 That night , Lisa has a dream wherein the ghosts of Jebediah Springfield and George Washington appear . After seeing the incomplete portrait of George Washington in her classroom , Lisa soon figures out that the piece of paper upon which the confession is written is the bottom half of the portrait . She confronts Hurlbut with this piece of evidence . Hurlbut confesses that he stole the tongue while the dust cleared seconds after the coffin was opened and hid it in a cowboy maquette in the museum . He explained that he had done so to protect his career and the myth of Jebediah Springfield . After realizing the mistake of celebrating a pirate , the two decide to go public with their discovery . Just as Lisa is about to expose the " real Jebediah " to the parading townspeople , she realizes that Jebediah Springfield 's good image means too much to the town , and decides to keep the truth a secret , knowing they will lose hope and morale if the truth is revealed to the public . At the parade , Homer takes a tricorne and bell from Flanders and replaces him , marching through the parade with Lisa on his shoulder . 
