The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1882-02-11
OUR SILENT DEAD.
The Neglect Their Graves Are
Receiving Il ReprOach
To Is.

In company with Alderman NJ. E.
McLaren, an EXAMINER reporter yester
day visited the First street cemetery to
note what work has lately been accom-
plished there by the city and what yet
remains to be done. We must confess
that we would have felt much better had
we not visited this sadly neglected, last,
long home of our once cherished but
ROW seemingly in many instances for
gotten dead. During the recent over
flows water from the street has flooded
the graveyard, and cut such gulleys in 1t
that a hearse could not drive through
to bring IN or take ont a corpse. Mayor
Sturgis and Aldermen McLaren and
Tibbs, after visit, concluded that the
grounds would be utterly ruined if some
thing was not done to keep the water
out, and under the supervision Of Alder
man McLaren a ditch Is now being run
in front of the grounds on the
street to take the water off in
another direction. Gravel is also being
placed in the road leading down to the
cemetery gate so as to raise it high
enough that the water will not run
down 1t into the graveyard. A walk
through the grounds, however, con-
viuced us that if something Is not done
soon the spot that marks the remains Of
hundreds of our dead Will no longer be
tracable and in a generation or two
their bones will be dug up like those of
the Indians on Columbus street, or the
bones Of hundreds which were brought
to the surface when the driveway III
Lincoln park, Chicago, was made wife
years ago from North Dearborn street
through the old city cemetery. Hundreds
of graves can now be seen there without
a vestige OF anything left to tell who
lies beneath the sod, and even the grave
could not be seen were 1t not that the
mound has sunk down until 1t is moth
ing but hole IN the ground filled with
water and an accumulation of filth of all
kinds In many places we saw graves
where person could take a stick and
push it down to the coffin, and all
over the grounds could be seen
rotten pieces of markers which
some one had put at the head of a grave
but which have long since rotted down.
The sexton and others, in digging, often
come upon collins where just above them
there was not the least sign OF grave,
and any person who Will take the pains
to walk through the grounds can see
that graves are scattered around without
regard TO any system. and by far the
greater number of the graves are not
known 10 any one, eXcep,, perhaps, Mr..
VIM. Anderson, and there are hundreds
which he does not know. In more than
one place we saw where rabbits, or other
animals had burrowed into graves, and
dogs had dug half way down to the cot
lin after them. In others we saw bones
80 II II iAnriS af al kinds lying
III SunkeG graves, ana the traces LETT by
the water which washed in gave the
places more the sight of q hOg-wallOw
than the grave of departed human be
ing. The city is doing all It can to keep |
up fences repair the roads through the |
grounds, fill up sunken graves and is |
now trying to buy the Simpson IN |
terest, which involves several acres |
of land covered with graves .
Old and new. In the present condition
of the city treasury, however, money /
enough cannot be expended 10 put the
in proper shape. We men
toned once before that citizens ought to
do something toward preserving this sa-
cred spot and marking the graves Of
those buried there, and We blush to say
that so far not one cent has ever been
raised by citizens. Cannot some one
who has little leisure do something in
this matter? The ladies, some time ago,
said they would do all il their power to
assist if they just knew what was wanted.
No more can be expected of them than
heir cooperation. Either something
must be done soon or abandon this
or the greater portion of it,
70 the weeds and forgetfulness of those
who lie bLried there. A few monuments
Will point out the spot, but the traces of
of them will have been wiped
,ut. By all means let us not in broad
Texas, with her millions of uncultivated
lcres,go down to our graves with the re-
lection that a few generations hence the
)loughshare viii be turning up the
bones of those who went before us.