The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1912-01-30
Body Found by
Not That of
Declaration Made In Book by
an Authority on Historical
Forfeiture.
HENRY HART OF
Philadelphia. who ranks as an

haAA Va
Philadelphia. who ranks as an
"A authority on American histori
cal portraiture. has reopened
the controversy as TO whether it was
the body of John Paul Jones that was
discovered in Paris on April Il. 1903,
by General Horace Porter. then am
bassador to France.
This body. escorted by a squadron OF
warships under command of Rear Ad
miral SigSbee. reached the Naval acad-
envy at Annapolis on July "A of that
year, and on April "A. 1906. was given
sculpture in Bancroft hall with great
ceremony.
In book that has just been pub
Iished Mr. Hart makes categorical de-
NAL that this could have been the body
of John Paul Jones The book. emit
tied Memoirs of the Life and Works
of Jean Antoine Houdon. Sculptor Of
Voltaire and Washington" has been
intended by it's author for private cir
culatiOn.
One chapter of the book is devoted
| to Mr.. Harris denial of the authentic
! ity of General Porter's discovery. The
subject finds place because the iden
! LITIGATION of the body was based. in i'm
portant particulars, on extraordinary
| condolences in measurements of the
skull and of busts of Jones by HoudOn
| 1t is against this verifcatiOn that Mr.
| Hart directs his protest. The first of
| these busts was made in 1871 and the
| second in 1884, eight years before
Jones death.
| General Porter declares that Mr..
Harris assertions are absurd and
silly"
Body In Leaden Casket.
The account of the John Paul Jones
commemoration at Annapolis on April
! "a. 1906. published by the government.
! gives first Importance to the data OBJ
| tanned from Houdons bustS. In this
account General Porter's report of his
five years search for the body. which
ended with positive Identification by
a group of French scientists on April
IA, 1905. is embodied This report says:
Two circumstances combined to rem
der the identification of the remains
comparatively easy-the remarkable
state of preservation of the body
(which was found in a leaden casket
filed with alcohol and the abundance
! of accurate information in existence
descriptive of the dead.
ITO furnish the anthropologists with
the required data there was obtained
permission to make all the desired
measurements of the Houdon bust of
Paul Jones. a little more than three
quarter size. owned by the Marquis
de Biron, very artistic work. repre-
senting the admiral in court dress
| with the hair curled in rolls upon the
temples. These rolls were Identical
with those found on the body.
~'There was procured from the TrO
cadero museum copy of the other
we'll known bust of Paul Jones by
Houdon, one of the most accurate
works of the famous sculptor, who
was also an admirer of his subject.
It was found more useful for the pur-
pose of making the comparative meas
uI0luoulS vi dCcOuHL Ut It's DelIlS lie
size. James Madison in letter dated
April %. 1885. says, His bust by Hou-
don is an exact likeness, portraying
we'll the characteristic features
"Dr. Papillault with his delicate in
struments made all the necessary
measurements of the head. features.
length of body, ETC.. and found them
so entirely exact as to be convinced
that the busts were made from the
subject before him. The greatest diff
ferences between any of the compare
tive measurements were only two mil
limeters, about seven-hundredths of an
inch"
Said the Features Agreed.
The official certifcation of the Amer
lean embassy and consulate of the
Identification sets forth that the
agreement of all the important fea
lures of the body ana the Houdor
bust was singularly exact"
Dr. Papillault, assistant director
! ! \ ! i i ..s.s
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