A Pennsylvanian man who was inadvertently mummified in the late 19th century will be buried later this week — and his true identity finally will be released.
The man has been known in death as “Stoneman Willie.” His actual identity, however, is unknown — for now.
What is known is that “Stoneman Willie” was an alcoholic who died of kidney failure on Nov. 19, 1895.
At the time of his death, Stoneman Willie was imprisoned at Berks County Prison on petty theft charges.
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When he was arrested, Stoneman Willie gave his name as “Jams Penn,” said the website Berks Nostalgia.
As he neared death, Stoneman Willie revealed to the prison doctor that his name was not actually James Penn — and that he had provided a fake name in order to spare his brother’s and sister’s reputations, said Berks Nostalgia.
The body of “Stoneman Willie,” a jailed thief who died in a Pennsylvania prison in 1895 and was accidentally mummified by undertakers, will be laid to rest on Oct. 7 — some 128 years after his death. (REUTERS/Kia Johnson)
Several leads on his true identity did not pan out in the months after his death.
As authorities did not know the man’s identity, they were unable to find family members to take his body.
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His body was released to Auman’s Funeral Home in Reading, Pennsylvania — where it was accidentally mummified in an attempt to experiment with novel embalming techniques, said Reuters.
The public can view the body of “Stoneman Willie” for one final time from Oct. 2-6, at Auman’s Funeral Home in Reading, Pennsylvania. (REUTERS/Kia Johnson)
Pennsylvania authorities gave Auman’s Funeral Home the permission to keep Stoneman Willie’s body, rather than burying it, in order to keep monitoring the effects of the embalming technique.
Over a century later, Stoneman Willie remained at Auman’s Funeral Home on display.
His teeth and hair are intact, said Reuters, and his skin has a hard, leathery appearance.
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“We don’t refer to him as a mummy. We refer to him as our friend Willie,” said Kyle Blankenbiller, funeral director at Auman’s Funeral Home, according to Reuters.
“He has just been become such an icon, such a storied part of not only Reading’s past but certainly its present,” he said.
The body of Stoneman Willie is carried in a motorcycle hearse to take part in a parade commemorating the 275th anniversary of the incorporation of the municipality of Reading, Pennsylvania. (REUTERS/Kia Johnson)
Earlier in 2023, Auman’s Funeral Home announced that Stoneman Willie finally would be laid to rest — and that his real name finally had been discovered through careful combing of historical documents.
In a June 1 press conference, Blakenbiller said that Stoneman Willie would be honored with a final public viewing from Oct. 2-6, and that he would be buried on Oct. 7. In honor of his public viewing, Stoneman Willie was re-dressed in 19th century attire, said the website Berks Weekly.
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The day before the viewing began, on Oct. 1, a hearse carrying Stoneman Willie was part of the Reading’s 275th anniversary parade.
“It was nice to have our hometown hero and see him one last time,” Mark May of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, said to local media outlet WFMZ.
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May added that the town’s mummy has “just been a celebrity since I can remember.”
Stoneman Willie’s real name will be inscribed on his headstone and revealed publicly during his burial, Reuters said.
Reuters contributed reporting to this article.
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