The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-06-20
CORPSE OF CHILD
HELD MANY YEARS
In Charge OF Undertaken Await.
ing Return of Parents.
LAID TO REST AT LAST
THE BODY HAD BEEN EMBALMED
AND WAS IN A PERFECT STATE
THE FEATURES BEING
LIFELlkE.

N'''A'''f ANt - "hiiN To- tiC IuA
ial of an infant child of Or and Mrs.
White took place at 1880 this morn.
ing
The death occurred September Is,
1898, in the h,me of DR.. and Mrs.
White, on West Main street For
II years the remains of the infant
have reposcd In tiny coffin, during
which time it has been in the posses
sion of Robert Tennclly, who was for
merly engaged in the undertaking
business in thiu city
The ntermcnt of the infant took
place in the city buryipg ground just
at the rear of Elmwocd cemetery. The
grave was dug ON era sy and honey
sucklc covered ground. There was
no preacher present to offer 4 PRAYER
as the tiny coffin was lowered in the
grave The father and mother were
not at the grave side to see their lov,
ed one placed in its last resting place
Only three people Witnessed the Ger.
en- ny Richard Tennelly, Il son OF
Robert Tcnnelly; Ant" the grave
digger and newspaper reporter.
A mal marble clab marks the last
resting place of the child Upon IL
y the following in cription Born
1893 NJ Whitc-l90i"
Where the parents of the dead In
fant are no one seems to know The
asst heard Of Dr White was in 1898,
according to Mr. Tennelly, when he
brought a sen, born after the death OF
the infant, to the undertaking cstab-
lishmont to view the embalmed re
maip3 uf the young baby brother
Since that time there has been no
trace Of Dr White.
The child of Ir and Mrs Miles
White died on September Is, 1885,
said Mr.. Tcnnelly. They are rosil.
ne In a two story residence On West
Main ctreet, oppo ite the Methods.
church Dir. White came to my estab.
lishment and purchased a ctffin |
went to his house and prepared the In.
fant for burial He said he wanted
the coffin placed In a grave In the
chnrchyard, and later, when his wife
had recovered from an illness, he
wished TO remove 1t to Elizlbethtown
Ky. for interment near his other chill
lrcn. told him II he covered the
grave over with boards. as he wished
TO de-, that in all probability rain
would spoil the coffin He said he
did not wish the coffin to remain in
his home during his wife illncT,
Il told him that | could ernbalm the
body and he could keep it as long as
he desired. He agreed to do this and
! took the body to my establishment
1nd cmbaImed II shortly after
wards told enc of his friends to tel
him that his child had been embamed
for some time ard TO ask him If he
was ready to have II shipped 10 Eliza
be;htown He made some excuse
about not being ready by this timr
It became known that the Wy wa
AT my place of bu incss in a perfect
5tate Of preservation, ana crowds o.
people began To flock there 70 view It
This gave me no little annoyance
Weeks passed and Dr White contiu
ued to give eScusscs about not taxi
ing the baby from my shop He paid
ne for the coffin The first year
was in business did not charge for
cmbalming. The paper, gave publiCi
ty TO the ltory. | sued one Louisville
paper
when on the tand in court Dr
White was asked by an attorney why
il was that he did not bury the infant
lie replied that the child belonged e
him and he would do what he wished
with H. After the trial was over Dr
White told me he would take the baby
away from my establishment in
few days. He told me not TO bury II
II remained at nv establishment unit
two years ago, when | sold out Scy
cral months ago the undertaking ca
tablishmcnt was removed from the
Third street building and the pruprie
tor e the establishment rcfu cd tr
take the casket containing the re
mains of the infant with him. II wa.
then removed to- my present place of
business ~ no time did ] hold the
body Of the infant for burial expenses
did not bury 1t because he requested
me not TO do IL ! have not heard oi
him fT the past six years, and ! do
not care 10 keep the body any longer |
have no ilea where the man Is 10
-ated."
Mr Tennelly aid he regretted The |
affair very much. bu; that be was not /
-sspun ible for H. He declared that 4
he body waa in a perfect state, and /
he features we're lifelike