Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-10-24
BODIES DON'T TURN TO STONE.
No Case of Fertilization Yet Known 20
Government Experts.


Government Experts.
The head of man, supposed to be
petrihed, was recently sent to the
bureau of ethnology at the national
museum at Washington. 1t was dis
| covered by a young man connected
with the geological survey, who sent
a detailed description. II was, as ap.
peared on careful examination, lime.
stone bowlder, which water had
wrought into singular reproduction
of human features. This is not 10 be
| reckoned with the numerous fake petri.
| fcations, of which the Cardiff giant is
the most famous. Prof. w. ]. MCGEE
| tells an interesting story about Mrs.
Stone" as they call her in the bureau.
IF 1t had not been for that gas pipe,
she would have been a remarkably fine
| woman" says the professor. All of the
ethnologists are very mysterious when
talking about her Her story is one of
the most pathetic that the bureau has
ever encountered.
"She came to us from the West"
said Prof. Niece. sadly, where they
| usually come from. She had been ex.
hibited around in small towns, and her
| appearance had invariably caused
big sensation and she became the nine
days wonder. We heard about her
from all quarters, and at length
decided to investigate. We had re.
! ceived several letters from the com.
pany she was travelling with, which,
| must say, seemed to be anxious to sub.
| stantiate her reputation, so we agreed
to send on for her. She came. We
went down in a body to the depot to
meet her, and decided to have an in
quest at once. did not say anything,
but carried along few little instru.
ments in my pockets. For petrihed
woman she was certainly remarka-
BILE specimen"
The scene of the inquest was grew
some affair. II was late in the after.
noon, and one gas jet was lit. The
body was laid out in the center OF the
room in its frame coffin and Prof Nc
Gee, with much gravity, proceeded to
conduct the services, They consisted
in taking from his pockets those little
instruments and of boring few inches
into the foot. To the amazement of
every onlOoker, a small section OF gas
pipe was struck. This ended the in
quest. Mrs. Stones reputation as a
| professional was forever spoiled, and
she no longer went gallavanting around
the country passing as "the one and
only petrifed woman ever discovered
ir the history of the world"
This was not the only instance of
petriied fraud catching popular favor
There is factory somewhere out
in California" continued the scientist
which manufactures these petrified
human beings by the Wholesale and
distributes them around various sec
tons of the country They
make casts directly from life. One
Of the workmen connected with the es
Enlistment had club foot One Of
the objects issued by this factory also
had that club foot, and after It's dis.
covery down in the Pueblo country the
petri6ed man with the club foot became
the sensation of the West"
Every kind of q petrified human be.
ing men. women and children. Indians.
giants. and what-not, has been I'M
earthed In remote parts of the United
States. and their finding has resulted
IN big sensation for the immediate
locality and gold mine for the fellow
who took 1t up for exhibition purposes
More frauds have been perpetrated
In this wav than even In the dime mu-
seums. The bureau has suppressed
more Of these frauds within recent
years than II has stopped TO count, and
there is not a year without It's good
sensation In the local Office itself. II
IS seldom, however, that a scientist
himself is taken in. as in the case OF
the petrified head from New Jersey.