San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-10-06
GRAVE YARD VANDALS.
SHRUBBERY AND GRASS ON GRAVES
MALICIOUsLY DESTROYED.
Parties Alleged to be Financially In
terested in Keeping Graves Green
Said to be the Perpetrators.

When ghouls break into a grave
and disturb the body that had been
laid away in it as its last resting
place, the whole community raises
its voice in denunciation Of such a
shocking deed. And still the rob-
berry Of a grave would not create as
much Indignation, or cause as much
pain and tears as the despicable
vandalism that is going on in the
San Antonio cemeteries today.
In his message to the city coun-
Gil August Z, 1898, Mayor Paschal
spoke of the neglect Of the ceme-
teries in the following terms:
"In looking forward to the future
in this matter L do not advocate
forgetfulness of the past and the
duty ve owe to those who occupy
the present silent city. Those
grounds, in my judgment, should
be better cared for, and beautified
at public expense, and be made a
cemetery in fact, as we'll as in
name.
81 trust that this depression from
the business cares Of the living
will be pardoned, but 1 could not
refrain from raising voice in be-
half Of the dead, and trust 1t may
find a response in the minds and
hearts Of our, people that will
awaken us to this neglected duty"
There is, however, crime being
done the dead, in this city today,
worse than mere neglect Of the ISL.
lent Cities" The wild flowers and
weeds that grow up in the paths
and on the edges OF the little
mounds that mark their last rest
ing place in profusion are innocent
and harmless in comparison with
the black vandals who maliciously
kill shrubbery and forget.me-nots
that loving hands have placed on
the grave OF some near relative.
In the past few months COM
plants have come to the city hall
OF such vandalism, and the news
papers have been requested by in
dignant people to expose certain in
dividuals suspected Of the deeds.
The city officials could give the
complainants no satisfaction and
| the press could not touch the mat
ter on mere suspicion.
The nature of these complaints
are that certain parties who seem
to have a financial interest in the
keeping of graves, kill the grass
and the flowers on graves which
they are not employed to keep
green.
One party who looks after a
grave of a relative in one Of the
city cemeteries states that for
years his family has been keeping
the sod on the grave green. A few
weeks ago he found the grass dead.
In the early part Of the week he
had visited the place. The grass
was not only thick, but long and
very green. When he and his
family visited the grave few days
later, every vestige of that luxurious
sod lay there matted and dead. 1t
was beyond all bounds OF reason
that such q growth Of grass should
all be dead and drying up in the
course Of three days, and he re-
ported the matter to the city Of
ficials.
Another party reports a similar
case. On Thursday morning his
family visited grave that they
were keeping and watered the
shrubbery. A beautiful rose bush,
full Of buds was growing at the
foot OF the grave. Saturday even
ing when the family went out to
put In few more plants, the rose
bush was dead. The leaves were
shriveling, and the we'll developed
buds that promised to burst into
beautiful full bloom roses were
hanging limp on their stems, fast
dying away. The bush was dead I;
all care and attention failed to
bring about the least improvement.
And so run the complaints Of
various parties.
There seems to be no redress
in the matter unless evidence in
eliminating the perpetrators can
be furnished the police. A clue
to the vandal has been furnished
the authorities and the culprit
may yet be caught up with. 1t is
claimed that a certain party had
remarked that il certain things
were not done, one particular
grave would be barren Of its green
sod before another sunset. And
it was even as he had threatened
the fine growth OF grass was
killed the very next day.