Birmingham age-herald., 1894-08-10
PLACATIlI,INlI!G,!. ,lI,INlI!G,! GHOSTS.
ilEF7ps. -,-.- - AAE A CURIOUS CUSTOM OBSERVED IN A - :
 WASHINGTON CEMETERY.
Colored Persons Who Litter the Graves of Their Departed Friends With Articles Used In Life-Old Mount Zion Crave yard aud Its White Haired Sexton.


 yard aud Its White Haired Sexton.
 A curious custom is still observed in an old negro burying ground in Washington that of placing upon the graves of de- parted friends and relatives the articles that were most enjoyed or used by them while living and the bottles containing the residuum of the medicines that were administered during the last illness.
 The Mount Zion graveyard, as it is called, lies in tho shadow of tho beautiful Oak Hill cemetery, on Georgetown heights. Both are charmingly situated on rising ground overlooking Rock creek at it's most picturesque point. Separated only by short stretch of land and a high board fence, tho two silent cities present the most vivid contrast imaginable
 On one side gre soft green lawns, flower ing shrubs gravcled walks and magnih- cent monuments; on tho other, Q rank growth of grass and weeds, worm eaten and discolored wooden headboards, and instead of flowers miscellaneous tumble of toys, ornaments, tools, etc. But Mount Zion has its own peculiar charm and its patrons are unique in the belief that the things used by tho departed during life are needed by them in the land of shadows.
 
 quaint dialect, gives many amusing obit- uaries and explains the significance of certain articles that litter the mounds.
 The idea of the negroes in placing them in the cemetery is that they may be with : in easy reach of the spirits, whom they confidently believe revisit the scenes of their earthly sufferings If they find fla mliar objects on their graves, they conflne their manifestations to the cemetery; if not, they haunt the families who have neglected to provide them.
 One grave has instead of monument large wooden hobby horse, buried to its launches in the ground. It marked, so tho sexton said to reporter tho last rest ing place of one MT. Johnsing, who while living was the driver of an express wagon. He was extremely fond of his horse, and his widow, who was obliged to sell it, used somo of the proceeds to purchase wooden one. A complete set of harness was pro vidod also. and, to quote tho old negro: "Ebcry night he htches an onhitches dat hoss, an den goes back an lies down again quiet. Elf he didn't have dat to ockerpy i'm, he'd hant de ole woman"
 Often one grave is made to serve for an entire family One of the most preten tious monuments in the cemetery-a plain marble slab-has carved upon it's surface tho names of Andrew Jordan and his four children-Erastus, Sophia, Andrew and Washington. "Ob course,'' said the sex ton, commenting on the practice, ''I has to dig dc first grabe deeper, but it's ecker- nomical an sosherble in de end" Most of the inscriptions are real curiositles. With few exceptions they are painted roughly in black on white wooden tablets. Few of them bear any date whatever, and in the majority of cases names arc not given in full Nearly all of them are com posed and printed by the sexton himself. who modestly dcplored the fact that he was not as handy at it as he might be, but the look of pride with which he re garded his handiwork belied the sincerity of his words.
 On the grave of little boy-Grover Hancock Van Clief-a high chair and toy wheelbarrow stood guard. He had been special pet of tho old sexton, and the grass waving over him showed evi- dences of cultivation in striking contrast to the tangled, neglected growth on either side. Tho sexton admitted that these ob jects often disappeared from the grave yard, but, scorning the idea that there was any one mean enough to steal from ''dead folks" asserted that it was sign that the spirits were never coming back again and so had taken them to glory" The medicine bottles, accompanied In most instances by glass and spoon, were. he said, placed upon the graves that they might be ''finished up"
 The old man called attention to the grave of Aunt Chloe Brown" whom he apostrophized as 'reg'lar terror" On its surface is large palm leaf fan It seems that Aunt Clo" 'use ter git up in meetin an talk an pray louder 'en any body else an den go home an cut up live ly." Tho chief bone of contention with her was that tho rest of the family would insist on eating twice day. She usually terminated the family repasts, when in her opinion they lasted long enough, by routing the feasters with a broomstick.
 One day while chasing her husband, ''who was the patientest nigger alive" she caught her foot in her dress and fell, striking her temple on sharp stone. When they picked her up, she was dead.
 1T put de fan on her grave" said the old sexton, finishing his recital, q cause eff eber any one went. to de hot place she
 certain shore an ell find it refresh in when she comes back in de night"
 A grave in which he evidently took much pride has arranged around the mound toy fence. Inside of the inclosure so formed Q wooden soldier stands like a. sentinel at either end In front of each soldier is row of smaller ones, and in the center of the mound three bottles are pressed into the earth.
 "Lize Lundy" sleeps peacefully in an obscure corner under a pasteboard band box. "Lize was good woman," said the sexton, 'an earned a nice Twin an enuf to die comfort ble on amakin dresses '
 She liked to dress well herself also and had regular passion for bonnets. Nearly every week she went to church with a new one and as often bestowed her discarded one upon less fortunate friend in order to make room in her hatbox for the latest.
 When she died her sister put the last bonnet T,ize houpht in the cherished band