The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-23
SOME MOCK BURIALS
 OF OLDEN TIMES First on Record Took Place De-
 cember 12, 1270 SECRET HELD 200 YEARS The Mystery of the Last Days of Mrs. Jordan, Famous English Actress,
 Seen By Many After Her
 Supposed Burial.
SECRET HELD 200 YEARS
Prom the Washington Herald.


 As far as can be discovered, the grim work of meddling with a depository of sany discoveries which would lend color to the truth of the tradition that graves containing bogus eorpses exist. says the London Globe Henee we have to fall back upon stories; and one of the most remarkable is told by a late owner of Scotney Castle. Wits, in the "Archaeo- iogia cantianaa for 1887.
 Two hundred years ago, when that property was possessed by the Darells a certain Arthur Darrell was buried in the parish church on December l2, 127O. Tt is said that when the mourners were assem- bled around the grave a tall figure muf- lied in a black cloak, whom no one recog- nized, was observed among them; and as the coffin was being lowered into the grave he tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, saying That is me they think they are burying
 The stranger disappeared, and no clew mas found to the occurrence till many years later, when John Bailey, who was sexton in the parish from 1916 to 1867, hay ing occasion to prepare a grave in the southeast aisle of the church, which be- longs to Seotney. came upon a very solid and heavy oak coffin, studded with large
  : its peculiar make excited he raised the lid, which was partially decayed, and to his astonishment found no remains of a skeleton, but only heavy stones, apparent ly put in te give it weight
 A curious mystery envelopes the last days and death of the celebrated actress Mrs. Jordan. In August, 1915, she fled to Hfanee, filled with strange and visionary alarms, and took up her abode in the greatest secrecy and seclusion at St Cloud, in a dilapidated, shabbily furnished barrack of a house, having melancholy cypress trees beckoning to the grave" Here she remained from morning to night signing, upon the sofa, and waiting for news from England. On July B. 1S16 after sending for letters and being told there wereNnone, she fell back on the sofa and burst into a paroxysm of sobbing; her face turned livid-she was dead
 That was the account of her end, as furnished by nameless attendant the only person present. No doctor was called in, neither was any medical evidence ever forthcoming as to the cause of death General Hawker, a son-in-law, started for Paris directly the news reached England but when he arrived he was told that the funeral conducted by MT. Foster. chap lain to tine English embassy, had taken place three days previously.
 A widely circulated report that Mrs. Jordan (whose grave was unmarked by a stone for many years) was not dead long prevailed, and it is alleged that she was subsequently, seen by various persons in London. year or so after her re- ported death, Boaden her biographer, was gazing in the window of a booksellers s shop in Pieeadilly. 'On a sudden a lady stood by my side-to my conviction it was Mrs. Jordan-she did not speak, but dropped long white veil over her face' Boaden admits that not a few ladies were in the habit of getting themselves up to resemble the admired actress, but the mysterious lady who appeared to him in Pceadilly wore an eyeglass, as did Mrs Jordan and the latters extremely pecu- liar manner of using it. Shortly after ward one of the deceaseds daughters, Mrs Alsop had fit of mysteries in the Strand on meeting a woman who she felt convinced was none other than her mother.