Sunday Cemetery - General Henry Van Ness Boynton

Published on the 8^th of June in 1905 in the Baltimore American out of Baltimore, MD

BURIED WITH MILITARY HONORS

GENERAL BOYNTON NOW RESTS AT ARLINGTON CEMETERY

A Funeral Befitting the Rank of a Brigadier General – The Services Held at New York Ave. Presbyterian Church – Representatives Present From Gridiron Club – Remains Taken to Cemetery on a Gun Caisson – Salute of Eleven Guns From Fort Myer.

     Washington, June 7 – Gen. Henry Van Ness Boynton was buried today in Arlington National Cemetery with distinctive military and civic honors. Although a civilian at the time of his death, he was accorded a funeral befitting an office of the rank he at one time held in the United States Army, that of brigadier general. The funeral services, which took place at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, were conducted by Rev. Dr. Wallace Radcliffe and were participated in by a numerous representation of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland, the Loyal Legion and the Gridiron Club, in all of which organizations General Boynton had for many years past been a leading spirit.

     The funeral services were unostentatious, being in strict accord with the wishes of the deceased. The church ceremony consisted principally of an eulogy by Dr. Radcliffe and the singing of two hymns by the Gridiron Club Quartet. Dr. Radcliffe’s eulogy was an eloquent review of the career of a lifelong friend. The floral tributes were many and of varied design, the casket being literally buried in masterpieces of the florist’s art.

     Among the tributes was large floral wreath sent by the city of Chattanooga, where General Boynton was well-known, and a delegation of whose citizens attended the funeral, President Roosevelt, in expressing sympathy to Gen. Andrew S. Burt, Chairman of the committee representing the Army of the Cumberland in the funeral arrangements, took occasion to pay a high tribute to the character and public services of General Boynton, saying that he regarded him as the highest type of a soldier and a citizen, and one of the best examples of patriotic American manhood.

     At the conclusion of the church services two troops of cavalry escorted the remains, which rested on a gun caisson, with artillery sergeants as body bearers,  to their resting place in the historic Arlington. As the funeral cortege passed Fort Myer a brigadier general’s salute of 11 guns was fired and the last military honors were rendered by a volley over the distinguished soldier and citizen’s grave.

     General Boynton, up to within a few weeks of his death, had been president of the Board of Education of the District of Columbia, and as a tribute to his memory the public schools were closed for the day. The flag on all District buildings were placed at half staff.

     The pallbearers, eight in number, selected by the General before his death form the Gridiron Blub, introduced an innovation. Each member of the club wore a boutonniere of lavender sweet peas, tied with black and white ribbons, the colors of the blub. At the Arlington Cemetery, after Dr. Radcliffe, the officiating clergyman, had pronounced the benediction over the open grave, the eight Gridiron pallbearers advanced and unpinning the flowers from their coats, dropped them in upon the casket as a last tribute to the memory of their fellow member.

Saturday Spotting - Mud Pond Mystery

Published in August 1905 in the Wilkes –Barre Times out of Wilkes-Barre, PA 

STILL INVESTIGATING THE MUD POND MYSTERY

     When the body of J. Arthur Potter, who was mysteriously drowned at Mud Pond near Lake Ganoga, two weeks ago, was exhumed for the Ellentown cemetery yesterday a deep gash was revealed over the young man’s face and left eye. Dr. Allan C. Brooks, of this city, performed the past mortem. It is not known whether it will implicate Thomas J. Georgi and Harold Kensey, of East End, with the tragedy.

Dr. Brooks returned from Ellentown this morning. He was seen by a TIMES reporter at his residence on North Franklin street, but was rather reticent about his findings. He stated, however, that he found a deep gash over the dead man’s eye, but refused to make further comments. The gash was made by a blunt instrument and according to Dr. Brooks, the blow was sufficient to render Potter unconscious. The wound extends form the tip of the nose to a point over the eye.

The county officials engaged Dr. Brooks to perform the post mortem examination and he left here Tuesday. From this city he went to Dushore, where he met Undertaker Frank E. Bickens, who buried Potter. He then went with the undertaker to the cemetery in Ellentown, Lycoming County. The place is situated between Williamsport and Towanda and they did not reach the cemetery until yesterday afternoon.

HELD POST MORTEM IN RAIN

     As there was no place to take the body after it was exumed, Dr. Brooks had to perform the post mortem examination in the cemetery. There was a curious crowd about the remains and Dr. Brooks took four hours with his examination. The body was in tan excellent state of preservation. While he was working over the remains it was necessary for some on to hold an umbrella over him.

He cut open the skull and also examined the abdomen. Just what he found Dr. Brooks would not state, but he intimated he had some valuable information. After the autopsy he returned to this city, arriving here shortly after 11 o’clock.

CONFERENCE WITH DISTRICT ATTORNEY

     Upon his arrival in this city he was summoned to the district attorney office. There he was interviewed by District Attorney Jones, Assistant District Attorney Meyers and county Detective Jones. He told them his story, and according to District Attorney Jones he was direct to write out a report.

Dr. Brooks when later interviewed denied that he receive orders to write up a report, stating that he gave the district attorney all the information he had.

Assistant District Attorney Meyers, when interviewed, stated no warrants had been issued for either Georgi or Kensey. The district attorney has been acting slowly in the investigation, and will make no arrests until he is positive of his information.

Sunday's Cemetery - Founder of the American Navy

Published in April of 1905 in the Baltimore American out of Baltimore, Maryland

PAUL JONES’ BODY IS FOUND

DISCOVERED IN OLD ST. LOUIS CEMETERY AT PARIS

MYSTERY SOLVED AT LAST

Ambassador Porter’s Long Search for Remains of Famous American Admiral Successful - Hundreds of Caskets Unearthed – The Body Found Well Preserved in a Leaden Casket – Anthropologists Pronounce Body that of Founder of American Navy – Will Be Brought to This Country and Entombed With Honors.

