The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-10-23

ment ne spelled the word Orrington,
and In this manner was a good town
name born from very poor photography.
says the Lewiston CMel Journal. Dur
ing the los years which have passed
since then the people have made very
few plumbers. They no, only know
what they want. but they 30 for Il with
a get-there impeiuoeity which generally /
wins success.
In fact. some citizens Of Orrington /
can be truthfuily charged with having
too much zeal. One resident a wom-
an. bearing the name OF Bakcr-has |
made herself famous for all time By a
little act Of thoughtful kindness that |
would never have been noticed had II /
been done In most towns. Mrs. Baker.
though she lived and died years before /
secretary Morton vas known. was a
hrm believer In Arbor day. She set out |
ouch native trees as she could find
growing on the hills. and sent away TO
friends and got several varieties that
had lately come over from Europe.
One spring morning IN the fourth De-
Fade Of the present century a coaster
came In from Boston having a few trees
on board billed 10 Mrs. Baker. Among
them was a rare species known as the
honey locust. The agent who sold Z
10 her praised Il very highly. saying Il
had large raccmes OF fragrant white
lowers and beautiful peniulous foliage,
making Il most suitable ornament for
a cemetery. In addition to these quail
ties Il was thrifty and perfectly hardy.
and could be either grown as q hedge
or trimmed 70 q single trunk.
Following the printed instructions
which came with every tree she planted
her honey locust In the family lot In
the old Chaplin cemetery on the road
from Orrington Center to Orrington.
No tree ever kept IT, contract more per-
tecily than that honey locust. II waxed
big and strong In the dry. gravelly soil
and raised up many offspring. all Of
which grew wonderfully Fifteen years
later. when Mrs Baker laid down the
cares Of life. che vas put 10 rest In a
beautiful grove Of her own planting.
Around her grave the Wild cypress
grew In rank yellow profus!on. Above
Il the red cinnamon rose bloomed all
through the summer months. and over
these the rare honey locusis swayed
their fragrant blossoms, until every
dallying wind stole away deeply laden
with sweetness Surely. II there we're
ever a place whore death was robbed
Il It's tcrroN this was the spot
New tenants came to the little four
acre cemetery as the years went on.
The Harrlmans. noted for heir
strength; the Chapins. famous 10 a.
nance; the Bakers. VIII their handsome
children. and several other good people
having finished their work. were laid
away for a Ions. sweet reef among the
lowers
The people died. but the honey 10.
Gusts lived. They not only lived. bui
took such a JOY In living that by 1881
the sexton complained bitterly about
the tough roots Of the locust tree,
which he was forced 10 cut cut IN ordel
70 dig a new grave. In former YEAR
with a spade and a plckax he coul,
dig c good grave In about four hours
Now he had 10 take an Ak and a crow
bar along and when he had dug a gravl
he found the whole day was used M
Several owners OF burial plots .ha
were Enclosed with expensive fences
as well ne those who had erected stone
or monuments. complalucd about IN
, prevalence Of locust trees. 0aylng IN
, tangled growth concealed the grave.
The lots were ,hicko;s OF brushwoo
, and ovoa the cemetery paths grew u
so that men had 10 swamp new road
. whenever a body was Inferred on th
/, further side OF the Enclosure.
: About the time the war closed N
residents woke up to the fact that thel
DO beautiful cemetery hal been tran,
% formed into a wilderness. filled wit
hramhlcs and noNioua ihorns. SON
made onslaughis upon the trees lcleai
ing individual lots here and there
which az once grew No 10 youuR 'ocu
trees from roots on the unrrclalm,
lots. Meetings Of lot-ovners we're Ell
hut no definite plan OF action ".
= adopted Meanwhile the locusts ere
= and ontrraco 20 the cemetery hecau
more dlGlcult every year. Shortly ais
y % was learned that the locusts cou
" not be cradlca,ed the survivors beg
y to take mp their dead and move them
b other cemeteries. Some went to NJ
Creek. Others to Orrlng,on Village. az
nl stin others to the hillside yard
- SHOWS corner. Before 1870 nearly e
70 crybody was mp and away. Then q
'' town voted to pay for the removal
'l those whose friends had all died
moved away and the grave dlgse
went an over the yard
Tho work was done woll-much b,
- ter than the average Of such Jobs 81
8, Il IA said that some Ave o. six boil
M were never found. The rank trees 30,
=" 90 rapidly and were such greedy Zee
IN cns that the ashes OF the dead Nc
s. taken up 10 form wood and blossl u
I'd Chaplin cemetery has been abandon
70 Tor more than twenty years. The
Is Gusts are forty feet high and stand
d. thiukly as troops IN review. They
~ thoroughly occupy the lands that tbs
Is no room for the living or the dead,