The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-06
FROM FIELD TO cHURCHYARD.
YOUNG M'DONALD's BODY WILL BE
DIsINTERRED AND RE-BURIED.

Misunderstanding Prevented n Bur-
IaI In Isle of Hope Church.
ynrd-Dr. Thompson, Presiding
Elder, Was Held Responsible for
Use of the BuraaI Ground, But Ex-
planned That He Had Given No
such Orders-That Would BE BE-
yOnd His POwers-The New Burial
VIII Take Place To-day.
In a rice field that lies adjacent to the
son of Mr.. Edgar NJ. Mcdonald was bur
led last Thursday afternoon. This morn
ing the body viii be disinterred and trans
ferred to the burial ground.
Through a misunderstanding the remains
were not in the first place Inferred in the
burial ground at Isle of Hope Church.
The funeral procession went from the city
to Isle Of Hope with the expectation Of
consigning all that was mortal of the
young man to the soil of the old burial
plot beside those of the family, who had
gone before. At the churchyard the pro
cession was met by the colored sexton
Hector, who notified the relatives that Mr.
George W. Wylly had instructed him TO
advise any who might come to bury their
dead, that Presiding Elder Thompson had
issued an order that no more bodies were
to be put in the churchyard.
The funeral party demurred They did
not wish to bring the remains back 10 the
city, and no arrangements had been made
for interment elsewhere. They were in a
quandary as TO what 10 do. After consid-
cradle discussion it was decided TO bury
the body in an adjacent rice field belong
ing TO a negro. The last sad rites per-
formed, the parry returned to the city, sor-
rowful that it was not to the side of rela-
tives but to the soif Of an open field that
the body OF their loved one had been con-
signed.
Considerable feeling was aroused at Isle
of Hope by the occurrence. The residents
felt that the McDonalds had been out
ragged in having TO bury their dead apart
from those of his people and in the field OF
a negro.
The father of the young man shared as
was natural, the general regret and NOR
uhca-on. Yesterday he saw DR.. Thomp-
son, wnSse duties as presiding elder had
brought him to Savannah, and an expla-
nation followed. The entire affair was
due to misunderstanding, as DR.. Thomp-
son explained TO the entire satisfaction Of
the father. The presiding elder heartily
concurred in the suggestion that the body
be disinterred and buried in the church
yard, as was the original intention.
DR.. Thompson was seen last night at the
parsonage of Grace Church. He was very
ready 10 talk of the misunderstanding that
had grown out Of a few chance words he
had spoken at Isle of Hope with regard to
the churchyard and wished to make an
explanation to set at rest the minds of any
who might have thought he had so far ex-
ceeded his authority as to issue any such
instructions as were attributed 10 him.
Some time ago. said DR.. Thompson,
MIR. George Wylly Rev. ]. A. Smith and
I We're at the Isle of Hope Church. The
conversation was relative to the church,
and l observed that the churchyard would
serve as a pretty site for a parsonage
should it ever be desired to build one. The
graves, I remarked, might be leyeled off
to admit of building.
"What l said on that occasion probably
was misunderstood by Mr.. Wylly, who
construed it as a prohibition of any in
terements in the future. There had been
some difficulty already, 1t seems, about in
discriminate burials in the churchyard,
negroes using it as well as whites The
white residents desired that stopped, and
the combination of that desire with the
minlsterpretation of my remarks probably
resulted in the erroneous information be-
ing given that had forbidden further use
of the churchyard as a burial ground"
Rev. Mr.. Smith heard DIT. Thompson S
explanation and cOrroborated It, The pre-
siding elder said that it Is
not within the province of his duties to
look after burial grounds. He could not
lawfully give any such instructions as
were accredited to him, nor he said, could
the board of trustees that manages the Isle
of. Hope Church property do So The au-
thority for such an action would rest with
the quarterly conference of the church.