A Pennsylvania man who was inadvertently mummified in the late 19th century now has his name back, 128 years after his death, when he was finally buried. Representatives from Auman’s Funeral Home announced that Mr. James Murphy, also known as Stoneman Willie, would be laid to rest on Oct. 7 in Reading, Pennsylvania. The burial was captured in a video posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) by local media outlet WFMZ, with the group bidding “Rest in peace, James.”
When Murphy passed away on Nov. 19, 1895, he was known by the alias James Penn, a name he had provided in order to protect his siblings’ reputations. In his final moments, Murphy revealed his true identity to a prison doctor at Berks County Prison, where he had been held on petty theft charges. However, it took 128 years to uncover his real name. Authorities struggled to identify Murphy, but they knew he was of Irish descent. It wasn’t until his recent burial that his true identity was confirmed.
After his death, Murphy’s body was sent to Auman’s Funeral Home, where it was inadvertently mummified during an attempt to experiment with new embalming techniques. The funeral home was granted permission by Pennsylvania authorities to keep the mummified body for further study instead of burying it. Consequently, Murphy became a peculiar local attraction, with tourists coming to see the leathery-skinned “Stoneman Willie.”
In 2023, Auman’s Funeral Home announced that they would finally bury Murphy and unveil his true identity to the public. Prior to the burial, Murphy’s body was publicly displayed in 19th century clothing for people to pay their respects. As part of the Reading’s 275th anniversary parade, a hearse carrying Murphy/Stoneman Willie made a symbolic journey through town, allowing locals to bid farewell to their hometown celebrity.
After attending the parade, Mark May from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to see Stoneman Willie one last time, stating that the mummy has been a beloved figure in the community for years.
With contributions from Reuters, for more lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle. This article was written by Christine Rousselle, a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
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