The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-02
FORTUNES In
GRAVE-YARDS.
Costly Jewels and Gems That Are
Buried With the Dead.
People of Wealth. superstitious About Remoy-
ing Personal Effects Treasures Un-
earthed From Tombs.


cles thus disposed of are generally rings,
cult and collar buttons, shirt-studs and
brooches. In Laurel Hill Cemetery at Phil
adelphia it is estimated that fully S156,00O
worth OF gold and silver is buried i'll the ILL.,
ihgs oil teeth and the plates upon which false
aseth are mounted, to say nothing OF jewelry.
lhere are graves in Woodlawn and Green
WOOD that could be pointed out in which
sumo very valuable articles are bured-arti-
| SleS so valuable, in fact, that it would not
ue sale to have list of them named and
tnelr localities designated. says a writer in
the New York Press.
OhdertakerS frequently become possessed
VI family secrets Of character that must
oe Kept from becoming subjects of common
gossip. They have to be, therefore, very
! uiSefeet; but in spite of their discretion
they dislike 10 inter ,aluables on account of
the premium it is placing upon grave
rub0lng, especially in country cemeteries,
! where the police system is not SO perfect as
! IN cities. With this thought in mind the
undertakers always call the attention OF the
family to any jewelry on the body they are
| To prepare, and recommend that it be re-
moved. Frequently the suggestion is
| needed, but generally the undertaken is tod
10 inter the article with the body
Not long ago an old lady was buried in
this city with a diamond ring worth fully
| 900 on her finger, and the undertaken
| When he demonstrated. was told that the
helrs could not agree as TO who should have
II, and had decided TO leave it after death
WIN the person who owned il during life
0h another occasion a gentleman on his
uealh-bed requested that his wiie's minia-
lure, which was in a locket encircled with
diamonds. should be hung about his neck
bIIr oh x,iti
MS request was carried out TO the letter,
ashoush the trinket would have been sac
tlhced If sold for $780,
\ CORPSE WITH 5000 WORTH OF JEWELS
Ane largest amount of jew elry known to
DC III single grave was buried in Green
woou Cemetery several wears ago. The IN
aeItaker who had charge of the funeral pro-
tcstea against II, but WAS severely snubbed
IoI MS Interference. The family had its
way, and In that grave is buried fully $4,000
WI III Oh diamonds, with Which the body
WAS deeked when prepared for burial
sometimes, though not often, families who
ueSlre To bury their dead in the clothing
worn In life-in evening or wedding dresses
ial instance-SubStitute less costly inita-
tIohs Tor tie jewelry worn in life, pa rtly
IRON motives of thrift and partly from a SUI
peIstllious Tear that anything taken off a
1ouy VIII bring ill-luck to future wearers
1AlS superstition and desire to prevent
sosSIps are often powerful inducements for
y,
SVEN funerals care less for the money
Value OF the articles than for the danger of
oelng crltlclZed by social rivals.
Ndsches ana private papers are seldom
buried with the dead. The former are gen.
orally passed down AS helrloums and fire
Will destroy any documents the heirs do not
care 10 nave In existence far more etfectually
than burial. Money is another article that
IS seldom buried us such. Occasionally.
however, II Is done by accident A New
mi cd Il.
III tie clothes he had usually worn No
questions were asked by the undertaken as
the widow had laid the clothes out herself
ana mad ordered them to be used. A few
Gays alter the funeral she suddenly remem-
Dered that her husband had mentioned
wallet containing $500 and some valuable
papers IN tile pocket OF his black coat The
woman hurried 10 the underIakeT's estab-
lishment and asked il the things had been
removed, and was very much disturbed To
learn that the money and papers were prob
ably in the cCflin. She tOlu the undertaken
what her husband had said, and at his sug-
gestIon reluctantly gave orders to have the
body eXhumed.
SOME VERY ELABORATE CAsKETS.
1t was very fortunate for her that she did,
t ior his Will was found among the papers. by
Whom she was moi GU frie ndiy terms, would
nave taken most of the properly. One form
IN which gold and silver are buried in Gene
terles is in the shape of casket trimmings.
liS Trimmings VI an ordinary caSket Will
cost rom SO. upward, according TO the
fancy OF the purchaser. Silver plate or oxi-
dlz-d silver Is the most popular. 4 full line
OF so.ld silver trimmings is worth from $500
10 Sl-oO, anu even more if the work is
elaborate. Many families use plated trim
mlhRS ana sOlld Plate for the inscriution
In such cases the plate often costs more than
all the Trimmings combined. Some people
insist upon using a solid gold plate which
Gusts nom Sl50 TO $500. and which is always
"A
wealthy families who bury their dead very
plainly, but others, many of whom can i'll
al1old 1t, make great display.
But TINS practice burylug valuables with
Inc dead Is not exclusively characteristic Of
modern times. 1t seems to have been in
vogue III all ages, and ON mach larger
scale. Vessels Of gold and of silver. and
articles made of cop er, which was ciassed
among the precious metals Of olden times
have frequently been taken from cid tombs
whlle accounts of notable funerals among
tne ancients tell of fabulous wealth lost to
'he world by lnterment. When King David
was buried AT Jerusalem, Solomon, his son
uuu successor. deposited immense riches in
,h to t 1 Tor l5oO years the remains of
the dead king rested undIsturl;ed among his
eaSurts, until In the time OF Hvrcanus
Inc hlgh priest, Jerusalem was besipged by
AntlochuS, the son of Demetrius the mons
Ane record oinlts To state whether the pety
Oh the son eQualed that of the father Int
the impression remains that it was OF the
monetary sort since he offered to raise the
siege upon payment of 5000 talents eoual tn
about Sc COO 600 "
Thereupon Hyrcanus broke open the
TOMB OF David and took what was necessary
1or the ransom from the vast store of treas
ure. Several centuries passed away. and then
hlng Herod, who seems not to have been over
Whelmed with respect for the memory of
his great predecessor, broke into the tomb
second time and transferred all that he could
ind of Davd'S treasure TO his own Golfers.
1t Is further recorded, however, that the
body OF the King had been so deeply buried
ana so SkliIIully concealed that neither the
high priest nor the royal hooters who fol
lowed his example were able to find it. 1t
may be the case that more treasure was in
TERED in immediate proximity to the body,
and should modern science make it p0sS bic
10 ind 1t the present or some future Sultan
of Turkey may thus secure the wherewth to
pay off all his debts.
HOW THE ANCIENTS BURIED THE DEAD
Among the Greeks, than whom no people
were ever III ore punctilious, the greatest at
tentlon was paid to funeral obseryauces
In the prime OF their civilization the Grecian
funeral partook TO great extent of the lux
urlous character OF Grecian life and at the
obSequles of persons in high station or of
great wealth, much display was made and
large sums OF money expended. Ii the de-
ceased had been one of the Athenian Four
Hundred. a few slaves or captives were en-
! tombed with him; if 4 soldier, his weapons
| were buried with him, and If sailor; his
oars were laid upon his grave. The funeral
OF Alexander the Great was an occasion of
| especial pomp and magnifceGce, his remains
being ineased in a coffin of solid gold.
The Romans put much labor in their
tombs, decorating them in various ways
Each bore the inscription, Stop, Traveller"
and had the injunction been so needed as to
invite the desecrator Of more modern times,
there might have been found elaborate and
! costly trescoes and splendid specimens of
lhe sculptor's art. The Roman was buried
with his tinger-rings and coin in his mouth
lnr Cnaron, the ferryman. If he hnd been