The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-08-26
THE MYSTERY CLEARED
As to What Became of Decorations Stolen
From Graves In that Buying Ground.
UACOFFlNED SKELETON UNEAR1HED.
How Hogs Were Kept im the Grave.
yard - Additional Cemetery Pro.
Rerty TO BE Opened Up-An An.
nuRl Appropriation or $1,000 Adj
ditionni Will he Asked For.

1t will be remembered that several years
ago Il prominent colored person was buried
I'm Calvary Cemetery and that the next day
the family, going to the grave, discovered
that 1t had sunken And that ornaments
thereon had been removed. The grave
was opened and the startling discovery
made that the body had been robbed of It's
collin This led to the beginning of an Of
fetal investigation that was never finished
owing rs the elusiveness OF the law and
the convenient disappearance of certain
important witnesses.
Individual examination proved however,
that hundreds OF graves had been de-
spoiled of their various and varied orna-
mcnto, which had been mystcriously splri-
ted away. The further fact developed that
In many cases the mounds had been level
ed. and this with the absence OF decoration
and headstone. made identification of u
grave practically impossible and render
ed the robbing OF one OF Its coffin or even
OF It's dead comparatively safe business,
were 1t really done not
However this may be. there have been
countless Inquiries from friends and rela-
tives of the colored deceased Inferred I'm
Calvary as to what has become of the
trinkcts. images, shells. etc. which they
had placed upon the mounds which cover
| ed the remains of their beloved. Hundreds
OF others have come to the cemetery to
look upon the graves of their dead and
have beer unable to find them Others ac-
ccptcd the statements of readily intelligent
keepers on faith. and have grown lachry-
NOSE over earth which covered or
once covered the bodies of persons for
whom their tears were never intended.
All this is going to he changed
,Ns.,~ %
visited the several Cities OF the Dead ad-
joining and under the protection of the
municipality of Norfolk Sunday with n re-
Snlt both interesting and surprising. this
cable 10 the Inspection made at Calvary
which. as Is known. lies east OF the city
Mir: Thos. X. Ballcntine.
NOW when the committee paid its first
visit to TINS place some weeks ago IL
round among other things. that the Gene
terry had been allowed 10 run TO thlckets
a, ana bIinrs IL IN many portions of il. and was
The new keeper. Frank Gillian, was In
Structed to clean off the brush and bring
something like order out of the cemeteriai
When. therefore, the committee next
structions had not only been obeycd 10
the best of The Keepers ability. but that
the mystery OF the missing ornaments had
mittec to the eastern end OF the lot and
showed them first little heap of trinkets.
been revealed by burning of n thicket
He then carried the gentlemen hundred
yards or so further up. he'd them to the
out to their surprised optics pile of mis-
cellaneous bric-a- brac large enough to ill
the bed of II two-horsc wagon and several
carts into the bargain. All around and
over the heap had been an immense thick
ct of tangled unGerbush briars and weeds
which, through the growth of years. had
become almost impenetrabic. and consii-
tuted a hiding place which would have
Nos a ~ M tfat tE.l,
In that pile they saw oyster shells coral
lamps, vases. doll heads. urns. tin pans,
wood. Enthusiastically shaped pieces of metal
picture frames, bits of glass, bright color
eG stones-tn fact, hundred and one
conceive ol-an astounding collection OF
odds and ends originating from inconceiv-
able sources. and carried from all parts
of the enclosure to this labyrnthic lair
Gillian next conducted his guests to the
place where ,colored paupers have been
earth.
The keeper showed the committee
open. lie never finished because he did
not have to. Before he had dug eighteen
human being. There would have been
nothing strange In finding the bones OF
what was once person. in a cemetery,
about two feet and half closer than tho
law allows Nor Is this fact so remark
worthy of more than deep consIdera tion
and the matter would have doubtless been
thought little ofhad not Gillian shown
remains were not in a coffin, nor was
there the slightest evidence that n coffin
had been in the hole. The conclusion was
Inevitable that it had been stolen-had fol-
lowed the way of the one mentioned in the
beginning OF this article.
The keeper then took the visitors TO the
house where IL was discovered that n
family was living who had no right or title
10 the properly. How they got there Der-
haps NJ ID. Meekins, the former keeper
and his assistant. D. w. Jones, may ex.
plain. How they are going to get away
from there, the Cemetery Committee viii
be apt, TO know, for they at once issued
orders for their removal.
In one corner a the papnafary tho oov,