Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-22
MADE A GRAVEYARD.
Shrewd Move by Which an Ice Com
pnny Thvarted Railway.


From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
TIL 1ugh it took some delicate work to get
a graveyard act through the Indiana leg
islature the purchase of a college collec-
ton of fifty cadavers, the digging of as
many graves, and the careful marking of
these last resting places of unknown dead,
a Chicago ice company has baked the at
tempt of the Chicago and West Michigan
railroad in its efforts to cut through vaIua-
BILE sand pits owned by the ice company In
Lake and Porter counties, Indiana.
Nothing but graveyard, with the senti-
ments and tender memories of years clus-
tering around it, would stop the progress
of the railroad. The ice companys patent
cemetery is now beautifully planted out
among the sand dunes, with thirty corpses
purchased at 500 each from various insti-
buttons in Chicago. and work on the rail-
road is at a temporary standstill.
The Chicago and West Michigan Rail-
road Company was anxious to extend It's
lines to Chicago. 1t succeeded in purchas-
ing rights of way of part of the route
through Lake and Porter counties, in In
diana. Here the ice company owns large
stretches of sand dunes, from which 1t Sc
cures a supply of sand. which it handles in
connection with the ice business. The new
route as projected cuts through the most
valuable parts of these immense sand de-
posts of the ice dealers. and they stead
lastly refused to sell. Shortly before the
last session of the Indiana legislature the
railroad announced that it would COM
mence condemnation proceedings to get
possession of the land needed for its right
of way.
AS a last resort the ice company resolved
to found a graveyard, and then get bill
through the Indiana legislature enjoning
heartless railroad companies from desecrat-
ing cemeteries. Agents We're sent to public
hospitals in Chicago and neighboring cities
and a supply of bodies secured at the usual
hospital rates. These were packed in boxes
and shipped to little station on the Michi-
hove tod
to the sand dunes and buried at night.
Each grave was carefully marked with
wooden headpiece, the white slabs being
placed at regular intervals all over the
tracts. To all intents and purposes
graveyard had been planted, and such
existed before the law.
While this work was in progress lobby
ist was watching his chance at Indianapo-
lis. The ..graveyard' bill was one of those
harmless measures, apparently, that are
railroaded through at each session of the
Legislature in every state. The measure
was carefully prepared. Its provisions APP
pealed to the sentiments of the Indiana
solons. The consent of Representative
Pearson to introduce the bill was secured.
He was innocent of the motives back of it.
1t was passed without discussion, along
with lot of other measures for pensionins
veterans and their widows and other be-
nevolent purposes The members thought
it was their duty to thwart the attempt of
some cold-booded railway corporation,
which was trying to desecrate an old-es-
tabiished burying ground around which
clustered thousands of tender associations.
Recently the facts leaked out, and the
import of the seemingly innocent measure
has dawned upon the Indiana community.
The cadaverS, saved from potters' field.
are sleeping peacefully among the sand
dunes, the railroad officials chagrined,
the ice people are keeping cool, and the
people of northwestern Indiana are Won
dering what move the Chicago and West
Michigan will next take in it's endeavor to
reach Chicago.