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Who was 'Stoneman Willie'? Renowned Pennsylvania mummy identified and buried 128 years after his death

'Stoneman Willie' is said to have been a petty thief who died in jail custody and was accidentally mummified by the funeral director, Theodor Auman

Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised

READING, PENNSYLVANIA: On Saturday, October 7, leather-skinned "Stoneman Willie," a famed mummy, was identified as James Murphy and given a proper burial 128 years after being put on display in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Murphy, an alleged thief who supposedly died in custody on November 19, 1895, had his body transferred to the Theo C Auman funeral home, and when no one came to claim it, funeral directors accidentally mummified him, as per Daily Mail. 

Throngs of people gathered to "Stoneman Willie" in recent days to pay their respects, take pictures, and marvel at the eerie mystery in a show that is unlikely to take place again in the country.

According to Kyle Blankenbiller, the director of the Theo C Auman funeral home, the mummified man had become an unusual aspect of Reading history and was now given a well-deserved send-off.

"Rest in peace, James," said people as they uncovered his gravestone, which read "Stoneman Willie" in bold font and his real name in small letters beneath.

His nickname originated from the hard-as-stone leathery skin and smooth, hollowed facial features that have fascinated countless people over the years, including curious locals, researchers, and in earlier times, children on field trips. 

'Stoneman Willie' was an alcoholic who allegedly died from kidney failure

James Murphy was apparently an alcoholic and died from kidney failure at Berks County Prison on November 19, 1895, while he was being held for petty theft charges.

He had been detained twice in the same week, on October 1 for public drunkenness and on October 7 for breaking into the Morris Brown Boarding House. Murphy might have been in Reading for a state firefighters convention.

According to the New York Times, he was described as having sandy brown hair, a mustache, and a height of 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) by the prison warden. 

A Berks County historian, George Meiser IX, claimed that Murphy was 37 years old and gave his name as "James Penn" or "William Penn" to the police. 

The Theo C Auman funeral home has taken care of the mummified remains ever since he died in detention not long after his second arrest, and several generations of students and visitors have paid tribute there.

As per the claims of Berks Nostalgia, at the vege of his death, Murphy admitted to the jail doctor that his real name was not James Penn and explained that he had given a false name to protect his siblings' reputations, as stated in a report of Fox News. 

How did James Murphy become mummified?

In an effort to test out new embalming methods, James Murphy's body was accidentally mummified at Theo C Auman's funeral home in Reading, Pennsylvania, as reported by Reuters.

Theodor Auman, a mortician who practiced arterial embalming, experimented with a novel formula while the discipline of embalming was still in its infancy in the late 19th century, according to Blankenbiller.

The embalming fluid is injected into the artery, dislodging the blood, and a drain tube aids in the ejection of blood from the vein. 

"Stoneman Willie" became mummified as a result of "the intensity of the concoction that he used," a method that removes moisture and prevents decomposition. The overabundance rendered the man's physique essentially petrified.  

Reading City paid tribute to 'Stoneman Willie' with a festive parade and motorbike hearse

On Sunday, October 1, the city of Reading celebrated its 275th anniversary and paid tribute to the mummified body with a festive parade and a motorbike hearse transporting Willie's coffin.

Kyle Blankenbiller said, "We don't refer to him as a mummy. We refer to him as our friend Willie. He has just been become such an icon, such a storied part of not only Reading's past but certainly its present."

He was attired in 19th-century garb for public viewing, including a suit and a scarlet ribbon across his torso. "Stoneman Willie's" real name was only discovered through papers from the prison, burial home, and other documents after some historical investigation by local historians.