The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-04-19
CREMAr1oN's ODD PHASE.

| FranCetOrt, relates the NeW YORK
.Sun. Matilda ate her husband,
which sounds cannibalistic, but isn't.
In 1896 Mr.. Francefort left his
sphere of usefulness in Brooklyn and
his soul, it is to be hoped, scared to
a better world. As for his body, they
took it to Fresh Pond and cremated
it. Then his widow went after the
ashes and took them carefully home
with her. All widows do not. Some
don't even buy niche for them at
the crematory 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 japanned
tin box, like tea canister or a spice
box. Perhaps that was what sug
| gested to the sorrowing widow the
disposition 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 niche and 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 it
seemed to be a clear case of eating
your cake and having it too. Any
body could see that under the cir
cumstances it was the only way of
keeping the family together.
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
witty man, there was always spicy
flavor in his conversation. Mrs
Francefort made note: "Spice."
Then she defed 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
temper. Note number three: Pep
per-" But then, he was always sweet
to her. Final note: Sugar" Clear
ly, Mr.. Francefort's post-mortem
speciality should be in the condiment
line. Mrs. F. determined to make a
seasoning.
So she put pinch of him in her
coffee 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 sup
ply of Mr.. Francefort's ashes went
down in more ways than one. And
whatever the gentleman may have
done in life, there is one thing sure,
he never disagreed with his widow
when he was dead, though little of
him did perhaps go 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 South
erner by the name of Lawrence left a
request to >be cremated. His sons
built a furnace especially and the first
cremation-not Indian-took place on
American soil.
But in 1876 Baron Won Palm was
cremated in DIR. Lemoyne's private
crematory at Washington, Penn, and
his ashes were scattered upon the
Hudson River. Then there was
Ernest Rosin, who, in 1897, stood on
Eads bridge over the Mississippi and
| poured his fathers ashes into the
stream below. In both cases the
dead men had asked to be thrown
adrift. 1t is said that Joaquin Miller
has made 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 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 1915. The
purchaser was not a member of the
dead man S family. The records stop
short there, and one is 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 S3.75 would
hardly have been offered as starter.
The remains of Abbie Sage Rich
ardson, the writer, who died in Italy,
were brought to this country to be
cremated. They were incinerated at
Fresh Pond. Her brother died from
the shock and was cremated on the
! following Qay.
Kate Field body was also brought
home to be burned. She died in the
Sandwich Islands and was buried
there. 1t was long time before her
friends got the money together to
bring the remains to this country, but
it was finally done, and they were
cremated at San Francisco. Mr..
Whiting, to whose efforts the carry
ing out of Miss Fields wishes were
due, brought the ashes from San
Francisco to Boston in handbag fill
ed with flowers. The ashes were
finally buried at Mount Auburn be-
side the grave of Miss Fields mother.
Emma Abbott, the singer, was Gre
mated at the Washington Crematory.
An interesting item about this case
is the costliness of the gown in which
the body was burned. 1t was an in
ported gown of silver and gold bro