The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1914-03-14
properly earning II. Or else left the
work entirely undone.

(plete cOntrol OF lne cemetery tnlnB
have been in deplorable condition
1t is true that he has no telephone
employs no sexton. neglects to prompt
~ fill sunken graves, etc. Many Q
the signs, Keep or the Lots are ~
ing flat on the ground or broken ant
lost; and the surplus dirt from tn
newly made graves is left for week
, and months beside the graves insteal
of being neatly cleared away.
| A fire running northwest swept thu
old (north) part Of the cemetery las
summer destroying great man.
evergreen trees and shrubs that hat
been carefully nursed by heart brok-
en- relatives Of those gone before. The
fire started in the cemetery.
A year prior to this fire. another
lfire swept to the northwest over the
west part of the cemetery. destroying
evergreen trees on lots, large num-
| ber of dwarf evergreens forming fig
ures near the gate, and several fine
large evergreen shrubs along the main
drive. ANY of YOU readers who have
| tried raising evergreens, know how
slowly they grow. and can clearly per
ceive the damage done by those fires.
Last summer the writer saw horse
Intentionally turned loose by col
ored man working there, and the next
| day the writer saw numerous horse
tracks across the tops of graves in
the best portion of the cemetery. !
am told that this was common oc-
currence.
Is this what we expected when we
paid enormous prices for the little
patches OF land in which to lay all
that was mortal Of our deceased loved
ones9
But to cap the climax. he it known
to all men, that when Mr.. Copeland
was making an Herculeon effort last
spring to prepare for Decoration day,
ne went to the 2lcat expense OF em-
ploying a frail little woman for the
slight task of white washing the
trunks of the trees on either side OF
the drive leading from the street up
towards the center of the grounds. At
the same time, Mr. Copeland, feeble
and far advanced in years, mounted a
dull old moving machine and proceed
ed to run down little of the tail
weeds and grass in the drives between
the rows of lots.
Does this show good business man
agement? Is this all a city like Gnth-
rie ought to expect or demand2
The present owners have had con
tnol Of tae cemetery over twenty
years At the rate it is going now,
" here will it be zen yeats from this
.,me
1t is not the wish Of the writer to
ninre either Mr. Pickard, Mr.. Cope
and of any one else connected with
he ownership of the cemetery We
have no personal feeling against
hese gentlemen but we do not like
ne way they are treating the city. IT
is the sad state OF affairs that con-
,erns us-that should concern eyefy
citizen of Guthrie Those of us who
already have lain away the mortal
bodies of ones near and dear to us,
in the Summit View cemetery, are ac-
ouainted with the conditions. Those
of you who have not yet been called
upon to perform that mournful task
do not know how soon the time VIII
come wnen YOU, too, will be interested.
70 most Of US il is sacred spot
that little square OF ground that we
have a deed for. and we have a right
to fair treatment from the ones who
have control
Several years ago Lot Owners AS
sociation was formed, an attorney was
and a measure was gotten
through the legislature which should
have bettered conditions, but the court
decided the measure to be unconstitu-
tional
Almost every city owns her own
cemetery. and all the money received
from the sale of lots is expended IN
hiring competent laborers, beantfyins
the grounds. making nice drives, build
ing attractive entrances and fences
and doing whatever is necessary 10
please the citizens.
Most cities point with pride to their
cemetery grounds, even mounting the
pictures of their entrances on post
cards. How would the entrance OF
ours look on a postcard, with its hroN- /
en-, old wooden sign?
Guthrie should own her cemetery, |
and appoint a board of real live pub