Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-19
MYSTERY CLEARED UP.
Human Bones Found in an Old Build
ing.

That truth is stranger than fiction Is
sometimes very clearly demonstrated in the
tragedies of real life that find their way
into the newspapers from time to time, but
there are times when truth makes fiction
look very, very tame, and an instance in
point is the recent speculation that has
arisen through the finding of human bones
in an old house in Delaware avenue next
door to the Casualty Hospital building.
which has recently been destroyed to make
way for the Senate Office building. The
weirdest sort of stories have gained circu-
lation regarding the presence of these hui
man bones, and 1t seems too bad that the
fancies that have been raised should be
changed by sordid fact. 1t happens. how
ever, that there is nothing strange about
the finding of human bones in the upper
story of that particular house, because
complete set of human bones was kept
there and was undoubtedly lost
The house in question was the property
of old Judge Cranch, one of the highly re-
spected citizens of Washington during the
middle of the nineteenth century. A Dr.
Williams and his wife occupied the house
with Judge Cranch in the 4Os, and Dr.
Williams was very close student of Sci
entific things. He maintained laboratory
in one of the rooms on an upper floor ana
had large collection of scientific SUBJECTS
including a complete human skeleton, prop
erly articulated and mounted on a stand
ON wheels that permitted it to be rolled
about the floor at the will of the person ex-
aiming 1t.
Mrs. Williams, wife of the owner of all
these things. had no taste for things sci
entific, 1t is said, and did not relish the
idea Of taking care of room in which
such things as skeletons and collections OF
bugs, etc, were kept. She was a. very alb
sent-minded woman, too, it is said, and her
husband did not like to have her in the
laboratory because she disturbed the order
of things he established and would forget
where she put away certain articles that
were, to him, of great importance There-
fore DIR. Williams. secured the services OF
Mrs. Pierce, who was later the wife OF the
late Policeman Pierce, to keep the labora-
tory clean from dust and dirt, and Mrs.
Williams seldom entered the place. MRS.
Pierce had a particular friend, who later
became Mrs. Horne, mother of Detective
Sergeant Ed Horne of the local force. and
Mrs Horne distinctly recollects the skele-
ton in DR.. Williams laboratory. 1t is to
her The Star is indebted for the facts pre-
scented. Mrs. Hornes recollection of this
particular thing is firmly fixed because or
an incident that occurred in the laboratory
in which the skeleton figured Mrs. Horne
had been invited by Mrs. Pierce to help her
clean up the laboratory, and while they
were in the room Mrs Pierce suddenly
opened closet concealed In the wall and
wheeled the skeleton out, running it to-
ward Mrs Horne, who was very much up
set for a few moments The skeleton re-
posed in the concealed closet, which was
built for it to keep it out of the way when
it was not in use, ard it is Mrs. HorneS
belief that when Dr. Williams died those
the skeleton and it remained in its hiding
place until short time ago when the
building was demolished in the progress or
the plans for the Senate office building.