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424 the Impressions of ‘‘The Evening Newa”™ Petrifactionist There is a petrified man at the Aquarium now. He is dead. He is not an attractive figure considered as sculpture, but the Aqua rium people do not wish him to be considered as sculpture. Their story is that he was found in a river in the Province of Tucapel, in Patagonia, last year, having lain there for some 300 or Wate hatever he may have been when he was alive, if he ever was alive, is quite certain that he is now com of solid brimstone throughout. THE EXING NEws petrifao tionist has devoted half an hour or more to examining it, and dutifully listening to all that was told him. In fact, it was quite a new kind of post-mortem examination that was held in a gloomy chamber at the Aquarium, a faint light coming from a corner window and glistening along the shining surface of the stone figure which lay in a shell con structed to bear half a ton weight The EVENING NEWs representative, in his capa city of coroner any jury combined, returns an open verdict of ‘FOUND DROWNED” though some other ex-officio members of the jury, including the Aquarium authorities, wished much to add a rider to the effect that “the deceased was once a living man, idly either sir Thomas Cavendish or dam,’ and grave charges of murder or con tributory negligence are hinted against some Indian person or persons unknown. It is understood, however, that the alleged cul prits are not now at large, and that the charges will not now be done into The serious belief of those responsible for the show is that the now stone body was once alive. It looks very muchb like the effigies on the tombs at the Abbey and St Paul's. It lies straight and stiff, with its legs together and its arms placed in an orderly manner by its side in the most approved fashion of respectable undertakers. Learned theories that the deceased may have been Sir Thomas Caven dish, who was lost in an exploring expedi tion, or Don Pedro, or Adam, are thrown into the shade by the conclusion arrived at by an old lady, who yesterday afternoon declared her belief that he was none other than the devil, and rejoiced in this solid evidence of his satanic majesty’s decease. A general conclusion it arrived at that whoever he was, he was probably murdered by Indians, and that his arms were then tied to his body by a rope, and he was cast into the creek, where through the long ages he has been petrifying. THE ROPE THEORY is supported by the fact that one arm has the appearance of having been broken ; but why did not the rope petrify as well ? Something has certainly been petrified, but whether it was a man to start with or only a figure is the uestion. There is no established case, so or, of a human body having gone through the stone-making process. The petrified gentleman, if he ever was a gentleman, appears to have taken kindly to the process of petrifaction. A suggestion of a smile, a amazing knowing smile, hovers about his stone features. He did not allow it to be too noticeable or he might very literally have given the show away. He had something up his sleeve; what was it? No man would undergo petrifaction with such a happy countenance unless he thought he knew something. What did he know? Who knows?
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Mon, Jan 01, 0001
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Charlie H.
USA 05 Feb 2026
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