Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-18
ROCK CREEK CEMETERY
MEETING AT RIGGS HOUSE LAST
NIGHT.
Recent Complaints Discussed and
Committee Appointed to
Make Inquiries. = :

A meeting of lot owners OF Rock Creek
cemetery was held at the Riggs House
last might to receive the report of a COM
mittee appointed at a meeting held last
month to consider complaints of misman-
egement AMI breaches of contract made
against the cemetery association. About
fifty persons were present at the meeting.
which was presided over by Col o. G..
Staples.
The committee reported that 1t had visit
ed the cemetery governors and the yestry
of Rock Creek Episcopal Church and asked
them a number Of questions regarding the
rules of the cemetery and their enforce
nent but the vestry had refused to answer
any question not submitted in writing. After
discussion, 1t was decided to formulate a
list of questions in writing and present
them to the cemetery authorities
1t was stated by a number of those pres
ent at the meeting last night that flowers
and jardiniers graves had been removed,
and that the flowers and shrubbery had
not been properly attended to, according
to contract. 1t was also claimed that the
cemetery authorities are in the habit or
digging up old graves, lowering the bodies
and reselling the lots. This, 1t was said.
was done in cases where no one In lam
lily remains to look after the lot.
Col o. G. Staples, the chairman, said
that as far as he had any personal knowi-
edge the management of the cemetery nao
always been satisfactory. Others VINO were
present at the meeting did not agree with
the complaints made 1t was suggested
that the lot holders employ an attorney TO
look after their interests, but 1t was finally
decided that this should not be done until
after the committee had made Its final re-
port.
The committee appointed Is as follows:
Capt. VIM. M. Somerville, chairman; Al
fred Cammack, E. M. Willis. Mrs G. M
Nye, Mrs C. M. Campbell, Miss A. Moudy'
Mrs M. A. Bal1inger and Colo. q. staples,
Mr.. A. 8. Brown attorney for the GENE
terry association, said today that ne knew
of no foundation for the charges made He
said the vestry had had occasion to DIS
miss from it's employ a certain man WAoii
he believed had been accepting pay from
individual lot owners, as we'll as the ceme-
terry association. for taking care OF tne
lots He said this practice has grown TO
such proportions that an Individual lot
owner could not get his property attended
to without paying the 'employe an extra
amount. To stop this practice the man
was dismissed. and Mr.. Brown says the
charges all originate from this source, ne
said the vestry was not at all worried over
the prospects.
Mr.. R. D. Howell. secretary and treas
urer Of the cemetery association, oecHneo
to discuss the charges specifically, but m
timated that at least one charge, made by
a Mr. Myers would be carried to the
courts AS to removing bodies and resell
Ing lots Mr.. Howell said that certain lots
had been rebought from the Individual
holders and bodies were disinterred ana
reinterred in another location In these
cases he said, the action of the superin-
tendent had the full sanction of the vestry
and the health officer of the District OF
Columbia.
No other officer OF the association cared
to discuss the charges.