New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-30
VETERANS At UNWILLING
"0id Boys" in Blue Dedicate
Monument to Comrades.
HOT THREE-MILE MARCH
Impressive Ceremonies at Old
West Farms Presbyterian
Church, Cemetery.

Whenever the Grand Army marches or
mourns the sun seems to take delight in
beating down upon the heads of the aged
veterans with merciless fervor, as If to re-
mind them of those summer campaigns IN
the South fifty years ago. Real Memorial
Day and Fourth of July weather greeted
the "old boys" yesterday afternoon when
they marched from the I'd Battery armory,
at Bathgate avenue and 177th street, The
Bronx to the old West Farms Presbyterian
Church and cemetery, at 1Soth street and
Bryant avenue. 1T took them an hour 10
do il, but then the distance is little short
Of three miles
At the cemetery they dedicated the SOL
diers monument. which has been erected in
honor of the twenty soldiers who lie buried
in this old weed grown corner of a new
community. The pathetic side Of the story
has rot all been told
Not long after the Civil War the old
frame Presbyterian church which still
stands battered and bleak at the top of the
hill, was deserted by its parish:oners, who
built a more pretentious stone edifice Just
across the street. The graveyard seems 10
have been deserted at the same time, and
the graves Of the dead soldiers began to
disappear beneath weeds and wild ivy.
Many OF the stones toppled over and sank
into the sod Some of them were covered
with tomato cans and other rubbish
In 1906 the condition of the graves was
brought 10 the attention of President
Roosevelt. and committee Of War De-
partment representatives came here TO ex-
anime the plot Later residents Of The
Bronx took their minds off the miles of new
apartment houses springing up on every
hand and stopped thinking about the SPLEEN
dor Of Bronx Park only two blocks away,
long enough to start monument fund and
arrange TO have the graves put in order. 4
Joint committee Of the civic and military
associations Of the borough took charge Of
the movement.
The committee fought the project TO cut
Bryant avenue through the graveyard for
two years, but without avail Blasting had
to be done, and the bones of one or two
soldiers were blown into the air with the
apparent intention of carting them off TO
the public dumps. But the COMMITTEES pre-
vented this. and the bodies of these and
others were transferred
Two years ago the body Of Captain Will
lam ]. Raspberry. of the 9Th New York Ar
tillery. who enlisted as a private at the be
ginning of the war and was killed at the
battle Of Cedar Creek. in 1854, was moved to
a more prominent part Of the cemetery with
great ceremony. Recently the committee
transferred the bodies of Corporal Andrew
Mcintyre and Private Otis Haggerty to 4
place beside their captain. Yesterday the
body of David Palzegraf, a Jersey cavalry
man, who was killed early in the war, was
moved alongside these artillerymen and
buried with military honors.
The new monument stands a few feet be-
hind and 4 little TO the left of these graves
The committee has arranged with the
Grand Army TO have plot Of a hundred
feet radius surrounding the monument
properly cared for. In this plot it is in
tended that from time 10 time the remain
der Of the twenty soldiers whose bodies
lie in the graveyard shall be reburied
Five thousand citizens OF The Bronx at
tended the unwilling and dedication of the
monument. The ceremonies began with the
military funeral of the Jersey cavalryman.
The funeral procession started at las
o'clock from the I'd Battery Armory, drum
corps leading. followed by Grand Army
veterans of the Oliver Tilden, Vanderbilt
and other posts Then came a gun carriage
on which rested the coffin. draped in the
American flag Twelve pail bearers, con-
sisting of members of the committee and of
the Army and Navy Union of the United
States. marched with il. A company of
Sons of Veterans brought up the rear.
AS the coffin. was lowered into the grave
taps was sounded and then the Sons of
Veterans fired a salute. After children
from Public School 30 had finished singing
the Rev Charles p. Mallory, formerly pas
tor of the old church, offered a prayer
James L. Wells made the unwilling and
Joseph A. Goulden the dedica-
tory address. Miss Fannie Parsons presi-
dent of tho Women's Relief Corps Of the
-rilden Post, unveiled the monument. which
uas then transferred to the Grand Army by
CAPTAIN c. z Baxter and accepted BY Col
oneI Theodore Weberg.