COFFIN

receptacle for the dead. The ancients used c’s made of baked clay; stone came later into use, and lead c’s were common dauring Middle Ages. Wooden shells came into general use during the XVII. cent., before which time the poor were buried merely in grave-clothes. (1823-1896), an American writer, 6. in Boscawen, N.H. During the Civil War he was correspondent at the front for the Boston Journal, serving in the same capacity in Europe during the A us troP ru ian War, in 1866. Later he began to write books, mostly for boys, which enjoyed a wide popularity for many ears. Among them are The Boys of 76, 1879; Building the Nation, 1883; The Drum-Beat of the Nation, 1887, and Freedom Triumphant, 1891.