The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-02-23
For the Miners, Express.


Mr.. EDITOR LAS. night | read with great
lttention one of your editorials, headed City
Craze Yard" and found your remarks to be
rery correct. As am the owner, for the Cath
Bile Church, Of a, small portion Of the Southern
ground which was left out Of the present en-
closure of the City Grave Yard, deem it
proper to state how came in possession of the
lot 462, and then to show what profound
veneration the Church possesses for the dead!
On the Cd day of July, 1886. bought for
religious purpose at the Land Office sale, sixty
six hundredths of an acre of land, now called
lot 462. This l did without any knowledge
that q small portion of it was included within
the fence of the City Grave Yard, as Messrs.
Ed. Langworthy, H. V. Gildea, and others
can certify. So much so, that when discovered
the mistake, prop ed to MIR. Langworthy to
make an exchange with him for the lot, which
he had bot for himself; to which he replied that
there was only small portion Of lot 462 with
in the limits of the Grave Yard, and that the
fence cocld be removed without any difficulty
| then requested, several times, the City Coun.
Gil to order that no new graves should be dug
in tina. portion, but in vain. On the 10th Of
October, 1876, patent signed by the President
J, X Polk, was granted to me; paid the tax
es since then for the whole sc hundsedths of al
acre. Now, should any thing be wrong in thu
acquisition of that title, surely the officers o
the Land Office and the City Assessors ar
more to be blamed than myself. 1t is also wor
thy ofreu,ark that in the town plat of Dubuque
the 18th street, Ga feet wide, is to run east ant
west, north of our lot 462, and south of the new
fence, leaving consequently in it, a very snal
fraction of the primitive Grave Yard.
! Unjust acknowledge fairly now, that being
lately under the necessity of building Churc'
in that part of the town, SO remote from GU
actual Church, and where there are so man
Catholics, requested The City Council to hav
the fence removed from the northern part OF tn
lot, which Mr.. Ed. Langworthy had told m
stood that another fence should be built on tina
part, say for I years or more, 10 protect tn
graves. Now, it was so much my intention
have this done, when | made my request, tina
this very morning | went early to the spot t
see how the matter stood. | found to my grea
surprise ard sorrow, that several graves were &C
tually exposed to profantion outside of the fence
| went Immediately to carpenter, and a cor
tract was made with him to have all these grave
fenced in, at my expenses, as soon as the fros
is out of the ground. The perfect CORRECTNESS
of the transaction on my par. appears to be ey
ident.
In addition to this, permit me, sir, to stat
that few years since | expended 8
Keokuk over $3.50 in order to fence in publ
Grave Yard, which was exposed to PROCLAMATION
and built Church on it. Should not this hav
been done, the graves would certainly hav
been desecrated by the digging of cellars an
building of ware houses, as it has been don
since all about that spot And although hav
bo'tin the very middle ofthat flcurishing town
splendid block Of IL lots, intend to protect OF
claim to that Grave Yard, at least until the re
mains of the persons in it shall have been mou
dred away. In Burlington, the public grav
yard was fenced in also, partly upon persons
suggestion, after having been left exposed fe
many years to the herds Of stock grazing o
the commons. In Iowa City, have bought {
acres of land, and selected the best part Of
for decent grave yard. In word, the atten
ton of the Catholic Clergy in this Diocese, ;
well as every where else, has been and is quit
conspicuous on that important subject.
Should not, however, the community be sa
isfed with my statements and resolutions, i
them say what they wish that | should do b
sides, and shall do it., for being the Minist
Of the God of peace, ! would rather lose ev
ry inch of that ground, than to be the caus
even the occasion Of any disturbance or of ar
dissatisfaction among the good citizens Of D.
buqqe.
After such fair explanation and disinteres
ed resolutions, beg, Sir, of your known sem
of propriety and justice one favor, VIZ not
have in your par my name msn,i ned any mo
in communications where the following e.
pressions, or the like, may be fonnd, viz: ta
thing ritianous proceedings lots fraudulent
obtained eacroaching on the Craze Yard zoe
prowling hyena like about the Grace YARD
blinded by aparine &c. &c. So doing, you wi
confer real favor on me personally and on II
large and respectable community which repr
sent. Yours respectfully,
MATH. LORAS,
Catholic Bishop of Iowa
Dubuque Feb. 10th 1858.