Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-06-13

Prom The Philadelphia Press.

In the private cemetery adjoining the Acad
envy Of Natural Sciences. almost hidden by the
tall green grass and covered with moss there
stands the stump Of what was once flourish
Ing mulberry tree. II this stump could speak 1t
would unfold most wonderful tale of TRANSMIT
grafton. not of the spiritual. but of the physical
kind. For the tree OF which the stump is a
melancholy relic. found its birth in q human
death. and foUrshed and grew upon diet of
blood and bones and coffin boards like the ia
nous tree that sprang from the grave of Roger
Williams. Linked with the history of this
stump there is another history. equally curious
which concerns two churches. one long since
torn down and forgotten the other now stand
ing in a fashionable quarter of the city. Away
back in the beginning Of the present century.
before steamships were even thought of. Mrs.
Agnes Duncan. Il good Scotch dame OF noble
birth, set sail IN stout ship for the infant Re-
public. When in mid-Ocean the elements set up
terrible hubbub. the rain came down in tor
rents. the waves rolled mountain high. and the
supersttiOus Scotch dame. falling upon her
knees, prayed Cor delivery, vowing in return for
this boon from merciful Providence to build
and endOw a church when she should reach dry
land
She arrived in Philadelphia and by her 6.rec-
ton, airame church was built on 18th street on
the west side. halfway between Market aud
flibeIt- The first pastor was the Rev. Isaac
helnniss, Also q Scotchman. The church grew
and prCspered and a number of the co3crega-
ton, for their own convenience. established q
private cemetcry-the one now adjoining the
Academy of Natural Sciences. This was in 1924.
Mrs. Duncan removed TO Baltimore. branch
church or chapel was established at 12th and
Walnut streets. presided over in spiritual
sense by one Rev Blackwell. and afterward by
John Palmer who will be remembered by many
Blackwell gave his name to the little church on
18th street. In the meantime the Rev. Mr. Nc
1nnss, who mad grown to be stout old gentle
man, with white hair, fell sick and died of ty-
phus fever. He was covered with winding
sheet. laid in coffin of fine black walnut and
carefully deposited in his own plot of ground in
the private cemetery. The years went by aud
the memory of Pastor McInniss faded from the
memory of all but few. One fine DAY I'm spring
mulberry sapng pushed its way up through
the grass near the head of the grave. Warm
air and sunshine favored its growth and it soon
developed into healthy tree. bearing an album
dance Of blood-red mulberries which the chill
dren in the neiGhbOrhOOd mOnOpOliZed as fruit
created especially for the deeCtatiOn of their
tender palates. Persons remarked that the pO-
sition of the mulberry tree was strange one
but to this day the peculiar cause of its presence
would probably not be known had it not been
for quarrel which arose in the Blackwell
church, and which finally eliminated In the
trustees claiming. as the property of the church,
the little graveyard.
They We're Ousted and in revenge ordered
the bones of their ancient pastor McInniss to
proceeded the trustees The grave digger drove
his spade In the ground and scattered the damp
dirt around. Deeper and deeper into the
ground went the spade. The pile of earth by his
Side grew i'm size. Still there was no sign ofthe
coffin. Dismay was depicted in the cOunte-
nanees Of the trustees The spade became en-
tangled in the roots of the mulberry tree When
more dirt was removed it was found that the
roots had completely filed that portion of the
grave occupied by the coffin. of which not so
much as fragment was left-Only two of the
metal mOuntin2s Of the lid and a few nails. Not
bone could be found. The mulberry tree had
absorbed everything. Not even trace of IA
bone or of the shrOud there. although
long time was spent in the search. So nothing
was there to be done but to scrape up q few
handfuis of dirt and cast them IN the pine box
which the trustees had brought along The box
was closed and taken to Mount MOrlah C.me-
terry, and there it now lies. no more the bones Of
old Pastor Mcinnis than any hill of dirt which
can be picked up on Chestnut street. And the
mulberry tree Ii gradually decayed and was at
last cIlt down. and now stands mOss-covered
stump, cannibal without stomach, ghOul
without ghOGfs instincts, memory OF re-
maraable physical resurrection.