Connecticut western news., 1909-06-17
4 SCIENTISTS
 STARTLING PROOF.
By OSCAR COX.

! the great inancier talked together.
 What is death, doctor? asked the latter.
 "I don't know. Formerly we con- sidered death the separation of animal and spiritual life. occurring when the heart ceased to beat Now we know that the body lives on after that period. There are two causes of bodily death or corruption-viz, microbes and | self digestion. Microbes cannot act r. not permitted to enter, and self digeS- tion cannot take place except through the agency of water. Exclude the n:i- crobes, exhaust the water, and, in m 1 opinion, the body may be kept alive in definitely. In that case spiritual death may be eliminated"
 \ year after this announcement Jon athan Starkwcather the financier, fp>'- | ing i'll, sent for pr. Evan Carroll. t.!l man who made it. But before the doctors arrival the patient had died of heart failure. Carroll produced an or der signed by Starkweather twelve months before for the body. Arthur | Starkweather, the deceased's oldest son, knew of the order, respected it. and the body was transferred to pr. Carroll's laboratory.
 Arthur Starkweather inherited his fathers fortune, but by the will in case of his death without issue, it was to go to Dr Carroll in trust to endow an institute for scientific re- search. Two years after getting pos session of the property Arthur Stark weather died a bachelor. pr. Carroll at once put in a claim for the estate on behalf of his institute
 Innumerable Starkweathers sprang 1 up to contest the will.
 A meeting was called, a committee appointed and counsel employed A month later counsel informed the committee that there was no doubt of their ability to break the will, owing to a flaw in the deed of trust. The trus- tees attorneys were so far convinced of this that they made an offer to compromise. The offer was submitted to meeting of the heirs-at-law and unanimously declined.
 Dr. Carroll, who was present at the meeting, arose and stated that there was some doubt about Jonathan Stark weather being dead and he might be capable of making another will. All were surprised at what was consid- cred an absurd bluff on the part of q man who stood at the head of scien- tific research in America. Shouts of "Proofr' Produce him." Show your hand" were heard from every quar- ter. The doctor left the meeting with out reply, but in a few days every member of the heirs committee was invited by him to present himself at a certain hour of a certain day at his laboratory.
 Upon arrival they were ushered into a dimly lighted unfurnished room, in the center of which was a gigantic test tube similar to those, much small CT, commonly used by experimenters. In the tube was what resembled a skeleton, though it was rather like a strip of dried cartilage. The skull, covered with shriveled flesh, skin and hair, was the only feature that sug- gested a human being.
 The tube was dramatically sealed and occupied a space twelve feet square by seven feet high, inclosed In plate glass. A steam pipe appeared coming up through the floor. Dr. Carroll and several assistants in sterilized gowns entered the inclosure. The tempera- ture was noted and a jet of steam turned on. Then the sealed end of the tube was opened, and after a time the cartilaginous figure began to as- sume the appearance of starved hu- man being. Soon after Dr. Carroll removed it from the tube and placed it in q cushioned easy chair.
 The figure finally opened its eyes, but immediately closed them. Then, open ing them again, it fixed them on the committed There was something so un- canny in the stare of the corpselike body that several of the committee, unable to stand it, left the room.
 At this point Dr. Carroll asked the patient how he felt. He opened his lips to speak but the only sound that came was such as is produced by a talking doll. It was very distressing, and more of the committee went out. Dr. Carroll opened the door of the glass inclosure and asked the commit tee if they recognized Jonathan Stark weather. Several committeeman ad- mitted that they 6Id, but didn't wish to see any more of him. whereupon the doctor took from his pocket a will, properly drawn, and harded 1t to Starkwcather with a stylogrlphic pen. Starkweather signed it. and it was wit messed by the assistants.
 Such is the story whispered among the younger experimenters at the Starkweather institute with reference to the withdrawal of the suit to break the Starkweather will on payment of $100,000 to the heirs of the $1,000,000 left for the institution. There is one element of the story, however, that casts a doubt upon its truth. Nothing