Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-03-13
AN AMERICAN MUMMY
J. P. Ross Thinks He Has Secret
of Ancient Egyptians.
SUBJECT SEEMS TO BE ASLEEP
Pennsylvania Undertaken Believes the
Body Will Preserve MarbIeIike APP
pearanoe For All Time - Apparent
Advance In Art of Embalming.


pearanoe For All Time - Apparent
Advance In Art of Embalming.
Two scientists from the Carnegie
museum at Pittsburg recently exam
med the BODY of the unknown man
smbalmed at that time, forty-nine days
ago. by J. P. Ross of Brownsville,
Pa, with some wonderful preservative.
they afterward declared that II Ross,
IN undertaken, has not discovered, as
ae claims he has, the lost art by which
ancient Egypt preserved her dead as
mummies he has at least marked an
Important epoch in modern embalming.
The subject appears to be asleep, and
the face and entire body are as hard
and cold as marble. Ross declares he
believes that the body will remain as
1t Is for all time Notwithstanding that
nothing was removed from it; that the
fluid was injected with the body in
exactly the condition In which it was
when 1t was brought to the undertaken
from where the man had met death by
being struck by train.
Not knowing the name of his sub
ject, Ross has whimsically named It
Jimmie, and so greatly is he pleased
with the result of his experiments,
covering twenty-five years, that he
appears to regard the grewsome OBJ
ject with affection. Jimmie and l."
said he the other day, "have been
working out problem that was solv-
ed in the time Of the pharaohs and
the answer to which was mislaid.
have received many offers for my Sc
cret, but l do not care to dispose of 1t
or let Jimmie out of my sight. II I
am right in believing that 1 have dis
covered the lost art, it will prove a
blessing to mankind. If l am wrong.
nothing will have been lost except by
me.
Il have been injecting the fluid for
seven weeks, and that alone has Civ
en- this remarkable result. I have per-
mitted scores OF physicians to investi-
gate, and all agree that they have new
er seen body in such a state OF pres
ervation. The report that Jimmie's
beard continues TO grow is not true.
The beard grew for the first week. but
since then it has not been necessary TO
shave the subject I expect TO hand
the secret down in my own family. and
by II 1 expect TO become a mummy
when have passed"
Many strangers from various cities
went to Brownsville. fifty miles from
Pittsburg, 10 look into the claims made
by Ross. They did not disclose their
identity, but most Of them appeared
TO be men OF science. They all agreed
that Ross had found something not ]
known 10 any other undertaken. Ross
has long been leader among en-
bslmers and was one Of the first to
discard chloride Of zinc as an element /.
Of embalmlng fluid. finding that the .
copper hue given to the bodies was
due 20 that chemical He found an
other chemical that. combined with .
gave better results. He |
completed the present formula eight .
mouths ago and has since been trying
10 obtain a proper subject.
A Pittsburg hospital offered to allow
him 10 use ifs laboratory and to fur
lish body II the hospital were al
owed 70 share In the discovery. but
his Ross refused TO consider. as be
wanted the secret for bis very own.
When an unknown man was killed
lear this place some weeks ago. Mr..
Ross found there was not break on
be almost perfect body. There was no
laimant for il. and Ross sent word to
he coroner Of Washington county that
le was about 70 make an Important
cientifc test and wanted the body as
liz property. The. coroner gave him the
ernission asked and has himself been
n Interested spectator at many Of the
njections- Mr. Ross has said that be
VII spe7d his last opst nov to keep
NJ relative from calming the body. as
e has put us rhoss LIES vork into II