The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-08-06
An ERRATIC TOM BSTONE
A MISTAKE OVER 4 GRAVE
az An-aa,Es EpiseGs that Re- 7.ty Occurred at
Pel1aotr Church, glasgow,

] II the old hnrYins ground of pencader
, church, at Glasgow, Delaware, rep"se the
! bones ii several generations Of siaunch
Presbytcrians, who, when the COED old blue
stocking blood courSed through their veins,
/ worshipped at the Allentown church. AL
/ though very many of the old graves may
| have interesting histories, yet it is doubtful
! whether us unusual Il mistake was ever
made over one OF them as recently occurred
there over the grave Of an infant.
! In March, 1878 Mrs. Thomas i. Ellison,
a highly respectable lady, living in the
neighhorhood Of Glasgow, lost an infant bnt
p iew weeks old. 1t was buried in the Pen
cader church yard, Mr.. and Mrs. Ellison
being members of the church. NJ tomb
stone it seems had been erected to mark the
earthly resting place of the baby, by its
parents; although the grave mound had
been we'll preserved, and Mrs. Ellison. who
is 4 lady of strong maternal affection, had
several times visited il, over which it was
/ her intention-aS soon as means would per-
mite erect suitable monument. lmag
inc her surprise then, when last April, more
than three years after her infants death,
after service one bright sabbath morning,
she strolled ont into the old grave yard, 10
find u white marble tombstone erected at
the head of her childs' grave. Her rirst
| emotion, as she approached it was that of
thankful gratitude to some unknown friend
who thus sought To take her by surprise
! Her emotions Of gratitude. however. We're
quickly changed into one long breath Of in
digpation and surprise when she read in
sou ptured phrase upon the commemorative
stone. not the enaearing name of her lost
one. but that Of another seraphic angel
named Grown. that had. some nine years
before fallen a victim 10 cholera infantum
or paregoric, and had winged its flight
heayenwardS. Now for any lady Of even
ordinary Sensibiiity, TO have the grave OF
her child invaded by a stranger was indigni-
ty enough. But We shades of the departed, to
have a - Brown 3" baby 5 tombstone weight
, ing mother earth over the green sol of the
dear one was too much. Scarcely able, IN
deed We might say not able, to control her
feelings. Mrs. Ellison hurried into the
! church and informing Mr.. Jacob Cazier. a
prominent gentleman of the neghborhood,
of Der terrible discovery. Immediately in
tervicwed" Mr.. Brown, the alleged owner
Of the intrusive tombstone who also happen
ed to be at the church. Now imagine Mrs
Ellisons narrowed feelings, when Mr..
Brown co0lly informed her that he knew his
bahy's grave from any other mans baby's
grave, and that he meant business when he
putu that tombstone, aud that he intended
it to stay just where he had put it.
Seeing that Brown was disposed to main
tain his ground and resent any attempt TO
remove the obnoxious monument, Mrs. Eli
son had recourse 10 church authority, and
the chairman summoned Oh the spot meet.
ing of the Trustees who proceeded to the
ground to . view = The disputed slab. The
testimony of each side was heard: Brown
insisted that the grave contained the de-
ceased remains OF his infant child some nine
years departed. Ali this Mrs. Ellison d!spu-
ted she with equal pertinacity insisting
that the real grave Of the departed Juvenile
Brown, was an lily marked one some six
feet distant from her own child's. This
theory Brown Indignantly spurned and like
his scriptural namesake and prototype the
doubling Thomas, would believe none of
it, and threatened with prosecution any
desecrating hand that despoiled his child's
grave
Now here was, indeed, a dilemma. The
trustees adjourned 10 consider the matter
for week. They met the Sunday follow
ing, and again adjourned without acting;
but finally selected the ensuing Friday for
a final decision. Mrs. Ellison was promptly
on the ground; but Brown refused to attend,
the novel contest having attracted a crowd,
and having become the subject of general
discussion in the neighborhood. In the
meantime Mrs. Ellison had taken legal ;td-
vice, ard Justice Ray, ut Newark. had
thrown dazzling beam across the subject.
Then it was that mothers intuition sug-
gestcd solution for the trouble. Let the
grave be opened in the presence of the peo-
pie" sohbngiy said Mrs. Ellison The
trustees, however, were not disposed to
touch the tombstone Brown having been so
cooliy positive; but consented that the ul:-
hnown and unclaimed grave close by should
be opened at Mrs. Ellison's EXPENSE Not
many minutes elapsed before the bottom of
the grave was reached: when the assured
mother hal the evidence before her that vim
Dictated her theory. for there sure enough,
lay the coffin which Mr.. Adair. the under
:aker, recognized as his own work, and in
which he had seen decently entombed nine
years before the remains OF Browns baby
Brown was hnrrietly sent for
1t need scarcely be told what follow ed -
The evidence was too convincing: but to
settle all possible doubt, then il was that
Brown tombstone WIS taken down from
It's mistaken grave, which being openel in
turn disclosed The tiny remains OF Mrs
Ellisons child i mothers affection, a
7. females intuition, and woman's vital
combined, wsre TOO much. Any QUE Of them
was enough for any one man done brown.