The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-07-13
Supposed Remains Of Great Ger
man Poet Schiller Viewed
by Scientists.
ny Ia NiAnauIsn DE roNrrNoY.

by La NiARQUIsD DE FONTENoY.
- VERY American who has been in
- eimar has made a. point or
u Visiting tho beautiful "fuersten-
grutt.' or mAusO4cum OF the
reisalns grand dual family situated
M a. picturesque park Ia the suburbs
oi the city Among its features III IN
ierest are the tOmos OF the great Ger
man poets. Goethe and Schiller whose
remains were aid there as posthumous
tribute To their genius Oy Grand duke
Cnaries Augustus in 1870. II has been
recently ascertained beyond the pos
sluilliy OF . doubt. that in the case
OF schiller. who died IN 1919. and whose
supposed body was Gisintersed from
us first resting place for removal TO tho
princcly vault. u mistake was made. and
the bones OF stranger placed in the
sarcopAasus bearing his hume. The
Unknown stranger has IN consequence
ana the schiller sarcophagus removed.
Tor the present grand-duSc prudentiy-
takes the ground that since the sclen-
lists or Grmany once before mado Il
mistake In tho Identity OF Sehllers
bones. there - no reason why they
should not do SO again. So the re-
mains now believed TO De those of
schiller are 70 be Inferred IN vault
monument
The whole question OF tho identity
turns upon skull Schiller's body
was carried by night by intimate
AZ ifu4S 20 inc cemetery, and placed
In vault which contained the bodies
" = number OF relatives and friends.
twenty ono years later part Of the
cemetery Ia which the vault was Sit
tated vas condemned to demolition,
ior the purpose OK !nstitut!ng some
ruoAc improvements. and II Was then
mat the grand duke offered nnal
resting place for Schiller In his "Fuers-
tengruft.' Burgomaster Scnwabe. the
only one remaining OF those VINO had
. zen present at the original interment.
visited The vault In order to identify
the remains, but found that the shelves
HaG gwen Way. the collins in falling
nde broken open. and that there were
no Tess than twenty-three skeletons
"eepeD upon the floor. Tho only way
o. distinguishing that Of Schiller was
uE means OF the skull. which was OF
peotAar shape, and b. compa ris on
with the death mask made at his de-
cease. accordingly the mayor carried
tAe twenty three skulls. duly numbered.
nome IN bags. and marshaiNnly them
IA OLusr on table. spent several nights
~. I'm paring them with tho death mask.
men he called In several medical men
1Hu persons Who had known tho poet
tIesented them with the results OF
MS Investigations, and asked for their
opinion. Their views colncided With
MS own. and on the strength OF this
Una unanimous lI, verdict tho selected relic
was restored TO its skeleton Ono .n-
ther test was applied. Goethe NO
mac been an intimate friend OF Inc
VcceaSea, mad some prcteusions tn orot
- C"-euBe. 10 him acco I'd rrrl,-
the bones We're dispatched contaii,sd
IN a !ong box. and accompanied bv a
note from the burEomaster. which &c
sun In existence: Herewith enclosed
Your Exceliency Will ind the entirc
skeleton Of Schiller lacking only SOM
.eW bones OF the hands and toes wbicb
we dld not wish TO replace Nv nnv
.ofelgn material" Goethe pronouncs5
t4e bones to be undoubtedly those ~
ms friend. and II was while hoid,nr
5Ine skrll IN his hand that he bocann,es
n'ed with the poetic insplra .;on OF his
famous ode. On the Skull OF Schiller"
which begins:
''NIyster.ons vase whence oracles have
It was after this elegaJo etusion'
and with the seal of Goethe's approval
upon the burgomasters verdict. that
ne m bones We're transferred to tho
fuerstensruft but not before a plnster
cast was made OF the skull
In the hands CT modern science how
ever the death mask and the c-anial
csst nave given rise to entirely differ"rt
tne bones OF the latter could ncvcr
nave underlain the faoo OF the forrner
PROFESSOR t'roreig OF the University Of