The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-06-08
CARNATIONS ODD PHASE
NAY IN WHICH PEOPLE DISPOSE
OF THE ASHES OF THEIR DEAD.


One Widow Credited With Eating the
Ashes Of Der Husband - Many Ashes
Scattered to the winds-Bodies From
Abroad to Be Cremated. ii
A good many queer things have hap.
pened in connection with cremation,
but perhaps the strangest of them alf1
was the case of Mrs. Matilda Frances
fort, relates the New York Sun. Ma
tilda ate her husband. which sounds
cannibalistic, but isn't. Z
In 1896 Mr.. Francefort left his.
sphere Of usefulness in Brooklyn and
his soul, 1t is to be hoped. scared to a.
better world. AS for his body, they
took 1t 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 q niche for them at the Gre
matory or pay storage for them in the,
cellar. 81
But Mrs. Francefort was different.
She got the ashes Of the late Mr.. F.
and carried them home in a japanned
tin box, like tea canister or q spice
box. Perhaps that was what sug-
gested to the sorrowing widow the dis
position she should next make of them.
At any rate she decided to eat them
There was much to be said In favor Of
this plan. 1t was economical. She
would save the expense of an urn and
a 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 1t 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 sorrowful heart. He had been
a witty man. there was always a spicy
flavor In his conversation. Mrs.
Francefort made a note: Spice"
Then she defied anybody to say that
he had not been the salt of the earth.
Another note: "Salt" Still she had to
admit that he had bit of a 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 condiment line. Mrs.
f. determined to make seasoning.
So she put pinch Of him in her cof-
fee at 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, at 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 60 long way.
People who take to cremation seem
to have a fondness for having their
ashes scattered to the winds. There
was the first man who was cremated
In this country. That Is to say. the
first in recent times. Toward the end
of the eighteenth century a Southern
er by the name Of Lawrence left re-
quest to be cremated. His sons built a
furnace especially and the first crema-
tion-not Indian-took place on Ameri-
can soil.
I But in 1876 Baron Won Palm was
cremeted in DIR. 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. 1t is
said that Joaquin Miller has made q
similar request.
Another case 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 1898 and the widow
took the ashes to her home In Hemp
stead. Her husband hSd asked her to
scatter them abroad on the first windy
day after his cremation. She waited
until 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 1915. The pur-
chaser was not a member Of the dead
mans family. The records stop short
there, and one IL left guessing who
wanted the ashes badly enough to pay
$3.75 for them. 1t would seem, too,
that there must have been more than
one bidder, for $375 would hardly
have been offered as starter.
The remains Of Abbie Sage Richard
son, the writer, who died In Italy,
were brought to this country to be Gre
mated. They were incinerated at
Fresh Pond. Her brother died from
the shock and was cremated on the
following day.
Kate Fields body was also brought
home to be burned. She died In the
Sandwich Islands and was buried
there. 1t was q long time before her
friends got the money together to
bring the remains to this country, but
1t was finally done, and they were Gre
mated at San Francisco. Mrs. Whit
ing, to whose efforts the carrying out
of Miss Fields wishes were due,
brought the ashes from San Francisco
to Boston in a handbag filled with
flowers. The ashes were finally buried
at Mount Auburn beside the grave of
Miss Fields mother.