Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-05-09

q consumptive, and was spared but a short
Time Some years since, in company with
venerable parent, visited the chapel for the
hrst time. The weeds and thorns had grown
up around ID, tho glass of the windows was
broken, the door had rusted from its binges
and desolation reigned everywhere. The in,
terror was pretty we'll preserved, but the trap
door had been removed, probably by some
curious or vicious intruders, and a crssy pair
OF steps remained lending down to the tomb.
Descending for a few steps we could see that
the inner door was gone. Some collins still re-
mained, but the fragments of others and what
appeared to be bones, were strewed over the
pavement, or floating in water, which had
penetrated during recent storm. A long me-
tslIic strip, which appeared TO be part of n
coffin, lay Immediately below the steps, amidst
clods of greasy-looking clay all indicated the
desolate and forgotten burial-place, the habita-
tion only of bats and creeping things.
We learned that the last heir had left no re-
lative residing in the neighborhood His exc
cutors, not knowing of this burial place, had
interred him elsewhere; and as this lot was at
point which few ever visited even by chance.
and where property was Ialued at almost moth
ing, no attention had Over been given TO the
proper oare of the building by the distant
owner, and it had been been suffered to 20 TO
decay, the very existence Of such place, much
less Its history being known to few Of the resi-
dents Of city proyerbial for the transitory
character OF its population. The few who did
know OF II, could only give faint recollection of
the family, coupled with n vayue impression
that there was some sad story connected with
the tenant Of one of the coffins who had been
and still was preserved in spirits This in itself
was enough to excite the imagination of the
ignorant; and it WAS supposed might have led
some over-curious ones to break into the build
ing, with the view of testing it's truth, and thus
exposed the tomb to the elements
There Is one person now living, who, whom
she reads these lines, will recall how. on the
evening of our return from the visit to the Bar
ron Chapel, We listened until late at night to the
"reminiscences of that rcvered parent and had
our curiosity and imaginations excited to the
highest pitch by her glowing accounts ofscenes
OF by-gone days in this and other families,
whose glory had departed.
Attention was soon called to the subject, and
q procession of the priesthood soon after visited
the chapel, and with due solemnity transferred
the remains from the frail tenement of n tomb
to that strongest of houses, the grave In that
procession was a venerable man. who recalled
tho period when, 40 years before, he had ofici-
Gated st that now deserted altar and committed
the remains then enclosed in that metal coffin
to what was supposed to be their last resting
place. And then told over the scene he had
witnessed there the night before the funeral
and by putting his account with those I had
previously heard. L have sketrhed this history
Of what may be called fated family. 1t isnot
pleasant 10 dwell upon such scenes: but it is
sometimes useful to reflect upon them, and find
in them lesson on the frailty Of life, its joys
and sorrows.