Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-11-14
IN A QUIET NelGHeoRAooo
Buying a lot In the City Of the Dead
Caste in a Cemetery.


Caste in a Cemetery.
'TYour first real estatel Sad, sad! But
we've all got to come to it. But isn't it
a satisfaction 10 have a few feet in a well
kept place like this? Why, | grow fonder
and fonder of it every day. Surveyed
and built up most of it myself, you see.
There's n monument for you! How is it
TO your lkingl Pretty heavy. All, but
it's lasting-no stained surfaces, no ginger
bread work tocrumble off. Take my adj
vice, young man, and when you buy
your monument don't invest in marble.
'Taint worth twopence a ton, except TO
the dealers. Nothing hbe granite
The superintendent lei the way along
the eastern limits Of the cemetery ard
then paused as if to get his bearings, lis
strange combination o. business tact and
harmless gossip mad the reporter feel
little like a grief striCSen purchaser Of a
burial spot.
SNOW. lst me Sc about what you'd
naturally want, 81 | he, cycling hiscom-
panion critically, a if sizing him up soas
70 save himself u'.il-sS trcGble. ''Nou
see everybody has lis sperial likincs. AMI
we have to sort 81 estimate 4 customers
tastes before showing him a lot. All
sorts Of people apply Ia IL, and we have
TO use q good d"8l Of tact aud Judgment
20 as not TO offend present lot owners or
new customer. We have to discrimin-
ate even IN the grave! II a negro comes
10 me I've got 10 sell him q lot, but I've
also got 20 pat him in his natural Gle
ment, II / didn't there would be Ned To
pay
But that. ! should think, is a difficult
task. Suppose such person as You refer
TO wanted a fine lot in what ynu call an
aristocratic ncighborhood, how would
you get around the matteri'
"Oh, bless you, that's easy enough,
Nobody knows what lots are for sale but
myself; and if a man selects a lot where
/ don't think he belongs, why, the lots
already sold. Sect. IL doesn't look Just
right, but its got TO be done. What
would one Of your wealthy a~ristocrats
think If | should sell a little lot next TO
his big une. and the owner of the little
lot should erect a S2J white bronze tomb
stone right under the nose OF his $4,000
granite monument? War in the camp
right oft tell you there isn't a popu-
lar cemetery in Chicago that hasn't its
South Side ard its West Side. its Michi-
gan avenue and It's South Clark street.
You notice in laying out the cemetery
we group a number of big lots in the
most conspicuous places, Caste lines are
inevitable, even in a graveyard.
"Wcll, show me a lot where a poor
devil Of a scribe would naturally belong"
said the reporter.
''Yes, in just a minute. Going to
bury wife or childl Oh, not married!
But Isuppose you're going "a be. Now,
here's some nice slightly lots at $50.
But then there no provision for growth
of family or extensive local inn
provements. Being buried here is
a good deal like having standing
room in a theatre; you kind Of feel
as though somebody were going 20 tramp
on your toes all the while. And If you
should become as rich as Jay Gould you
couldn't put mp Il monument. The lots
too small; you'd have 10 be content with
a headstonc. / want to sell you a lot
that you'll lie satisfied with hereafter and
your children be proud Of.
Let me see something n little better,
them interposed the apparent purchaser.
I'D advise you TO go into a new sub
division. where the Improvements that
have been made are good, and bile fu-
ture developments. IL is here Just as it
is down town. New streets and sulpli.
visions outshine the old ones. Now,
here's a monthly this time they had
arrived pretty nearly at the west side Of
the cemetery-"where the lots are large
and open. There's plenty Of room here;
the grade is high and the drainage good.
But ! seldom bring the likes of you here,
because it's a sort II foreign settlement.
You notice how the sens and 'oskis,'
and dts predominant. You'd scarcely
feelat home here il I'd sell you a lot. Be-
sides, the locality has one great and per-
manent drawback. Yonder are the
single graves in plain sight. You
wouldn't like to live always in sight Of
the poorhouse, and you'd scarcely want
10 be buried in view Of potter's field, No,
I know you wouldn't be satisfied here.
You'd better put a little more money in
your ground and get something that will
rise in value rather than d~eteriorate. All,
have IL. Just come over here.n
The superintendent led the way 20 the
southeast, near a pretty expanse Of wa
Ter. Consulting his book, he picked out
particular lot and pointed it out with
satisfaction.
snow, here you are" said he. II
couldn't show you anything better in
the whole cemetery. Price moderate.
neighbors Of a high class, near public
drive, where you know things will
always be kept in order. This lot viii
be worth twice its present value a year
from nov. One hundred and twenty
five dollars and room enough for a dozen
interments besides q monument. You
can't do any better. just let me put
your name down for ii now and you can
arrange the details az the down town
Office. Look at the monuments going
up all around you here. Can't have bet
Oar data BY which 10 ipdas " the local