WRIC Richmond News and Weather - Descendents of Lewis continue to seek exhumation

Descendents of Lewis continue to seek exhumation

Associated Press - June 8, 2009 8:35 AM ET

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - Descendents of Meriwether Lewis are continuing their efforts to exhume the explorer's body and investigate his death.

Members of the Lewis family - some who still live near the family's historic Albemarle County estate - have set up a Web site aimed at gathering support for their efforts. They are trying to convince the National Park Service to determine whether Lewis committed suicide or was murdered.

The park service owns the Tennessee property where Lewis is buried. It has refused requests to exhume the body.

Some historians think Lewis fatally shot himself in the head in 1809. Others believe that he died as a result of a plot by his political enemies. He was the governor of the Louisiana Territory at the time of his death.

On the Net:

Solve the Mystery: http://www.solvethemystery.org

Information from: The Daily Progress, http://www.dailyprogress.com

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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