The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-11
WHO WAS BURIED THEREf
A Tombstone with n Serpent Has
Caused Much Speculation.

There Is an Old tombstone or monument
in the colonial park. or old South Broad
street cemetery, about which there has
been great deal Of speculation. II
stands about midway between Abercorn
street and the police barracks, and Is also
nearly equi-distant between the sidewalk
on South Broad street and the electric
light in the center Of the park.
The monument stands Immediately over
an old vault which was constructed IN
derneath the ground. and an the signs Of
which with the exception Of the worn
brick covering have disappeared. This
however. is not where it always stood. II
was formerly located just TO the south Of
the vault, and before the place was i'm
proved, was to a certain extent in frag-
mentary parts. It Is supposed 10 have con-
sisted originally of three marble blocks
topped BY marble urn. The bottom or
base block was plain and above this is
said to have been a somewhat smaller
block upon which was the inscription,
while above this was the peculiar and
striking part Of the monument, a marble
block somewhat smaller still. upon each Of
four sides Of which was carved a serpent
stood the marble urn.
The middle block bearing the inscription.
if there was one, has entirely disappear
ed and when the man who put it together
came to il. he put the whole thing up on
the top OF the old vault, the block with
the serpent circles being placed 1mme-
diately above the base block, and part of
the urn he stuck on upside down, while
me other part was left off altogether.
Those pecularities in the appearance of
the monument have led TO much specula-
ton as TO what it is and whom it was put
there to commemorate.
There are several theories with regard
10 the endless serpent tombstone. One
Well known Savannah gentleman thinks
II was placed over a suicides grave, and
thdt the serpent no doubt is somewhat
symbolic Of the misfortune which led to
MS rash act. Another gentleman says
the serpent with its tail in its mouth is
undoubtedly a symbol of eternity. In the
higher ranks OF the Masonic order that is
one Of the emblems of eternity, and 1t is
considered It was placed there for this
reason. But there is still another theory
that Of a prominent physician, who says
the man buried there undoubtedly died of
the 1im-1ams, and that the four serpents
represent approximately the number of
times he saw the same snake a the same
time.
These are only few of the ideas that
have been advanced on the subject. but
they We're entirely exploded yesterday
When a representative Of the Morning
News went to the Colonial park and in
terYleWed the keeper of the place
No" he said, when some of those ideas
were suggested, "the truth of the matter
IS, back yOnder in seventeen hundred and
something a young man and young lady
were here courtin'. They were settin' right
there near where that stone was put, and
both Of them, or one Of Them was bit by
a snake an died. 1 don't know which
but anyhow, both of them were buried
here right near where they were bit There
was block that had the inscription on
It, but II has been carried away. Lots
Of the stone have been carried away from
here, some of them taken and put up
at Bonaventure just so, without remoV-
ing the bones that rested under them.
When we first come in here to clear out
this place, these vaults were in a terri
BILE condition Nearly all Of them were
open, and the bones were laying scattered
around. They've all been sealed up now.
though, and everything is in shape again
A lot of people have been around here
hunting for Gen. Greene's remains, but
they have never found any trace of them
and to my thinking they never will -