The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-09-13
Woman Is Buried On Front Lawn
 Depite Protest
Board of Health of Town of Rye Finds Itself Power
 less to Prevent It

Fort Chester, N. Y., Sept 13.-Be- heath the shadow of the big apple tree under which she had expressed a de- sire to be buried, the remains of Sarah Hamilton Savin, wife of Frank w. Savin, the millionaire banker and broker, of Winchester Hall, on the Post Road, were inferred on Sunday afternoon, in a grave dug in the lawn and only a few rods from the mansion in which she had lived for the last five gears.
 There was nothing unusual about the funeral, save for the place of bur- lal. It was the first time in the his tory of the town of Rye, and, so far as known, in the history of the coun- ty, and perhaps even in the State, that so strange a burial place was chosen. But it was only after a member of the Board of Health had finished several hours of laboriOua research into a matter with which he had never been confronted before, and only after em- lnent lawyers had delved into their law books and came. to the conclusion that there was nothing on the statute books to prevent a man burying his wife on the lawn of his home, if he wanted to, that the Board of Health issued the burial permit.
 As told in the Daily Item on Friday Mrs. Savin died on Thursday in the luxuriously furnished mansion on the Boston Post Road formerly the prop erty of the Quintards. When the arr engagements were being made for the funeral, the husband directed that his wife's body be inferred under an ap- pie tree on the lawn, a short distance from the handsome residence. It was his wife's expressed wish, one day as ~Ia@ 1<0I that surround the mansion, that she should be buried under a large. apple tree near the drive, should she die while living at Winchester Hall. The husband was intent upon carrying out his wife's wish, although those assist ing him in making the arrangements expressed doubt as to whether the in terment could be made where he had directed.
 The local. Board of Healthi was ap- pealed to, but it was a matter, wfth which they had never had to grapple before. One of the members of the Board volunteered to go deeply into the matter and he did so. Records for years back were carefully gone over, and the powers vested in the Board were sifted and re-sifted, but still no answer was found to the queer and weighty problem. It needed prompt attention, for the body had to be inferred and the funeral had been set for Sunday afternoon.
 Village Attorney Davidson was ap- pealed to, and he, like the Board of Health. began to wade through vol ume after volume of law. He had never had a similar case before, and the worst part of the difficulty seem ed to be in the fact that no section of the law seemed to fit the particular case. But finally the attorney came upon a statute in the real property law relating to the laying out of ceme- teries, and ruled that in his opinion the body could not lawfully be buried on the lawn of the .Savin or the lawn of any other residence, was added by chapter 274 of the laws of 1909. It is as follows: No. 451. Acquisition of lands by individuals for cemetery not be lawful for, any person to take by deed, devise or otherwise set apart or use any land or ground in any of the counties of Westchester, Kings, Queens, Roc2xland, Suffolk or Nassau, for cemetery purposes without the con- sent of the Board of Supervisors for such county"
 MT. Savin's counsel also delved into the matter and consulted law books many, but he was unable jto find anything that gave promise of being interpreted by him to fit the case in question. Apparently this was the first time that the question had aris- en.
 At any rate, after the attorneys had conferred for some time, the lawyer representing MT. Savin concluded that there was nothing in the law to pre- vent his client from burying his wife near his home If he wanted to, and at eight o'clock on Saturday evening the clerk of the Board of Health granted the burial permit
 When men began to dig in the ex- act spot which Mrs. Savin had point ed out as her chosen resting place, it was found that ledge of rock made excavating impossible. 3 A place free from stones was found short dis tance away, and within the shadow of the apple tree, and here the grave was dug. The spot is at the east end of the mansion, and between that and the driveway.
 The funeral of Mrs Savin was held from Winchester Hall on Sunday af- teruoon at 2:30 o'clock. A quartet from St. Agnes Church, New York city, sang, and the Rev. John A. Wa ters, pastor of the Church Of Our La dy of Mercy, said prayers. There were scores of the most beautiful f1o- ral pieces. Only the immediate rela- tives of the deceased were present at the funeral. The body was inferred in consecrated ground, and the mound hidden under blanket of flowers.
 Many people are to-day discussing the strange burial and they are won dering if any attempt will be made to compel the taking up of the body Tt is doubtful, however, if anyone will take action in that direction.