M
b. say anything but carried along a fey
!. little instruments in my pockets. Flo
, a petrihed w man, she was certainly
\ remarkable Specimen"
1 "The scene of the inquest was a grue
some affair. 1t was late OH winter al
r ternoon, and one gas jet was lit. TIL
r body was laid out in the centre Of tn
. room in its frame coffin, and Professo
/. McGec, with much gravity, proceedc
A to conduct tie services. They consistc
!. in taking from his pockets those littl
= instruments and OF boring few inche
= into the foot. To the amazement G
every onlooker, small section of ga
J. pipe was struck. This ended the ir
Q quest. Mrs. Stones reputation as pre-
fessional was forever spoiled, and sl
no longer went gallivanting around til
J. country passing as 'the one and onl
;. petriied woman ever discovered in til
: history of the world"
This was not the only instance of
petrifed fraud catching popular favor.
"There is factory somewhere out
] California continued the scientis
(which manufactures these petrifcd h,
man beings by the wholesale and d
tributes them around various section
of the country, has them discovered ar
sells them for stipulated sum for G,
hibiting purposes. They make casts
recently from life One of the workme
connected with the establishment ha
a club foot. One of the objects issue
by the factory also had that club foe
and after its discovery down in Il
Pueblo country the petriied man vii
the club foot became the sensation
the West"
Every kind of petrfed human 5eir
men, women and children, Indian
giants, and what-not. has been uneart
ed in remote parts of the United State
a scientist himself is taken in a. in Il
case of the petri6ed head from Nc
Ier.ey