Text: Anonymous, “Raised from the Grave,” Evening News (Baltimore, MD), October 1, 1875, p. 2, col. 1

[page 2, column 1:]

Edgar Allen [[Allan]] Poe's Remains Brought to Light — Removed from their Old Resting P1ace — Appearance of the bones — Interesting Scene in the Westminster Burying Ground.

The work of preparing a foundation for the Poe monument was commenced yesterday in the Westminster Church burying ground, corner of Green [[Greene]] and Fayette streets, and in order to, build it of sufficient strength bold the immense marble base, it was found necessary to remove

THE REMAINS OF THE POET

to the grave of Mrs. Clemm, his mother-in-law, which is situated a few feet south of the old spot. The grave before the work of removal commenced, presented a most neglected appearance. Situated to the south-west of the churchyard with the grass growing free all around, few would imagine that that simple green-clad-mound covered all that was mortal of one of the brightest writers of the 19th century. Nearly all the graves in the immediate vicinity had costly monuments or head stones with loving inscriptions to tell of who “lay buried there,” that of the immortal Poe alone being without even a simple slab to mark the mound. All will be changed however, and a shaft will be reared ere long to tell the coming ages that through long neglectful Baltimore did not altogether forget the son who shed a lustre on her name, and, indeed, over that of the nation as large. Mr. George W. Spence, sexton of the Westminster grounds, has the work of preparing for the monument in hand, and when it became evident that the position of the coffin would have to be altered, he entrusted the removal to Mr. W. L. Tuder,

A PROFESSIONAL COFFIN LIFTER,

who has in his time raised over two thousand from their original resting places. He set about his task early in the afternoon, and the sun was just setting behind the western horizon when his spade sounded on the coffin lid of the poet. It lay about five feet from the surface, and at first sight appeared as sound as when first put into the earth. On carefully raising it to the brink of the grave Mr. Tuder discovered that it was partially broken in at the sides, and that the lid near the head was so much decayed that it fell to pieces on the ground. On looking through the aperture thus created Messrs. Spence, Tuder, their assistants, and the NEWS man beheld the skeleton of Poe. The flesh and funeral robes of course had crumbled into dust, and there was nothing left but the bare bones and a few clumps of hair attached to the skull, to tell that a body had once been there. The skeleton was in perfect condition, the arms lying as they were arranged in death, and the back and leg bones were in a natural position. The ribs had fallen out, but lay in order on either side of the coffin, and the skull had not moved in the least from its proper place. The teeth of the upper jaw must have been shaken out in the lifting of the coffin, for they lay

SCATTERED ABOUT THE SKULL,

but those of the lower jaw, which had fallen from the rest of the “face,” were perfect, not one being missing from either side. The teeth looked pearly white, and were in excellent preservation. Without loss of time Mr. Spence had the coffin placed within a wooden case and lowered to the grave prepared for it, and before the darkness set in the clay was dashed for the second time on the hollow sounding casket, and the remains of the poet were covered up, never, it is to [sic] hoped, to be disturbed again.

A NEWS reporter made another visit to Westminster graveyard to-day and found the foundation complete for the reception of the slab. Mr. Tuder was there awaiting the arrival of the stone, and two or three laborers sat around-discussing the difference in dead bodies and munching peaches from the trees which abound in that section of the churchyard. Robert Davidson, the old man of all work about the church, and who sleeps in a sort of living tomb beneath it, with an entrance looking out on many an ancient slab, was there too, removing the stones from the peaches which he picked from behind the grass upon the mounds, and spread the fruit out to dry on a long bench which he had improvised with tomb-stones for its supports. Robert is better known as “Old Mortality” and he sleeps contentedly beneath the church as he would do in the most costly mansion in the city. He speaks with a broad Scotch accent, but states that he was raised in the North of Ireland, and was in all his habits a genuine “far downer.” Though living so near the grave yard he dreads to touch a coffin, and could not be prevailed upon yesterday to lend a helping hand in raising that of Poe. Mr. Tuder, on the other hand, takes to the work naturally, and states that he would just as, soon sleep on a tombstone as anywhere else. During his experience around churchyards he removed the remains of many well known personages, among whom may be named those of Wells and McComas, Gov. Howard, and many others of note in Maryland.