The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-07-21
GENERAL PORTER HOME.
Tells of Identification of Paul Homes.
Bcds-FeatureS anil Bust Asecc.
Ceremony of Transfer I'm Paris Was
Highly Impressive.

Especial to Thu Washington Pos.
New York, July 13.@General Horace
Porter, looking hale and hearty, as il
the sea voyage had agreed with him in
mensely, and feeling much pleased at
the successful Identification of Paul
Jones body and the ceremonies OF its
transfer to the United States autho,i-
ties, arrived today by the Deutchsiand.
He drove with his son, Clarence Porter.
TO the latter's residence, 573 Fifth ay-r
enue. He will remain there for IA
month, and will not open his own
house until the middle of September.
THE various developments in the
Identification of Paul Jones body,
General Porter said, formed a success
sion of extremely gratifying surprises.
| was positive from the location hat
the body must be Paul Jones, but | was
not prepared for the remarkable accu-
racy with which our discoveries COM
ported with the historical records Of
his sickness and death.
REVEALED BY THE AUTOPSY.
Most wonderful of all was the au-
topsy, performed by Surgeon General
DR.. Captain, with the assistance of 9TH
er anthropOlogists. 1t disclosed a T.
brous tissue where the left lung had
been affected confirming our knowledge
that Jones suffered from bronchial
pneumonia. The viscera were in per-
feet preservation and there were shown
all the symptoms of dropsy, a disease
that we know he had, and, most stcik-
ingly OF all, the SYMPTOMS Of nephrltis.
the disease from which he died. That
these symptoms should be SO marked
Or, indeed marked at all, in a body
from which life had passed 113 years
before, was nothing short of amazing.
Il was also amazed when, on opening
the casket and removing the Linen
winding sheet, which, by the way, was
in excellent preservation, to observe
how closely the countenance compo1ted
with the bust by Houdon, which the
anthropOlOgists had to guide them. The
face was a bit shrunken over the cheek
bones, but in no spot did the measure
ments of the body differ from those OF
the mask by oveT two millimeters. The
resemblance was perfect, even to ne
disfigured lobe of the left ear. T2e
teeth were as We know them to have
been in the admiral's later days, and
the hair was brown, tinged with g1ay
INITIAL ON THE SHIRT.
"a remembrance of Paul Jones ca
reer as a darby was given in the fancy
shirt with it's ruffies ana pleats. 1t bore
the mark 81" There was Unfold all
around his hands and face and the
body, evidently placed there to
1890. ~. I~I- fro,o I>-1,r n ict, ,.hn Nj
in its casket on the voyage to his
country, which The embaIaers proba-
bly, expected it would take.
"The1e were five casketsr all of Them
Of lead, IN. the place we found the body.
Four of them had name plates. This
one had none. 1t was a mummy-sEap-
ed caskety round over the place for the
head, and Displayed fine ornamental
lead work"
AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY
General Porter said he had worked
for six a in the endeavor- to locate
and Identify the body, but refused to
say to how great an, expense he had
beea put. Concerning the ceremony OF
the transfer of tho body he said:
"The parade was one of che most
impressive seen in Paris in years. Il
shall never forget the impression made
upon me as the French infantry and
cavalry saluted tho dead, and l think |
was never SO proud as at the spectacle
of the 500 American marines and blue
jackets with their easy manner and
confident swing as they marched along
with a precision that seemed to them
perfectly natural"
General Porter will hav NOTHING far
Their to- do with whatever ceremonies
attend the reception of the body in his
country. On its arrival at Annapolis,
he said, there viii be simple ceremo-
MES and the body viii then lie in state
until the midshipmen return in Octo
Der: He also saic that his affairs il
conection with tha regular, as we'll as
the special embassy to; France, were
wound up. There was no business VI
finshed t the. time of Ambassador Nc
COrmick's appointment, which he had
not gone over with that official.