The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-04
VACATIONS WITH THEDEAD
JAKE COOK AND mrs WIFE OFF ron
lLIT1LE GRkTEYARD QUIET.

Tnsy rake Their Lunch. Rsaa the Epstsphs.
sna. en- Lscky DayN. Watch the Funerals,
aud the Peace IL = Benivon 90 the Wan whose
workaays Are spent with the sanaar-LoE.
Vacation time began for Jake Cook yesterday.
IN his working hours Jake Cook Is q keeper at
the monkey house in Central Park. In his
leisure he departs from the land Of the living
and lives In tho land OF the dead. for no is q
hunter OF burying grounds. For i've days now
his Ito will DO ono long round Of pleasure among
the tombstones. HIS wife will 60 with him, and
together they will mako q tour OF most Of the
cemeteries in this neighborhood.
Jake IL u German and Is about 60 years old. In
character no Is quiet and sedate and his one
peculiarly is his passion for cemeteries. This
has made him a marked mar in the Park. aud
his associates call him Funeral Jake. When he
came into Superintendent Smiths office on
Monday afternoon to ask II no could start on the
following day Mr. Smith said to him:
"How are you going to spend your vacation.
Jakef"
"oh. me and my wife, we make . little oeme-
tery trip"
Going to start right in again, are youi I
thought you had been all over the cemeteries
around here"
"what can you do In ono day at q time r.
said Jake seriously. There's lots Of grave
Nbho3 80 eNoA 80 NAAet y hVN0E
even saw. and I 60 to Greenwood pretty near
most Sundays. That's where i 60 tomorrow"
!"You don't intend to spend all your vacation
IN Greenwood. do you ." asked the Superin-
tendent.
Zach. neini No. Me and my wife we spend
maybe day and . half, maybe two days. In
Greenwood reading out what II on the grave.
we sefhn have q nice time LOOKING At tSat.s "i0ns ana
After you've done Greenwood where are you
oh. there's plenty others. Everrreens and
Calvary and Cedar Grove and Woodlawn and
Mount Hope, and some others. too. Five days
u! JAZZ . D .ssiy. 'mAi vacation in q cemetery" said
docs your wife like it as much as you dot"
AbencS. and reads the words that 10 wrote on
tho tombstones and watches the mourners come
E ;u.s l. fsT %s. Ont 1t 4 "a. 3 SF son.i fnSsiTg sPs. fSs a ass:
Glittering az the remembsanGe, I'VE saw seven
qon. told him Of . picturesque Semetery between
sY your do on say sH1i III, T sais jake axe; Enthusiastically
Th prSsdis so RP,a ! e in go she rsss' snS' " Me earssniiy;
jotted down the directions.
your sS sSoa E ! su e sa:sH Nj zo HeS Srgh' t. tn SO sSS Se
parte Of the country there every family has ita
high admiration. That's how / call a swell
thing. So that you may cat your dinner In sum
mer time by the gravestones, hey J
BIZ you couldn't see much Of that In 6vt
days, Jake" said Superintendent smith. BET
ter wait till you get Q longer vacation"
Yes" assented Jake, somewhat downcast
but brightening up he said: Maybe have on'
fully: Only don't have children to put In it
well, other peoples raves are the next bes
Smith; hope you'll have . pleasant vaca
@oh. / win. Mr.. Smith, said Jake as he dc
parted; hope you have as good o one"
Jake's interest In burial places 10 q purely i'm
personal one, as he has no particular friends o
Relatives buried in this part of tho world. No
doee he contemplate investment In property o
this kind.
Me and my wife We live q lot of years yet,
he said when discoursing on this subject ("
guess a graveyard IL some moro fun on top thai
Possibly his occupation has something to d
with his tastes. Once he said to ono of his follow
keepers:
"a monkey, he 10 the alivest thing there IL
You watch him and he Is never quiet. Away
he moves o finger or . tail or wiggles his hea
till you get SO tired watching him that you wis
Al monkeys were dead, and everything else, toe
to go to q place where everything is still an
quiet and folks don't move around quick"
Most of the cemetery assistants hereabout
know Jake Cook and his wife and have q wor,
of greeting for the old couple, who wande
about carrying their luncheon with them. AM
who take so keen and even fresh o delight in tn
passing OF each funeral.