The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-12-15
HEROES or eJENA VISTA.
Their sadly Neglected Burial Ground
S..r SaItiIso. MeKIco.

Their Sadly Neglected Burial Ground
Scar ssItiIso. Mexico.
Tse bariv ycuag Americans who left
tteir comfortable homes IL the United
States more than half . century ago and
came 10 Mexico with General Taylor to
faht against the people Of this country
probably did not think that sboCic they
IAN in battle their boBes WOuid be left
70 crumhie TO dust in an unmarked spot
in this distant land Bet today the dead
hcross Of the Buena Vista battlefield lie
uu5ar but few feet OF earth N neg
lccted place just outside this city At
tie time Of their h1sty burial their de-
voted c0mrades evidently s05Snt 70
make the SPOT somewhat sacred by con
ef--ctine an adote wall around It This
wall Is fast succC1abiug 10 the ravaces
a tirae. and II places II Is completely
gene. visited the burial ground Of the
dezd Eeroes today 4 tram car took me
as far Is the pret = San Francisco plaza
and fram there I walked through z
dirTv. narrow street until came % az
arsovo. on the other side Of which the
faint marks indicating the cemetery
may be sen Fad / not received care
fuI directions 1 should have passed the
Mace unnguccd On the side toward the
city the wall Is entirely gone for the
most part. and Z much travelled wagon
road passes through the place and over
tie sacred dead The place which had
once been incl0sed by the adobe wall
embraces probably two acres, but inves-
tigaficn shows that many were Luried
west cf the wall and up clOss 10 The ar
royo.
some time ago the report was pub
lished IN TIE press Of the United States
that the bones Of the buried soldiers
were protrading from the ground, and
that the place prese ed sickening
spectacle This report was not strictly
true, but il Is undoubtedly a fact that
parts Of many Of the skeletons have
come TO the surface. The ground IS
e.rewn with fragments Of bones, and Il
is evident that the come from the men
who were buried there None Of these
homes is large. as the heavy traffic
through tie place has broken them up
into small pieces If any skulls came to
the suTface they were no doubt quick
l. taken By the Mexican children who
were about and made innocent play
things Of Had they crer appeared they
certainly would not have remained IN
tact Oh the surface long. II the arroyo,
through which floods Of water pass at
times and wash one side Of the burial
ground. there are also many pieces Of
homes 2-r--g the rocks, ard among
them I saw an uubroken nib bone which
looked like that Of a human
There Is not a spear Of grass nor
sign Of vegetable life within the in
closure Il Is perfectly hrren The
place should certainly receive attention
at the hands Of the United States con-
gress, even if nothing more Is done than
10 take such steps as VIII stay the raw
eccs Of time and weather on the treach-
eT0us soil and permit the bodies lying
there 70 rest undistErl1ed Il could easi-
l. be made an attractive and even beau
tiful place by laying it cut in walks
and planting trees and plants The raw
ages Of the foods in the arroyo on the
soil Of the cemetery could be checked
By the building Of q substantial wall
along that side In addition to the sew
eTal hundred who were killed IN battle,
al of the soldiers who died ia the nos
pital here were also buried there Mex
lean Letter IN St Louis Globe Democrat