The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-23
r1l5 VA sUNDA JULY 23 1905

Sterred with no Ssinore certain 4 marks, IHls
whereby 1t could be known than u patti
5rers corpse thrusted into the .potter's
field. ut t1,ust further be believed" ne
iconcludes, THAT although Johes's sister,
Mrs Il Taylor, one st two bcneficaries
Under Ills will, came to Paris within three iress
months after his death to settle his "
fairs, no record which can now be dis
covered was made or transmitted by her
to her descendants Of the actual loch-
tion OF his grave. The later building
over Of the cemetery ground might have
destroyed his hendstone. II he had any
but Ignorance and absence Of record ih
the premises f such Is the fact. is note
worthy whentit Is remembered that Mrs
Taylor, hers sisters and their poslterl.y
were claimants against ,is for Joness
prize money md finally got $4,000 IN
full or all demands only III 1S4S 18Th
So much for the first doubt Our faith
a.lrcndy begins To shake. But other doubts
arc raised. II. d njamin 5scornCully re- re-
jccts the nnagrunl found on tho lnir-
cloth looking iii ono position like a u,
and In another like II r, and says that
1t is hardly conceivable that any one
should accept SO cryptic d symbol for the
specific purpose Of identifying the body
And SO arises doubt number two. But
Tint is not ALL He says that It Is not
the proof Of such mark as this on q scrap
Of cloth, but tho absence Of marks on
Joness actual body, which, Of all direct
facts, Is here the most significant. lie
then recalls that Jones received several
wounds IN the course OF his cventful life,
Of which there is record, yet the expert
records no evidence Of them, and appa-
arcntly found none.
lie then proceeds to discuss the meas
urcments which DR.. Paplllault nadoSof
the face OF tho rcsurrected corpse, and
says that the accuracy of correspondence
between these measurements and those
OF the Houdon bust goes rather to dis
prove than to prove the identity OF the
body. The argument Is that the bust
was reproduction Of the man In health,
with plentiful flesh upon his bones;
whereas the corpse was mere skelcton,
covered with tissues and hardened with
alcohol. Yot the measurements of the
one conform almost exactly to the meas
urements OF the other. s...!:. s,asfia ~
There Is much of the same sort sbut
space Is limited. In conclusion Mr.. Ben
jamin asks these pertinent questions:
First. II you were a Juror in !, a, ca SO
of wiful murder would you bring in
verdict Of guilty solely on the proof Of
corpus .delcti here advanced, thereby
sending the prisoner to execdtion7
Second. If you learned that a relative
long since dead, who no One living could
recognize, was inferred In European
cemetery, would you solely onfthehproot
of the identity. here advanced accept an
otherwise unknown body, 60 to the cx-
'pense OF transportation to this country,
and bury it In your family plot?'
Oh. lpshaw! 4 Why raise these doubts,
Mr.. Benjamin? We are not dealing with
a corpus delictiri n murder trial, and
as for the rest i t Is not what We would
do, for wea hnlYf ALREADY done .iitssIWie
have brought the body ovsrr here with!
great poh,p ah0'y 4crcurnsta11ce en- 1t lis Ia
very !, 5rreslpaectables corise, and we have
accepted it In good faith. It serves every.
purpose, and at this stage of the funeral
.itais not only uuwise,s 1T is iconoclastIo
and cruel to- be raising douats and up-
roofing the public. faith.