The Washington herald., 1909-11-07
JULIA DEANS EXPERIENCE.
Touching story Of How She visited
Grave Of Famous Relative.

Grave Of Famous Relative.
The Dramatic Mirror this week prints
the following story Of Julia Dean which
ought 10 vastly interest Washington
playgoers:
In a strange spot there stood last Sun
day a handsome. smartly-frocked wom-
an. come hither on a sad errand.
A small wedEe-shaped. thickIy wooded
tract mounted 10 its highest point where
stood a centUry-Old hemlOck: sloped rap
idly 20 its lowest, where with the waves
necessarily trying TO undermine and
sweep II away. stood an old landmark OF
red sandstone. The low. sturdy old stone
marked the meeting point Of two rivers.
the Delaware and Navesink; the division
OF three States. New York. New Jersey,
and Pennsylvania. The small, rolling.
wooded tract served a solemn purpose.
Il was the Laurel Grove Cemetery, az
Port jervls. The young woman had Wis
tied IL 10 ind the grave Of her aunt. and
give orders for the erection Of a tomb
stone upon it,
For forty-One years Julia Dean Hsyne
had lain I'm an unmarked grave. Julia
Dean. her niece and namesake, had
sought out the forgotten grave. Born
long after her aunt was buried in this
quiet spot, growing up 10 wOman's stat
ure and stage stature. II had dwelt as
a piteOus picture in her mind
Shortly before his death Joseph Jeffer-
son. being reminded Of that never visited
| spot IN an evergreen tangle at Port
! Jervis. said
what a pity that so sweet a woman
and so great an actress should be so
soon forgotten. The profession ought 10
erect a tombstone in her memory"
Ii
eager young person. new member OF
his itinerant company, standing before
him and saying. between gasps Of shy
ness and determination.
mo. don't. Please don't, I'm going
20 put up a stone at Aunt Julia's grave
just as sOon-as 7 can
Mr.. Jefferson looked down at this first
season young person. He had scarce no.
ticed her before Now he saw that her
eyes were Ike Julia Dean Haynes. that
her girlish eager air was that Of Julia
Dean Hayne. that indeed here was a
hard little green bud cut from the same
stem as that on which the Julia Dean
Hayne rose had sprung into glorious
blossom.
Very We'll. my child
Joe Jefferson recognized a fixed pur-
pose wnel ne met IL.
1T may take me a longtime. but l.
shall do il some time" The girl shrans
again into her youthful obscurity. The
great Rip looked after her. "She will,
he said.
Last Sunday Mr.. Jefferson's faith was
justified. Her careful inquiries. sitting
the improbable from the reasonably GER
tain, had led finally and surely 10 the lit
tie country graveyard Julia Dean stood
at the side Of the neglected grave.
N-..aa ALL 10
Julia lies. There IS no mistake2" She
spoke 10 the sexton at Port JerviS with
/ the same little nervous, broken sentences
! she had addressed 10 Joseph Jefferson.
l The sexton pointed with careful finger
10 the plot of the cemetery. He turned
! the yellow leaves of the old register and
I she read the record. Buried October 3
/ 1858, Julia Dean Hayne."
Wild strawberry leaves showed among
/ the thick dead grass on the low mound.
! That other Julia Dean must have been a
small woman. like the visitor. II seemed
| such a little grave like that of a child.
A great hemlOck twisted its gnarled
! green arms IN the wind at the head OF
/ near and well kept grave. But AT the
/ head Of Julia Dean Haynes grave was
nothing. At Its foot by an accident Of
i symbolism. was a dying laurel tree.
! she worked so hard and was so un-
! happy" This was the epitaph spoken by
her niece. And she vas only thirty-four
when she died"
I Back to this city. its crowding cares,
Its manifold dizzying distractions. its bat
/ ties OF rival ambitions. came Julia Dean.
/ but behind her lay a sad duty done, a
( tribute paid-the tribute Of the quick 20
| the dead. In the old shop at the river S
edge. and at the gate Of the cemetery, is
/ growing under the hands OF two work
men. a smooth gray granite headstone.
on which one IS engraving the inscrip-
I ton:
Erected in memory Of Julia Dean Hayne.
Bonn 1884.
Died 1s6s
/ By her niece ard nameake.