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in LliG National Cemetery at Gettysburg, and any day you should go up there I could show you his graved5 Such a paradox naturally excited the curiosiiy of the l»yslanders. The dead-alive man seemed to be in very excellent health, but in fact that his grave was to he decorated on that veiy day was found to be a hard, although strange, fact.MYes,” said ho, with a twinkle in his eye, umy grave Is in the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, and I am officially dead. At least it is so Etated on the records of that place, and I have often had the melanclioly pleasure of decorating my own grave.1511 That seems strange,” said the listener. The veteran was as solemn as Ills tomb itself. “I don’t look dead, I knew,” said ho, “and I don't hi/ ve that I am, hut when, a few years after the close of the war, I visited Gettysburg ccmGfcery and found a grove marked with my name I was shocked, but am used to it now. My name is Stephen Kelly; I live at No. 012 South Ninth street, and am reasonably well and happy, notwithstanding that my comrades Insist occasionally that I shall visit the historical burial ground and spread flowers over my own grave. It’s a mistake, of course; I atn;fc dead, but can'tget the cemetery people to acknowledge that fact, I was mustered In on August 21, 1801, and was mustered out as this certificate will show you, in ISO I, honorably discharged at the end of my service.1 ’ The papers were duly examined and found Lo be correct “Bates' History/’ continued he “and the records show that I was killed and buried at Gettysburg. Thu only trouble is, that some other poor fellosv killed iu that-bloody battle was buried for mo. How the mistake occurred, or who the unfortunate soldier was, I could never find out; hut I suppose some of my personal belonging^ lost during the heat of the fight, and bearing my mime, wore found on the dead BOldier, and ho was buried as Slophen Kellygo upevery year to decorate my own grave.” Mr. Kelly was a member of company £!, Ninety-first regiment Pennsylvania volunteers, and served out his term of fchreo years. Ifo Is now a member of. Cc» A. li. Post No. 8, of this city*— * PJiiliuielphhi Record*
Newspaper Details
Gettysburg Star and Sentinel
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, US
Tue, Jul 20, 1886
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
PA, USA 27 Jun 2020
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