The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-05-10
STORY OF A CEMETERY.
Its Decay Suro Sign of Wash
ington's Progress.
Ann Casanavc's Bcqucst to the Arch blsl,op
of Baltimore = Why Cardinal Gibbons
Is Anxious to Dispose of tho
Old Burial Ground.
lspccml Washington Letter. !


Although no human being was in
sight | seemed to hear Il voice pro-
claiming: Take off thy shoes, for the
place whereon thou standcst is holy
ground" All around were COMMISSIONERS.
few of them remaining where they
had been erected by the friends of the
departed but scores of them scattered
about lying Fat upon the ground, ali of
them ancient, many broken and de-
faced Quite a number of graves had
been opened and the remains taken
away, but many Of them remained
undisturbcd with little mounds above
them.
A new street had been cut through
the place. Upon the border of what will
soon be pavement the ground had
been sradcd away and there were cx-
posed the empty halves of graves which
were once occupied by the bodies of men
and women. Only two decades ago the
section was regarded as almost beyond
the city limits. And yet within three
blocks of it the cable cars have been
running with noisy sound and jangling
bells for nearly three years past
You know that all tic streets in this
city are numbered in one direction and
lcttcrcd in another direction. When
Grover Cleveland was president before
Il street was unused ard unknown
cast of Fifth street. Last year il was
extended for more than n mile and in
walking out the newly-cxtended and
concretcd street / came upon this
graveyard. Although Had lived manv
years in Washington the existence of
this cemetery had been unknown to
me. and upon inquiry among friends
who have long resided in this city, no
body seemed to enlighton me as to the
name of it, when it was consccratctl.
or give any information concerning it
whatever. But to-day its history ap-
pcarcd in an evening paper
james, Cardinal Gibbons, of Balti-
more. has filed n bill against j. II.
Young and eighteen others. heirs of
Ann Casanavc, suing as the holder OF
certain real estate in the District OF
Columbia, to be authorized to be able
to dispose of the same free from any
cloud or trust thereon. This bill al
lcges that in 1905 Ann Casanavc CON
veyed the land to John Carroll. arc,..
bishop of the diocese OF Baltimore. for
the use of the Roman Catholics oi
Y
by the two congregations OF Roman,
Catholics then existing in Washington,
that the land has since been occupied
as graveyard. though no intcrments
have for long time been made there
in, and that BY conveyance the land
has become invested in the present
archbishop OF Baltimore.
1t is further laid ont in this bin thai;
the district commissioners have cx.
tended Il street through the cemetery
and that all the bodies on the lino OF
the street have been removed &c Moan:
Olivct cemetery; that $500 land dam
ages have been awarded by the city,
for the land taken, whcreon the Cast
nave heirs have claimed the $500 and
tied it up in the hands of the district
commissioners, who have filed an in
tcrpleadcr in order that they may be
informed by the court to whom they
should pay the money. In this bill
Cardinal Gibbons submits to the court
that lie has no personal interest in the
premises, and that if he cannot law.
fully or validly take bodies from the
cemetery, lie is to continue its in
closure as far as possible and to main
tain it as q graveyard. as it now is; but