The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-02-21
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LETTER FROM FATHER @BouTLou.
Editor Fatrnont West 5virginian:
Y Dear Sir:i Last Saturday your coll
umns published a piece OF information
which Is quite an arrsignment against
me. since II am held responsible. at
least to some extent, for, what may
happen in Holy Cross Cemetery. re-
greet that your reporter has not ,ronsid;
cred 1t worth his while to give Inc nh
interview before publishing nm article
which verges rather closely on libel
am confident, however. that your In
tention was not To- disgrace me or my
congregation before the public. 1 trust,
therefore, that You will give me full
space to enter my plea In Defense.
That "hogB are permitted to roam
through the cemetery" is on Its face
ant evident 5untruth. In the past no
one ever complained to me OF such al
occurrence. For the first time last
Friday one italian told me, rather ex-
citedfy, that he had seen n ''5;s black
hog" in the cemetery. hut he was gen.
tleman enough not to tell ME that, /
permitted such thing. ~ have heard
before Of some similar happenings.
Not long ago big black bear was
seen on the railroad tracks near. Bar
rackville, but, when seriously looked
after. the bear failed to -materfnlize.
A. few times i have been informed in
the past that cattle had broken
through our cemetery fence. and in
consequence I have had the fence re-
paired: this Is all ! could do. Such
occurrences prove that the cattle law
Of our State Is sometimes violated; In.
stead OF merely giving me the infor-
nation It would be. more eiflcacions to
add the name OF the ownres Of the cat
tie: the violators Of the law would
soon find out that such n thing Is new
err permitted in, our cemetery. Once
'our tool house was broken into and
the tools carried away; later on the
same tool house was set on fire.
whether maliciously Or not, do not
know. At other times trees have been
wllfully destroyed: a few years aga
half dozen Norway snruces were cut
down and sold for Christmas trees. All
these are penitentiary, offences. II l
mistake not. yet was I guilty of per-
hitting such outrnges because | could
never secure the names OF the per- ne.
traitors? - E.
May remind the Italians who at
tended the Fiorene funeral that it Is
also violation OF the law to dig
grave In any place they think fit with
out proper authorization? They should
not be ignorant that 1t Ia a trespass,
rendering them liable to rather seri-
GUS damages Yet in your article OF
Saturday there Is a rather artless con-
fession that some members of the fun
eral party were guilty of that breach
Of the law. trust that the undertake
or In charge of the funeral will be
able to clear his responsibility in the
matter.
The main grievance. however, Is
that the grave was only two feet
deep" Mr.. Jas. Vansickle. in charge
of the digging OF the grave, declared
to me that the grave was not finished
when the funeral party arrived He
wanted the people to wait until he had
finished. He had encountered a rock
and had been unable to secure dyna-
mite cap In the hardware stores OF
Fafrmont. He had the drill. the dyna-
mite and the fuse, but the cap was
not obtaihahle that Saturday morning.
Mr.. Hall was TO have some Mt noon.
Now. Vito Ftorene had died Friday
morning, yet no arrangement for the
digging OF the grave was made with
me until 4 y. III. OF the same day, and
1t was getting dark when Mr.. Van
sickle received due notice to proceed
with the grave. knowing 1t was
against the law to bury corpse In
such shallow grave. the undertaken
should have refused to proceed with
the interment. 1t Is Just on account
or such failures OIL the part of under.
takers that | was compelled to give
MIR. Vnnsickle exclusive charge of dig
sing graves In our cemetery. so THU,
could hold some one responsible for
The work done. Mr.. Vansickle Is UNI
der strict Instructions to dig the
graves to the proper depth and to use
dynamite when necessary to penetrate
the rock.
Now. that have shown to the pub
lie that once more there are two sides
to story. ! conclude by assuring the
members OF the Italian congregation
that they will still find me ever ready
To, IL. rals.. mt lam