The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-06-20

the bone and anew of the growing
 city. There were good men and women, little children, loved ones
 from all walks of life. with the dates
 marked on their tombs ranging from | way back before the Revolution up l to the Rebellion.
 used is9S as burying ground the Golden
 used by the Indians where now stands
 the Prospect school. Both these
 were maintained for more than a hun l dred years.
 In 1895 the first meeting house for
 the old original white settlers was
 built on what is now the corner of
 Park and North avenues. It was | called the Stratf1eld Meeting house,
 and it's place for burying the dead, l which was first used in 1888, was cali | ed the Suratfield burying ground, now
 near the corner of Clinton and North | avenues, back of the little park on | the corner. At the entrance to this | old cemetery, which is no longer used, ! a handsome gate way has been erected by the D. A R.
 How It Was Done
 l Now we come to the Division street l burying ground upheaval, to which | this story has been leading. A bill l quietly introduced into the General
 Assembly in the sos gave permission | to P T. Barnum to remove the dead | from this cemetery to the Mountain l Grove cemetery, in which the first
 bodies were buried in 1852 MT. Bar nun LOOK the land occupied by the Division street burying ground in ex- change for the ground in the Noun tain Grove cemetery, he to defray iue expense of transferring the oeau- No particular attention was at | tracted to this act of the Legislature until George Pool. who kept a meat market on State street, began to ex- hume the dead bodies, loading the de- cayed collins in lots of a dozen or twenty upon drays drawn by horses
 As these death carts moved through the streets; people were mortified by the ghastly sight. The exhumed dead were placed helter skelter in that section provided by MT. Barnum, and the headstones and monuments were set up wherever convenient. In many instances the name plates on the decayed collins became detached and were fastened offhand to the most convenient coffin. Some of the collins were so badly routed that nothing but bones were found. These were load ed in heaps and buried any old way, so long as they were under ground.
 One of the features of the grand cleanup was the lack of human de- cency displayed by Butcher Pool, who carried down to his market several white marble headstopes- These he placed with the epitaphs on the un- der side, and on the tops these perverted slabs he arranged cuts of roast beef, lamb chops and other meats.
 Pool did a fourishing business and fared well for his share in this goul- ish business, but he didn't clean up the fortune that MT. Barnum made out of it. He induced the Common Council to put through Cottage street cutting the former burying ground in half, and at once sprang up those rows of cottages which were a part Of the real estate acquired by MT Barnum to leave behind to his heirs
 Bones Found in Cellars
 When cellars were being dug for the residences of Chester Russell, Judge Nobbs. Judge Beardsley, Dr. Strang and Nr. Upson, all on Park avenue, and other handsome places on for the workmen to find skeletons infants skulls and loose bones which were overlooked by Pools corps of grave-diggers.
 Over in the southwest corner of Mountain Grove cemetery can be seen today 'uncared-for and ss1eky monu- ments and headstones standing weak but worthy sentinel over the disturb ed graves of the ancestors of some of Brldgeport's best families. On the malr drive in a prominent position stands the substantial monument erected by P. T. Barnum to mark his last resting place. Opposite is a tall shaft topped by the diminutive figure Of General Tom Thumb, which sends smile towards the Prince of Show men" indicative of the perfect un- derstanding that existed between these two while 'in the quick" They both agreed that the public loved to be humbugged, even including the rbosus baby exhibited bv MT Rer- mum as the child of Tom Thumb and LaV1Ela Warren, his wife.
 Old D1ogeneS was right-everythine was turned upside doWnr'