The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1909-01-01
BURIED 700 YEARS
TOMB OF LoNG-DEAD PRELATE
UNCOVERED.
Evidently Place Of SepuIcher Of a
Bishop of the Roman Catholic
Church, But His History
Has Been Lost.

| WOrkmen at the minister at BaSle
Switzerland, while installing a new
heating plant short time ago, dis
covered in an interior crypt a tomb.
which has been made the subject of
a curious investigation.
| 1t was evident that the body en-
closed in the stone walls was that of
a high functionary. 1t was clad in the
vestments of bishop of the Roman
Catholic church. The skeleton hand
still clasped the wooden crook SYM
| bolical of the shepherd
Who was the prelate buried in this
box of stone? Inquiry showed that the
body was that either of Bishop Lutold
| l., of Arburg, who died in 1918, or of
Bishop Heinrich H., of Thun, who died
in 1888. 1t is known, at least, that
the opened tomb contained the re-
mains of man who died nearly 700
| years ago.
The proceedings following this dis
covery were somewhat remarkable. A
photograph of the open tomb with the
| body in it was taken with great diff
ficulty, for it was almost impossible in
that narrow underground hole to make
a clear picture.
For the purpose of thorough exam
ipation the body was taken from it's
bed of centuries to room in the mu-
scum of the city. This was difficult
to do, for the slightest touch was like
ly to crumble anything in the tomb to
| ,i,,o
days, and then the remains were
buried again, it is hoped, never more
| to be disturbed.
The body had been embalmed. but
the process only delayed and did not
arrest the process of decay. The tomb
consisted simply of slabs of stone CO.
mented together, and the remains in
their splendid vestments were laid
upon bed of fiat stones placed in DO
sition without cement.
The head had been pillowed on a
stone scooped out a little. But the
head had not survived that interval
OF seven centuries. Nothing of it was
found excepting some handfuls of dust,
small bit of the lower jaw and a few
teeth.
Some Of the fingers were covered
with skin that had turned to parch-
ment, but they crumbled at touch. A
few Of the cloths plainly retained their
texture and ornamental designs, but
the greatest care in handling them
was required or they would drop to
pieces. All were discolored so that
they looked like brown tobacco leaf.
Chemical tests were made of some of
the cloth, but nothing of Importance
was discovered
The highly ornate shepherds staff
had been made of pieces of ash, lin
den and oak wood, mortised together,
but now rotten to the center, though
| still perfect in shape
| The most striking results of the in
vestigation was the photographs, 20
in number, Of the cloth and embroid-
cry patterns, the tattered leather san
dals and the tomb. Some of the en-
broidery patterns are of remarkable
beauty and intricacy.
There was great difficulty in fixing
the sandals so that they might be pho
tographed, for they were little more
than dust that a breath would blow
away. They had been fitted to the
| feet of dead man nearly 300 years
before Columbus discovered America.
| We know of the remarkable scru-
tiny that has been given to the mum
mified remains of the ancient kings
and queens Of Egypt; this is probably
! the first time that the dust of a Chris
tian prelate has been subjected to
similar Investigations The ancient
processes of preserving the bodies of
the dead far excelled those of the
| Christian era as is strikingly shown in
the present case, for the attempt to
preserve the body from total decay ut
| terly failed