The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-04-24
.CREMATION'S ODD PHASE
WAY IN WHICH PEOPLE DISPOSE
OF THE ASHES OF THEIR DEAD.

Scattered to the Winds-Bodies From
Abroad to Be Cremated.
A good many queer things have hap
pened in connection with cremation.
but perhaps the strangesf OF them all
was the case Of Mrs Matilda France
fort. relates the New York sun Ma
tilda ate her husband. which sounds
cannibalistie, but isn't
In 1896 Mr.. Francefort left his
sphere Of usefulness IN Brooklyn and
his soul. it is 10 be hoped. SCARED TO
better world AS for his body. they
took it TO Fresh Pond and cremated 1t.
Then his widow went after the ashes
and took them carefully home with
her. All widows do not. Some don't
even buy a niche for them at the ere
matory or pay storage for them in the
cellar
But Mrs Francefort was different
She got the ashes Of the late Mr. F.
and carried them home in a iapanned
tin box. like a tea canister or a spice
box Perhaps that was what sug-
gested 10 the sorrowing widow the dis
position she should next make Of them.
AT any rate she decided TO eat them.
There was much 10 be said In favor Of
this plan. II was economical. She
would save the expense Of an urn and
niche and a monument by being all
that herself. Then, too. she and the
dear cremated had lived together for
thirty-one years and she was lonesome
without him. She was informed that
the ashes would enter permanently
into her system. and 1t seemed TO be a
clear case Of eating your cake and
having 1t TOO. Anybody could see that
under the circumstances It was the
only way Of keeping the family to-
gether
Having decided to eat her husband
the next question was the manner in
which he should be served. Mrs.
Francefort went over his qualities
with a sorrowful heart He had been
witty man, there was always a spicy
favor in his conversation Mrs.
Francefort made a note: Spice
Then she dehed anybody TO say that
be had not been the salt Of the earth.
Another note: salt Still she had to
admit that he had bit OF temper
Note number three. Pepper" But
then. he was always sweet to her
Final note Sugar Clearly. Mr.
Francefort's post-mortem speciality
should be In the condimcnt line. Mrs.
f. determined TO make a seasoning.
SO she put a pinch Of him in her cof-
Zee az breakfast and sprinkled him
lightly over the boiled shad At lun-
cheon he went into the tea. and con-
tributed distinction to the lamb stew
AT dinner-well. az dinner the supply
Of Mr. Francefort's ashes went down
IN more ways than one And what
ever the gentleman may have done in
life. there Is one thing sure, he never
disagreed with his widow when he
was dead though a little Of him did
perhaps go q long way
People who take to cremation seem
10 have a fondness for having their
ashes scattered to the winds. There
was the first man who was eremated
Ia this country. That is 10 say. the
first IN recent times. Toward the end
Of the eighteenth century a Southern
er by the name Of Lawrence left a re-
quest to be cremated His sons built a
furnace especially and the first crema-
tion-not Indian-took place on Ameri-
can soil.
But IN 1876 Baron Won Palm was
cremated In Dr. LemOyne's private
crematory at Washington. Penn. and
his ashes were scattered upon the Hud-
son River, Then there was Ernest
Rosin. who. IN 1897. stood on the Eads
bridge over the Mississippi and poured
his fathers ashes into the stream be-
low. In both cases the dead men had
asked to be thus thrown adrift II Is
said that joaquin Miller has made a
similar request
Another ease Of the same kind was
that Of William Petersen Appleby. an
officer in the Mexican and the Civil
wars. His body was cremated at
Fresh Pond In 1895 and the widow
took the ashes 20 her home IN Hemp
stead. Her husband had asked her to
scatter them abroad on the first windy
day after his cremation She waited
until a gale was blowing. and then IN
the presence Of some Of her husbands
friends held the ashes out by handfuls
and let the wind blow them away.
AT Bromberg. Germany. in 1897. the
ashes OF one Robert Arons were sold
at public auction for S3.75. The pur-
chaser was not a member OF the dead
mans family. The records stop short
there. and one Is left guessing who
wanted the ashes badly enough 10 pay
S3.75 for them. It would seem. too.
that there must have been more than
one bidder. for S375 would hardly
have been offered as a starter.
The remains Of Ahbie Sage Richard
son. the writer who died in Italy.
were brought 70 this country to be ere
mated They were moderated at
Fresh Pond. Her brother died from
the shock and was cremated on the
following day.
Kate Fields body was also brought