The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1901-02-01
ANCIENT TOMB DEsECK
Lid OF Coffin Partly Displaced Revealed
Grucsomo Sight TO Beaufort Hunters.
Special to the Chronicle. |

Special to the Chronicle.
Beaufort, S. G., Jan. 2S.-A gen.
tloman OF this town who returned
yesterday from hunting expedition
with several of his friends TO Hilton
Head island, gave your correspond
cnt the following account of visit
they made to the old family vault on
tho William f. Baynard plantation
on Hilton Head: The vault, said
tho gentleman, was substantially
constructed of brown stone, and in
contour was nearly square. The
massive entrance doors Of iron, in an
excellent state Of preservation, woro
open Upon entering tho party
found q narrow vostibulo with mar
bio doors leading into tho interior Of
tho tomb. These doors were dis
placed and broken, and entering
through them into tho inner portion
Of the vault coffin WAS observed
lying on the stone pavement; it's lid
had been displaced and upon lifting
it carefully aside gruesome sight
was disclosed to view. Within ro
posed the remains Of n young woman,
which appeared to have suffered but
slightly from tho ravages of time.
Her long blonde hair was perfectly
intact, rs wero also her features.
Gently taking her hand, the narrator,
who is physician, found TO his as
tonishment that the flesh was as pli
nblo and soft as in life, the arms
wero covered with a growth of hair
an inch and half long. After
brief inspection Of these remains, Of
one who in life must havo been n
woman Of rare beauty, the lid WAS
reverently replaced and the party
resumed their investigation Of tho
anto, bellum tomb. Several old
fashioned iron collins were exposed
to view and these burial cases differed
greatly from the modern metallic
caskets aud simply consisted Of tHo
pieces of cast iron closely resembling
q contour the human remains which
they contained. The upper piece
fitted snugly over tho lower, extend
ing clear to the bottom, where line
Of rivets firmly scaled these endur-
ing coffins of former generation.
There were also several wooden
collins, evidently made IN tho plan
tation, and they, too, appeared to be
substantial and we'll preserved. Per
haps score Of spaces for the recep-
tion of tho doad aristocrats we're
open, but had apparently never been
utilized for tho purpose for which
they were designed. Sad to relate,
there we're evidences that tho hal
lowed pla"e had been invaded by
soldiers who wero stationed on tho
island during the Spanish American
war, and the names of these men
we're scratched upon portions of tho
interior walls. There we're also adj
dltiunal evidences of wnnton diAcre
tion about the place In the bury
ing ground adjoining this ancient
sepulchre were several marble slabs
marking interments made as early IA
A. D., 1908. Over tho entrance to
the vault was the simple inscriptions:
"Wm. e. Baynard, Integrity and
Fidelity"
The doctor giving this information
Expressed, in conclusion, the hope
that it would reach some descendant
Of the Baynards, who would take
stops to restore the tomb of his or
her ancestors and seal it against fur
ther Intrusion by idle curiosity seek.
ers. w.t.. W.
rho February Number OF Frank Leslie's
Popular Monthly.