Evening journal., 1903-10-16
RETURNED FROM HUNT
FOR EMMET'S BONES
He Did Not Find Them But
Disproved Claims of Two
Marked Graves

DR.. Thomas Adds Emmet, OF New
York. who returned a few days ago from
ireland. where he has been conducting a.
search for the grave Of his ancestor, Rob-
ert Emmett the Irish martyr. has made
public the result OF his three. months
labor.
He did not succeed in locating the ex-
act spot where Robert Emmett is buried.
but he did dispel several false beliefs in
regard to the grave which have been cur
rent fer more than half century. ana
he ncrrowed the evidence down TO a
single cemetery in Dublin.
Dr. Emmett brought Back a number Of
valuable documents and records relating
TO Robert Emmors trial and events In
Irish history, al the beginning Of the last
century.
, Three places were variously credited
with holding Robert Emmet's dust be-
fore DIT. Emmet began his Investigation
st. Peters Cemetery in Dublin, where the
family vault Is: ST. Miehan's in Dublin,
and Glassnevin Cemetery, several miles
tout OF the city. The last two had stone
slabs marking the place where the body
was supposed to be.
The only thing that DR.. Emmet knew
for certain when he started out was that
Emmot's BODY. on the day Of the execu-
tion. Sept 20. 1893. was placed tn the re-
lcelving vouh at ST. Peters. Everything
else IN regard TO his burial was supposi-
tlon. but there we're strong reasons for
believing that the body has been removed
lfiom the vault and put into the family
vault. in ST. Peters.
DIT. Emmets hrsf task was TO locate
the family burial place. That was not
lr.sv. for in the 40s Dublin passed an or
finance forbidding the burial Of the dead
within the city limits and at the same
time had the slabs in st. Peters taken
down, covered the entiFe cemetery with
a slx-inch coating of cement ana tined the
whole place in with dirt.
DR.. Emmett discovered in an old church
record that ahe Emmec vault was on the
right Of the entrance ITO the cemetery,
near the south wall After an Infinite
deal OF persuasion he got the relatives Of
the deaS buried in St. Peters ITO consent
10 let him dig. He excavated for fifty
feet at the spot which the old record In
dictated.
He struck a vault, but St was not the
Emmett vault. bt was the receiving vault.
I'm II. besides the remains of TWO or three
lbodles. was found a skull wrapped in
lcrepe. DR.. Emmett felt sure for a time
lthat the skull was shat Of the Irish mar
tyr.
He knew that the elder Peirie had been
commissioned after the execution to make
a cast of Emmets head. and he thought
that the head might have been tHAen
Iaway for shat purpose end returned to
the receiving vault when the BODY had
been buried.
An examlratlon Of 1ne sutures showed
that the skull belonged to an old man.
This circumstances. ot course. disproved
all theories rHat II was Emmete. for he
| was only twenty-five when he was exc
cuted
The remains os the other bodies in the
vault furnished evidence ',hat they were
put there only short time beioR She
cemetery was destroyed.
Dr. Emmet then began an iavastic5 ton
at g. Bichan's. In the grave under the
slab bearing Emmets name the reniaius
OF a gisl We're found. and deeper the
Ibones Of a man. The sknn OF this man
siso was found 20 be that OF ono wei. ad-
4 vanced in years. and his leg bones show
ed that he was over six fet tall Emmei
was understood.
| The excavation AT Glas5neNin taHfd 90
reveal any remains Whatever In the grave
which was supposed TO contain Emm@ts
body.
Or. Emmett then transferred his
search back to St. Peters cemetery lie
discovered that there was formerly an
entrauce at the back Of the cemetery, and
no believes that the old church record
which furnished Che location OF the EN-
met vault referred to this entrance in
stead OF tha one at the front.
Dr. Emmet did not feel that be could
spare the tine and money to continue
Tho excavations in St. Peters and he re-
turned to this country. hoping that some
\ body will take advantage of the data
furnished by him and make the necessary
sexcasation to find the lost vault. DR.
Emmet discovered further that Robert
Emmet's sister. when she died shortly
after the execution OF her brother, was
buried at midnight, and he believes thai
lthe Irish patriot was taken out of the
receiving vault and laid away at ths
same time as his sister.