New-York tribune., 1908-05-13
FIND CLINTON'S BODY
EXHUMED 1T CAPITAL.
Body of First Gouernor WiU he
Rebur1ed at Kingston.
LFrom rhe rrihnne Bur.au.I

WASHINGTON Lay 1.-THE body of George
! Clinton, twice Vice-President of the Unlteo
| States and first Governor of the Empire state
of which he was the executive for twenty-ohe
| years. yesterday exhumed at the old Con-
gregational Cemetery and transferred to the
United States Naval Hospital, where it now hes
awaiting removal to the old Clinton home, at
Kingston, n. Y. The body was found to be IN
most remarkable state of preservation, in spite
of the fact that it had rested in the leaden comm
for nnety-six years The chemicals in the SOIL
had seemingly petrifed most of the upper por-
tions of the body and head and even the cloth
of the coat and silk of the long stockings seemed
to be as strong and substantial as when new
The granite monument which has so long
marked the grave in the old cemetery has been
taken down, and started on its way to Kingston
last night. The coffin will follow within fort
night.
The exhumaton was witnessed by Louis F.
Ganet, a great -grandnephew of Governor Clin-
ton; Benjamin NJ Brink, of Kingston; Chaplain
r. r. Hoes, OF the navy; Brigadier Robert NJ
O'Reilly, surgeon general of the army, and Dr.
Marcus Benjamin. one of the leading officials of
the Smithsonian Institution and president of the
Society of the War of 1912.
After workmen had been engaged for two
weeks in removing the monument and its foun-
dation, and an excavation ten or twelve feet in
depth had been made, no trace of the coffin had
yet been found. By the of pole driven IN
the earth probe, exactly after the method
pursued by General Horace Porter in seeking
for the body of Paul Jones, and after consider
able exploration, the metal box was finally
struck, at depth of nearly twenty feet. The
digging then renewed and finished and the
leaden box brought to light. 1t immedi-
ately transferred to the Naval Hospital. where
DE- O'Reilly presided at autopsy Measure
ments of Governor Clinton's skull were taken
and minute examination of the entire body
was made. The upper portions of the body
were found to be in q better state of preserva-
ton than the lower. but, considering the fact
that the body had been in the coffin for nearly
a century, all agreed that its lfeke appearance
was remarkable.
1t is the intention of Governor Clintons de-
scendants in New York and New England to
make the reburial the great feature of King
ston's Memorial Day exercises. On that day
the old town will celebrate its 250th anniver-
sary, and it will be a source of the greatest
pride to all the citizens to be able at the same
time to pay fitting homage to the memory of
their most distinguished townsman.
If present plans carried out the body of Gov
ernor Clinton will be accompanied to the Union
Station in Washington by an imposing military
escort. led by General Bell chief of staff of the
army. In the procession will be representatives
OF patriotic organizations, companies of ma
rines and soldiers from the various branches Of
the service, and a large attendance of govern
ment officials and private citizens. President
has been invited to attend and if he
cannot be present will send a representative.
The body will be accompanied from Washington
by guard Of honor selected from the patriotic
societies and will make the Journey from the
capital to New York City by train. The rail-
road company has signified its desire to trans
port the coffin well as the monument to New
York free of charge
At New York the coffin will be transferred to
a revenue cutter and will probably be escorted
up the hudson by several torpedo boats. The
transfer from the boat to shore and from shore
to the cemetery at Kingston will be marked by
appropriate exercises.