The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-07
CATACoMBs IN BUSY LONDON.
Ancient Burial Place Around which
Trade Is Active.

London Telegraph.
How many people in London are aware
Of the cataconlbs of st. Mary's? De-
spite the hustle and roar incidental to
the biggest railway station in England
Liverpool street station is on the oppo-
site side Of the road-the visitor to ST.
Mary's can by little stretch CT the i'm.
agination picture himself in one of those
strange burial places of the carly Chris
tians which may be found on either side
Of the historic Appian way. Here lie the
bodies of hundreds OF the faithful de-
parted the cotins Theoretically sealed
in fashion which would satisfy the
prejud1ces of even the most scrupulous
sanitary inSPectors!7 g. The place Tvis not
open to public We've butt than IL, to the
courtesy of Father Fleming, our, repre-
sentative was allowed to thread. his way
with the assistance of a lighted taper
amid the c1umbling remains o. former
par1shioners of st. Mary's. No insCrip-
lions are visible, but each coffin is. duly
noted in the register of the church. Some
Ilustrious personages are buried i.nme-
diately beneath the high aftar-BtShops
Foynter, Bramstone and Gradwau, for
example. There is ample space for sew
eral more, but modern authorities are
not partial to burials in the heart of the
city. Close by the bishops, IN a number
of collins piled in regular tiers, are the
remains of upward of thirty priests who
served the church we'll in their life, and
now find a congenial resting pace be-
| meath the very altar where they cele-
, brated the mysteries of their ancient
faith 1t was the dearest wish of Car
dinal Wiseman to have his body inferred
within the sanctuary of st. Marys, but
the law interviewed, and a white marble
slab with a modest epitaph composed by
himself when in the full vigor Of health
now indicates the place where he would
have gladly rested. StrOlling about the
strange cemetery, situated in one of the
most densely popUGated quarters Of Lon
don, 1t was a somewhat weird experience
to hear street cries, and, peering above
the collins through ventilation holes, to
see continuous lines Of buses ana cabs
in the adjoining thoroughfare.
Among the notabiliCies in the cata-
combs we find 'tHoIrest Jack LaWleSS," a
doughty follower Fof7 O'GopnoF, the lib
orator, and. many other pers 9nages who
held a large sharesof public attention in
their day. Weber, the celebrated com
poser, who, strangely enough, was made
a count latter his DEATH was buried
here, but some years later his remains
were removed to Dresden. In the small
strip of ground adjoining the church, as
NeM as in the vaults no less than $500
Catholics were buried prior to the year
1853. When the church is demolished 1t
is probable that every body will have to
be removed, although where so huge a
collection of dead humanity will ulti-
mately rest does not yet appear to be
decided. There is an instance on record
in the city where similar removals were
undertaken at G1O per head. 1t is obvi-
Gus that so costly an outlay would be
Impossible In the present case. Though
dead, many of the persons buried at st.
Mary's, Moorfields, are not forgotten,
and the prospect of an approaching re-
movai of remains will result, it is an
ticipated, in a deluge of correspondence
from relatives.