The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-28
NEW USE FORPRIS0NERS.
CITY CONVICTS WILL HAVE TO
CLEAN UP THE OLD CEMETERY.

Mayor McDonougn Proposes to Make
Police Court Victims Work for
Their Board During Terms of SEN
teuces-The Miserable Condition Of
the Old Cemstery In Need OF I'm
mediate Attention-The Last Rest
ing Place OF Famous sevsnnahians
Allowed to Become Wreck-Mayor
McDonough Favors Turning 1t Into
g Park.
| Many parties upon whom fines are i'm
posed in she police court are unable to pay
them and the result is confinement in jail
at the city's expense for short and long
terms.
Mayor McDonough has decided on a re-
form in this direction. Instead OF keeping
parties convicted of offenses against the city
ordinances and in jail for failure TO pay fines
be will pnt them TO work cleaning up the
old cemetery on South Broad street. The
work will be begun this week.
By this means the city will be enabled 70
utilize It's idle convict force and at the same
time effect a much needed Improvement.
Mayor McDonough said that the state OF
affairs existing in the old cemetery is not
only disgraceful but meuaclng to the city's
health. The place is overgrown with
weeds, and the walks are choked
up with weeds and rubbish;
many of them are open at the ends, giving
forth foul odors.
DOESN'T CARE WHO OBJECTS.
The mayor is determined to make some
Improvement in the condition OF the ceme-
terry, no matter who may object. Several
months ago the city appropriated 500 for
the purpose of removing the old brick wall
around the cemetery, with the intention of
replacing il with an iron railing or a stone
coping and improving the place geuer ally.
The city was given TO understand, however,
by the trus tees of Christ church that any
attempt at Improvement Of the cemetery
would be resisted with all the means at their
command, and on this account no further
steps have been taken in the direction of
Improvement.
At present the old cemetery is an eyesore
and disgrace to the city. The ugly brick
We! wall , surrounding it looks like
ancient fortress. Through the locked
iron gates the tumbls-down old vaults can
be seen half covered with weeds and debris.
II entrance could be secured to the inside
half the vaults would be found broken open.
Inside Of them the fragments of cofins and
1ll-smelling mold are all that remains TO be
seen Of that which man once placed there
with suoh care The inscriptions on tho
vaults are defaced, and very few Of them
are now legible.
THE RESTING PLACE OF GREAT MEN.
There are probably more soldiers. states
men and citizens of wealth and prominence
buried within the walls of the old cemetery
than in either of Savannah's other famous
burying grounds, but their race is extinct
and their age is forgotten In the city which
they once made famous.
Their bones have been left to rot uncared
for, and even their very resting places have
been lost sight OF. So it may be with the
rich and proud Of to-day 100 years to
Gomez
Sentiment aside it is time something was
done with the old cemetery, and there is no
better time to improve 1t than now.
With the old wall replaced with q stone
coping and the grass and weeds cleared
away ii would make splendid playground
for the children during the hot summer
days.
1t would in effect be an addition of an
other park to the city's preserves, aud
would add greatly to the section in which
| il is located,