Columbus Whig. (Columbus, Miss.) 1843-18??, 1844-04-04
For the Wing.
mA..,. Ediinrs, :.

i -MeesTs. EditoTG a...L. ~ mt
40. c;,,vcre krclusc the !" Columb0s BuryIng
4 Cround?'' 70 this question. pei laps none wo"la 10
Il s.,emntsto offer anvs other reason than That OF
Il Indifference. f3y ourpcrmlsson propose 10
make some suggestions, II. regard 10 TINS SAT
red spot, which cndeared 70 many olonI cru
1ens. as being the resting place OF near ana
| - ..;ooJs II w,Il,no doubt surprise many,
- he toId that tIIoy have deposited The remains
IF their friends. in ground, to which, ReitheT
tbcv nor The authorities of the town, have any
lt;ils. We. with our dead, are IN tbe language
Of the law, trcspussers upon these premises. me
present buryiDg ground, Is situated on tne iOeh
Isection. which. OF course belongs TO the schccl
fund. The trustees of this fund. have year atler
wear, permitted the citizens to use 1t iof Durlal
purposes without charge. Now, 1t VIII DC con-
ceded by all, that to give any peFmanehcy 70 its
present location, the ground should be set apart
by the Trustees for this special use. Inc ques@
ton has never yet been determined wheineI OF
not the trustees have the right to make an aP-
IrroDrint,on of anv norton OF the sixteenth sec
ton, for any purpose of this character. Many
| lawyers think they have no authority TO MAKE
such disposition of any portion OF tuis ivtli
section. No final action has ever been mao by
The Trustees upon this subject; and wc "ouid
| ask, if under existing ciEenmstapces' IL "ou,o
not be well for individuals; having dead alreaoy
| inferred. in this ground, or who may expect 10
make this the place Of deposit for themselves
and families, to secure to themselves the right
70 this property? If this course be not pursued
at this timc while Columbus Is IN ito infancy,
| NAV not those who may come alter u.s. when
this place shall have grown to be city' KNOW
inc not the tenants of this home OF the dead,
lobtain title to. this property, and desecrate 1t
with stranger hands? 1t may by them be cul>
tivaed; or become the site of business houses or
dwellings, Other generations Will not be nole
TO find the humble stone, or grass grown or
shrub and vine adorned place, where their lore
fathers rcposcd; but b. compelled to look upon
the spot more dear tothcm than any othcr on
earth as, the arena on whlch.4he debauched and
vile. revel and caronG. Who does not know, IN
what little respect ire held, the old burying
ground on ihe bluff bf the river, and the more
recent ore near the Episcopal Church? What
we would ask is to6avert the same fate from
the present burying ground, IT the increase OF
| this place should anihoriZe its usurpatlon ana
occupancy, By Unsuitable gvarice? Under such
circumstances wonld it pot be well. for each
citizen, who has Or may nave dead. buried IN
this ground :. TO obtain a light 10 a small lot, so
that the silent resting plae of the dead can by
no possibility be disturbed? If this were done,
then a number of those holding adjoining lots,
could unite together and enclose them, and orn-
ament them with sftde trees. Then would the
burying ground be MT only ornament to the
town, but likewise eore pleasing resort TO the
heart broken mournt.
A CITIZEN
We are much obliged to our Correspondent,
for the information obtained in his communI-
cation II e presents let's of which we were not
aware We had Intended in this number Of
our paper, to make some observations upon
the subject of our Iurying Ground, and as the
remarks, we contemplated making arc not the
same as those confined in the letter above,
we will proceed to make the suggestions, pre-
viously purposed.
Directly on the SDutl. ofthe present Bnry!ng
Ground, there is ! slough, which might be
redee med by diid,, which could be cut by
one hand in two days. The slough on the
South.t1 which the dltch''would be cut, is some
8 or 10 feet lower, than that proposed TO be
drained This being the case, the drying by
shallow ditch. would be permanent and all
the land now covered with water could be APP
propriated as burfing ground The original
order, or plan of the present Grave Yard
SCI ms now to be neglected When we first
visited this place, in its newness, 1T appeared
TO be laid offinto streets, and the graves were
arranged, in the order of the plan: but of late
we fndit exceedingly difficult, to determine
whether or not there be any notice paid TO
the former arrangement. Every man selects
his own place without observing the slightest
attention to-the PORTION of the ground, o: the
convenience of oilers. This course will ter.
inmate in great confusion and disorder. No
person in few years will be able to find the
ground of his or her relation.
The young pines are becoming so thick as
10 be in the way Of carriages, and will soon be |
so large as to require much labor to remove |
them when thierpiaces shalIbe wanted for the
dead. Under existing circumstances, we
would suggest the propriety of obtaining Fee
simple title to the ground. We would great
ly prefer, that The right should be vested in
the corporation Of Columbus, instead of indi-
viduals as recommended by our correspondent
BuryingGrornd should be'property, in COM
mon, if used BY the public, until appropriated
to individual usc.
If the corporation can secure title to this
ground, then should the corporation improve
it: The sloughon the South should be drained;
the pines should be cleared off it; it should
cease to be common burying ground for
whites nd.negroes; Gas negroes should always
be inferred at different place from that of the
whites,) the ground should be enclosed and
sexton appointed. to super;ntend and direct
The location of all the graves. oarna
If however, the title can not be perfected, il I
ssthe first duty of this corporation to select 9
pot Of ground. in which to bury their dead and
improve it. as it is time for US 10 cease to act
Is though we were merely tented here for '
eason. More filis anon. II
The Wing Members of the Legislature of :
sew Jersey have, unanimously nominated. il
he Hon. Theadore Freinghuysen, for the "
ttice of Vice President of the United States, y
lbject to the decision of the Wing National Il
Onyenion 10 be held in Baltimore, on the first u
hNnv1 &