The Mystery of The ''Lady in Red''

By Crusader1307

Perhaps one of your more ‘’unusual’’ Mysteries, The ‘’Lady in Red’’ still endures within the confines of The American State of Mississippi. As Our Tale unfolds, we go back to the year 1969. Recent Owners of an Antebellum Era Farm known as ‘’Egypt Plantation’’, decided to begin renovations. And while much of the original pre and post- Civil War Era buildings have long since crumbled to dust, it was decided that a new septic tank was needed. These tanks are quite common in many rural areas without modern sewage and drainage systems. In short, a large metal (enclosed) tank is buried in the ground with pipes running to various living structures. It is here waste gathers and is eventually pumped clean. Such things did not exist in the 1830s (when Egypt Plantation was built).

While excavators worked with Backhoe machinery – digging deep into the ground, They hit upon a hard metallic object. Curious, the Workmen began to clear the Site with shovels. What They found indeed scared Them. The Men uncovered a large, solid iron Sarcophagus! Since no Graveyard (private or otherwise was near), They wondered just what They had uncovered. The local Police were called. Upon close investigation, the Workers had uncovered a ‘’Fisk Casket’’. These iron coffins (shaped very much like an Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagus), were popular in the 1850s for several reasons. The first, they deterred ‘’Grave Robbing’’, due to the Casket being ‘’bolted shut’’. Second, if a Family needed to transport a ‘’Dearly Departed’’ great distances over time, such a device was needed. Embalming was still ‘’unheard of’’ by today’s Modern methods. One early type, involved pouring pure alcohol (by the gallons), into The Fisk Casket and sealing it with a heavy glass partition. Once the upper portion was locked into place, a small ‘’viewing window’’ was available. This allowed for Family to ‘’see’’ Their now ‘’pickled’’ relative. Primitive, but the process worked extremely well (As We Shall See….)

Fisk Caskets were VERY expensive. Only the most wealthy could well afford the construction (often special ordered to ‘’fit’’ a specific person). So when Police realized what They had, They too wondered just ‘’why’’ such an item was buried on the property (which had not been habituated since the 1870s). No records of prior ‘’Family Burials’’ from previous Owners were recorded in County Record. It was decided to pry open the ‘’viewing port’’. What was seen baffled description.

Inside The Casket was the PERFECTLY preserved body of a very ‘’beautiful woman’’. She appeared to be ‘’asleep’’. The woman had long black hair and red lips. She was wearing a red velvet dress (with cape) and black buckled shoes. Her outfit was definitely dated to the 19^th Century. Her ‘’preservation’’ was based on the Fish being filled with alcohol and (luckily) NEVER leaking. But no identification whatsoever could be found. The serial number on The Fisk Casket (which could be traced still to a specific requesting buyer) was long since worn away. It was because of The Lady’s clothing – was She dubbed ‘’The Lady in Red’’. Some speculate, that perhaps The Lady was being transported from back East (US) or visa versa from Train to Train. Perhaps lazy workers, hauling the extremely heavy Casket simply dropped it by mistake. Not wanting to lift it (or perhaps not even having tools to do so), They simply buried it where it fell. As such, no one ever fond out ‘’what became’’ of Their ‘’missing loved one’’. Perhaps still, The Lady has a more nefarious past, even a murder victim – cleverly concealed and never (it was hoped) to be unearthed. Everyone locally has a ‘’story’’….

Her Story made National headlines in Newspapers. It was determined that She had been dead for at least 100 years. Obviously no one was still alive to identify Her. As such, it was determined to NOT further disturb The Lady’s ‘’slumber’’. She was buried in The Odd Fellows Cemetery in Lexington in 1969. A simple Grave Plaque (with the dates of 1835-1969 as being the closest approximation of death plus discovery) marks Her resting place. She was and is still ‘’visited’’ by the curious since (although not perhaps as much as She was in the beginning of Her ‘’Legend’’). What is odd however, is why Police did not attempt to take photographs of Her face? Perhaps They did, but these photos have long since been lost or misplaced. Some locals have argued for a Modern Forensic examination (exhumation). But it is argued that once The Fisk Casket’s seal is broken, The Lady will no doubt simply ‘’dissolve’’ into nothingness. Hence, The ‘’Legend of The Lady in Red’’ still endures……..