(By Cable to The American)

     Paris, April 14 – The remarkable search which Ambassador Porter has conducted for the body of Paul Jones has been crowned with success by the discovery of the body and its identification today by the highest French medical experts as unquestionably that of the famous American admiral who founded the American Navy.

     Ambassador Porter cabled to Washington tonight announcing the successful results of his search. The body is in a good state of preservation considering that the interment took place over 100 years ago.

     The circumstances leading to the final discovery of the body are particularly interesting. General Porter has conducted the search for the last five years, and when Congress recently took no action upon the President’s recommendation for the expenses incident to the search the Ambassador continued the extensive labors at his own expense. A large force of workmen has been engaged night and day tunneling and cross-tunneling the old St. Louis cemetery. This constituted a huge operation, embracing nearly a block covered with buildings and requiring a system of subterranean mining.

The Coffin Opened

     Hundreds of wooden caskets were found, but not until Wednesday were unearthed four laden caskets which gave promise of containing the body of the admiral. Three of them bore plates designating the names of the deceased. The fourth showed superior solidity of workmanship. No plate was found on this casket and it is supposed it was removed when another coffin superimposed on it. The leaden coffin was opened in the presence of General Porter, Colonel Bailly-Blanchard, the second secretary of the American embassy, and Engineer Weis, who has been directing the excavation.

     The body was found to be well preserved owing to its being immersed in alcohol. It was wrapped in a sheet with a packing of straw and hay. Those present were immediately struck by the resemblance of the head to that on the medallion and busts of the admiral.

     As was anticipated, no uniform, decoration or sword were found, as all such materials had been accounted for after the burial.

     The coffin is shaped like a mummy coffin, which coffins were common at that period, widening from the feet to the shoulders, with a round top fitting over the heard.

The Identification

     The casket was taken to the medical school, where Drs. Capitan and Papllant, distinguished, professors of the School of Anthropology and recognized authorities on such investigations, where charged with making a thorough examination for the purpose of identification. To facilitate this the Ambassador furnished them with portraits and medallions, two busts by Houdin and authentic descriptions of the color of the Admiral’s hair and the height and measurement of his body. After the most minute examination the following facts were fully sustained; Length of the body – 5 feet 7 inches – the Admiral’s exact height.

     Size and shape of the head agree with several peculiarities identical with the head of the admiral.

     Hair – dark brown, the same as the admirals; in places slightly grey, indicating a person of his age, 45 years. The hair is long, reaching below the shoulders and combed back and gathers in a clasp at the back of the neck.

     The face is clean shaved, all corresponding exactly with the descriptions, portraits and busts of the admiral.

     The linen is in good condition. One article bears an initial either “J” or an inverted “P.”

Wrapped in Tinfoil

     The body was carefully packed. The limbs were wrapped in tinfoil. Presumable for sea transportation, as indicated in a letter of the Admiral’s nearest friend and a pallbearer of his funeral, Colonel Blackden, who said:

“His body was put in a leaden coffin, so that in case the United States, which he and so essentially served, should claim his remains, they might be more easily removed.”

     Sending that all the internal organs were singularly well preserved, the doctors made an autopsy, which showed distinct proof of the disease from which the Admiral is known to have died. The identification was pronounced complete in every particular.

     Care has been taken to keep the body in its present state of preservation. It will be placed in a handsome casket and deposited in the receiving vault of the American Church, on the Avenue de ‘Alma, until the ambassador can learn the opinion of the government concerning the most appropriate means of transporting it to the United States and giving a fitting sepulcher to the body of the illustrious sailor whose place of burial has so long remained a mystery.

Satisfaction at Washington

     Washington, April 14. – Ambassador Porter’s dispatch announcing the finding of the body of John Paul Jones reached the State Department tonight. There is genuine satisfaction among the officials at Washington that the untiring efforts of Ambassador Porter have been crowned with success. Officials here followed his reports on the subject with keen interest and think it was particularly gratifying that he was able to bring his task to a successful conclusion before retiring from his post. It is probable that a recommendation will be made to congress at its next session looking to his reimbursement. The remains of John Paul Jones are to be brought here and interred to the National Cemetery at Arlington, and it is likely that the transfer will be made the occasion of an interesting demonstrations.

     Last year, at the time the search for the body of John Paul Jones was begun, Mr. Moody, then secretary of the Navy, made the official announcement that if the body were found the government would send a battleship to France to convey it to this country. It is not doubted that Secretary Norton will fulfil the promise then made. 

Sunday's Cemetery- Roman Catholic Cemetery Damage

Published in September of 1905 in the Plain Dealer out of Cleveland, OH

HAS A STRANGE MANIA.

Some One Takes Delight in Mutilating Monuments in Catholic Cemeteries.

     TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Sept. 21 – A News special from Escanaba, Mich., says another of the peculiar raids on monuments and crosses in Roman Catholic cemeteries in this district has been made, this time at Gladstone, Mich., where twenty-five crosses were broken and overturned last evening.

     A mysterious stranger who was arrested yesterday afternoon on suspicion in Gladstone, is believed to have been guilty of the vandalism. The man, about sixty years old, and dressed like a pedlar, with two heavy grips, was arrested in the afternoon and released about 6 o’clock. He started out of town along the cemetery road. When watchers went to the cemetery at 7 o’clock to guard it for fear of an attack during the night on the tombstones and crosses they found the damage done.

     Scores of people are searching the country about Gladstone for the stranger.