St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1879-04-12
Sfckening Scenes i'm a City
Cemetery.
HOW THE NEW ORLEANS PoTTER's FIELD
is CONDUCTED.

", . a loiu, 10 oHc s4uaTo Ol SfUuuu III
which are buried the pauper dead of
the entire city, formerly located on
Sixth street, between Locust and FIRE.
ret streets. Having been used for
many years, the same graves were made
to receive the bodies of many dead
as many as six occupying single grave!
l, myself, making an inspection, wit
messed the burial of a corpse. The
grave was prepared by uncovering a
coffin, raking the bones together and
throwing them out, break up and priz-
ing out the old coffin, and depositing
the new in the mould of the former.
When laid in its uncertain resting place
the lid of the box, like that of the one
surface of the earth. TO hide it, the
earth formerly removed was piled upon
the coffin in mound about two feet
high. In this covering | counted the
skulls OF three former occupants, be-
sides observing other bones immunera-
BILE. So filled with bones was the earth
as to make the use of the spade ex-
tremely difficult. Another coffin lid,
warped by the sun, displayed in llideous
reality. the body of a poor wretch who
had died few months before; the
The whole surface was strewn with
ribs aud small bones, like pebbles upon
the hills. Here and there huge thigh
bones served as head and footboards to
the unknown dead.
The citizens living in tho city pre-
sented petition to the City Cornell
March 18th, 1877, wherein they set forth
in the strongest terms the horrible facts
relative to this graveyard; how that, in
the summer season, the stencil from
human bodies pervaded their homes ;
hot -hnfh o11 l,nx
were ever in an atmosphere heavy with
exhalations from the dead. They pic
tured the disgusting sights presented
and forced upon the gaze of themselves
and their children.
They urged in this prayer the con-
slant dread of the infectious and pesti-
lential diseases whose victims were
brought from all parts of the city and
buried in their midst, hardly covered
from their gaze.
Requested by these people, and hav-
ing made repeated inspections. | ap-
pended my official report, declaring
this graveyard an outrageous nuisance
first, as sanitary violation of the most
serious kind, not only prejudicial to the
people of the immediate neighborhood,
but dangerous to the entire city, mas
much as the bodies of those who died
of infectious diseases were brought
from one end of the city to the other,
through densely inhabited quarters, to
be buried here. The fostering dead, in
loosely made collins, and in open wagons,
were brought from the smallpox hospi-
tai on Elysian Fields street, at the lower
end of the city, oftentimes loathsome
mass Of flesh melted down by contlu-
ent smallpox, trundlcd along slowly
through narrow streets crowded with
unsuspecting citizens, the way through
the middle Of the city almost its entire
length.
A. wagon load of those dead of small
pox and other diseases were sometimes
hauled to this place late in the evening
or after night-fall, aud dumped for in
terment the next day.
Second, as violation of the plainest
laws of humanity and instructive de-
cency in the infection upon the helpless
of such loathsome sights and disgusting
smells. ~. ...-
The neighbors assured me that hogs
repeatedly made their way through the
picketed fence, and even declared to
me that they had been known to root
up the dead out of their graves, and to
revel in their carcasses the live-long
night, filling themselves with human
flesh to fatten ON it. Whether this
statement be true or not, it was certain
that they were frequently in this grave
yard, and the collins sometimes not
below the level of the surface, were
often made bare by the rains.
Adding danger to the disgusting
features of this picture, the boards of
coffins broken up, as described, were
in constant demand to be used as fire.
wood for cooking and for the construc-
ton of yard fences, by q certain class
of degraded whites and negroes in the
district. . mv ssse ssa. .@-.
Third, the injury to the people in the
depreciation OF their property in value.
[ earnestly recommend the selection
of site for a Potter's Field in the
neigllborhood OF the cemeteries, far in
of sight of habitations, and directly APP
proachable from all parts of the city
without having to traverse its length.
The City Council was about to estab-
lish a new pauper graveyard. This
petition, numefously signed, was pre-
sented at the City Hall, and, as it ever
is with the prayers of the poor when
they cry out in their affliction, theil
application fell muffled upon the dulled
years of the rulers fattened with brief
authority and when they looked fol
Judgment, behold oppression! The pc
tition itself was buried in the needy
IuhU OLlCtdt SldsCJdAN, u piSGOh-Iuic
no special record nor account Kept OF
it. A square of ground, however, was
at once selected adjoining Immediately
the first. = .' 'se
This is now the Potter's Field; a low
marsh, wherein the sexton performs his
heavy task faithfully as best lie can
sometimes floating to their graves the
dead and weighing them into theil
homes, the whole graveyard being otter
foot under water. The nature of his
field renders it impossible for him tG
dig these graves deeper than has beer
his habit. But this is Potter's Field an
injurious infliction and an outrage upon
the living q disgrace to our humanity
to our morals, and to our city, and in.
decency perpetrated upon the dead
because theg died poor
The improved state of business il
affecting certain imports favorably, and
the total dry goods importations at New
York during the four weeks ending
March 27amounted to SO, 81 ,243, against
$1,000 ,563 for the same time in 1878
The returns for the first quarter of the
calender year made o favorable com.
parison with last year, the total dry
goods imports at New York footing uI
about 81 100000 more than foAthe same
length of time in 1878, while the entries
for consumption show gain of nearly
$4,000, 900 since the commencement d
the year. Manufactures of silk con.
time to show very large advance
which is in part shared by nnanufac
lures of wool, cotton and also miscel
laneous dry goods. Manufactures o.
flax. however, are much behind.-[N. @
AS&& IN nu, nerat s.e. "a 4stsF.4St N