The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-06-25
OVERCRONEDD dead.
The Horrible Condition of
Becker's Weehawken
Cemetery.
ONLY ONE FOOT DEEP.
Six Years Ago the Chancellor Or
dered Interments to Stop
Local officials
Aroused.

A stretch Of land just in the rear Of one
Of the most delightfnl pleasure re-
sorts in Hudson County, has been GEM
etery, and for the past few years. accord
ing to the testimony Of those who are
able 10 judge. a menace to public health
Il is possible that ere this the proprietor
Of the cemetery has been indicted By the
Grand Jury. II he has not he may have
to answer to Chancellor McGil for dis
obeying the order Of the Court Of Chan
cery.
The disease breeding spot Is Beckers.
better known as the Weehawken cene-
terry. 1t is directly in the rear OF the big
Union Hill Schuetzen Park. where today
the children OF Hoboken sunday school
are picknickine. II the testimony Of GER
tain people is correct. and there appears
to be no doubt but what IL is. dead bodies
are decayinR within one foot OF the snr-
face OF the ground, and the odor from the
DurYing ground on q warm night. the
people in the vicinity say. Is positively
sickening.
HISTORY OF THE PLACE.
The proprietor of this Cemetery origin
ally WAS William Becker. who occupied
mansion 1ear the grounds. When ne
died the cemetery passed iuto the hands
OF Louis Becker. who Is the present pro-
prieIor. and who, il Is charged, went IN to
make all the money he could in utter
disregard for the public health The
cemetery was the burying place of no
particular denomination, although nt
one time Bishop Corrigan consscrated a
portion OF il for the use OF Roman C6fho-
lies About year ago, however. This
portion became so overcr0Wed that
Catholics were forbidden under penalty
-
there; but, IL is said. several Catholics
who own family plots IN the place do noE
hesitate TO dtsooey the orders OF the
Bishop.
ovERcRowDED sIx YEARS AGO.
Six years ago Chairman Pinnell Of the
North BERGEN Town Committees and one
OF the wealthiest citizens In that town,
complained that BecKer's cemetery was
oyercrowded- The matter was brought
into the courts, and after . years legal
warfare the Chancellor ordered Becker
10 refrain from selling any moro single
graves IN the cemetery for i've years at
least. Becker at once extended his ceue-
terry TO the other side Of the road and
called it the Palisade cemetery, and for
time be sold single graves In the new
ground About two years ago, however,
he hired two workmen In the oemetery
and on June be discharged them The
workmen We're mad at being discharged
a&4U A@ADJ cuNCHG<& ~ 1&&<kAc - "
for Becker. and they certainly are doing
SO. The workmen went immediately to
Mr.. Pinnell and said that they had been
employed there; they had buried bodies
where the Chancellor had forbidden, and
that in a great many places bodies were
inferred with only one foot Of earth over
them.
Chairman Pinneu was astounded- Sew
eral persons living in the nelghborhood
Of the cemetery had complained Of the
horrible stencil that arose after nightfaIl,
aud he saw that the health OF the COM
munity was IN danger. A special meet
ing OF the North Bergen Town Commit
tee was neld and several graves In the
cemetery were examined and statements
Of the discharged workmen were found
20 be true in every particular A horri-
bic state OF affairs was disclosed The
place was an outrage on decency.
The Town Committee lost no time in
notifying the County Board of Health
and it is also said that the matter will re-
eeive a thorough Grand Jury inYesti9a-
tiQu