Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1903-12-11


color! l stared at it a moment and
then became convinced that 1t was a
hoax; that the man was alive and ly-
Ing there to complete a ghoulish prac-
teal joke on me, But after Slabb had
made me touch the firm, cold flesh and
had explained that frostbitten bodies
often showed ruddy ttnts upon thaw-
ing l went into the office to think 1t
over.
properly and care for it for a few days
while l should endeavor to locate
friends of the departed.
After the story had gone over the AS
ISOLATED Press day wire followed it
with a query for information and ask
ed all Associated Press papers to make
a search for relatives. Frenchs story
created the sensation the poor fellow
had foreseen, but the relatives | had
hoped for did not materialize. | began
to have a great respect for the dead
reporter.
| went to Slabb's after the body had
rested there just one week and told
him to send it to the city receiving
vault in a respectable coffin, to remain
there while | made further search.
"No need of sending him away" said
Slabb. Let him lie here. He's the
finest bit of embalming I've seen in my
life"
Then he led me into back room, In
sisting that l look at his guest. I'm
covering a plain coffin, he looked In
Instantly the satisfied look of the ex-
pert undertaken changed to one of hor
ror, and l saw Slabb spring back with
a startled exclamation. Then I looked
and felt my own blood chill, for that
thing In the coffin had shrunk six
inches in a week and its graveclothes
collapsed all about it!
We called in a physician, and after
a long consultation the body was strip
ped, accurately measured and dressed
In new outfit of clothing. Then we
established watch over it, noting the
daily appearance. At the end of a
week there had developed decided
shrinkage- over five inches
in the length Of the body. A close ex
animation disclosed the fact that it was
shrinking symmetrically. My 200 pound
friend would not know his own body
now. 1t had dwindled to $50 pounds.
The excitement really commenced
| with my publication that night of this
second sensation In the peculiar ac
tons of Clyde French's remains. The
Associa ted Press authorities questioned
] my account, and l invited them to send
| a 0int n0t tn ifxy IL
and forthwith daily account of our
lively dead went over the A. p. wire.
French's remains from a transient
guest at Slabb's became the center of
! an excited nations attention. 1t would
have done the poor fellow good had he
foreknown that his story was now to
move up to first page, first column, No.
l head, and remain there indefinitely.
First the city physicians examined
him and noted the daily shrinkage.
Then began the pilgrimages from curl
GUS suburbs and skeptical county seats.
Then Slabb established visiting hours,
and only professional men were allow
ed view. The executive body of the
National Association of Undertakers
crossed the continent and passed an
opinion on the phenomenon, and the
governor of the state issued procla.
nation an act which gave my prop
erty official recognition.
The undertakers said in their wis
dom that the Greek priest of the far
north had embaimed the body after
some old and to them unknown formu
la; that he had evidently used poor
materials or had mixed his fluids care
lessly; that a we'll embalmed body
might dry out, dry up and turn to pow
der, but for a body to shrink systemat
ically and preserve its smooth exterior
was not according to rule. Wise men,
those
At the end of two months it had
shrunk to four feet in length and to
100 pounds in weight. Perfectly sym
metrical, perplexingly, ruddy, plenti
fully bearded and plumply smooth of
skin, it was wonder. The tailor
asked me how soon he might put knee
pants on it.
Then the experts came from the
great medical colleges of the country
and decided to treat the body with sun
! dry fluids to arrest its shrinking. But
! their treatment failed of results, and
on their report being published abroad
the rulers of many lands appointed
medical representatives to cross the
seas and view my property. At the
cabled request of the car of all the
Russias we placed the body in a glass
case, which was Theoretically sealed.
| 4nI o;r CHI iDI,
age ceased, and we waited for the
royal experts to assemble.
The hotels were running over with
scientists, who burrowed through
mazes of books on chemical subjects
and ancient burial rites. All Seattle
caught the fever, and men talked ex
citedly of the secrets of embalming on
street corners and even In cafes.
When the international scientific ag-
! <regation was complete we moved the