Pennsylvania mummy 'Stoneman Willie' to receive proper burial after 128
years
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[October 03, 2023]
By Kia Johnson
READING, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - A mummified man known as Stoneman
Willie will receive a proper burial after being on display at a funeral
home in Reading, Pennsylvania, for 128 years.
The unidentified man was an alcoholic who died of kidney failure in a
local jail on Nov. 19, 1895. He was accidentally mummified by a
mortician experimenting with new embalming techniques, according to
Auman's Funeral Home. |
![](../images/100323PIX/news_r3.jpg)
The body of "Stoneman Willie", a jailed thief that died in a
Pennsylvania prison in 1895 and was accidentally mummified by
undertakers, lies on display at the local funeral home that has been his
resting place for 128 years in Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 1,
2023. REUTERS/Kia Johnson |
Dressed in a suit with a bow tie, the gaunt man is displayed in
a coffin with a red sash across his chest. His hair and teeth
remain intact, and his skin has taken on a leathery appearance.
Because the man gave a fake name when arrested for picking
pockets, Stoneman Willie's identity was unknown for many years
and local officials were unable to locate relatives.
The funeral home had petitioned the state for permission to keep
the body instead of burying it to monitor the experimental
embalming process.
But Auman's Funeral Home says it has now identified Stoneman
Willie using historical documents and will reveal his name later
this week when they lay the body to rest. Until now, not much
was known about him beyond his Irish roots.
"We don't refer to him as a mummy. We refer to him as our friend
Willie," said Kyle Blankenbiller, funeral director. "He has just
been become such an icon, such a storied part of not only
Reading's past but certainly its present."
Ahead of the funeral, the city of Reading will memorialize the
man who has been part of the city's folklore for generations.
On Sunday, local residents filed onto the streets to celebrate
Reading's 275th anniversary with a colorful parade that included
a motorcycle hearse carrying Willie's casket.
All this week, Willie will be on display at Auman's Funeral
Home. On Saturday, he will make his final journey through the
streets of Reading and will be buried at a local cemetery, where
his real name will finally be inscribed on his tombstone.
(Reporting by Kia Johnson; Writing by Arlene Eiras; Editing by
Lisa Shumaker)
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