Evening star., 1927-05-01

At any rate, in Gravesend she sud
denly sickened and died.
There is not known whether she
succumbed OF a broken heart from
uncomfortable and savage grief at
the prospect of leaving Capt. Smith
forever or whether she was victim
of an epidemic of smallpox that was
then rayaging the vicinity of
Gravesend.
We do know. however, that Poca-
hontas was buried there. Bat where3
St Georges Church bears an entry
which reads: "21 March 1915. Re-
becca Wrolfe, wyffe of Thomas
Wrolfe. gent. a Virginia Lady borne.
was buried in We Chauncell.
Since the present St. Georges
Church was not built until about 1888,
the original building having been de-
stroyed during a great c0nf1agratlon
In 1928, this entry in the register does
not refer to the existing chancel. The
exponents of the first theory, how
ever, hold that the present church was
built on the same site as that OF Inc
one destroyed and, in consequence
the remains Of PocahOntas must lie
somewhere beneath the existing struc-
ture.
tradition of an entirely different
sort has always been transmitted
alongside the first tale, / learned.
There is no proof of the second theory,
but il has survived the ages and still
nersists. 1t is to the effect that the
entry in the register does not refer 10
the chanceI of st. Georges Church,
fult to the chancel of the Church or
ST. Mary. Which passed out OF exist
ence so long ago that nothing remains
Of it. The White Post Tavern, pup
lie house or saloon, now occupies the
site of st. Marys.
Name of Original Parish.
In the beginning. long before the
original St Georges was built, 81.
Marv's was the parish church. But
as this little house of worship was
then some distance from the town,
the parishioners prevailed upon the
King to have the newer church of
St. Georges, nearer their homes, con
secrated as the official parish church.
When this was done st. Mary's fell
into disuse as q place of worship. but
records of the village show that the
church and graveyard were used Tor
burial purposes long after the seat oil
worship was officially changed.
A persistent tradition has 1t that
Pocahontas was buried in the chancel
Of the more ancient Church of st.
Mary, and many now maintain that
since the known entry in the regis
trv merely refers to ''ye chauncell,
this entry may mean the chancel or
the older church.
AS the result of this divergence of |
opinion, many interesting reputed dis |
coveries have been made from time to |
time in Gravesend.
Mr.. J. j. Munns, aged 81, retired |
clockmaker, remembers that about 6O
years ago a workman, who had been |
digging behind the White Post Tavern, |
rushed into that saloon with a skull !
and some bones which he had un-
earthed there. The skull was of a |
peculiar shape, indicating high cheek |
bones. and had lock of straight black t
hair clinging to it,
Workman Exhibits Skull.
The workman, Mr.. Munns recollects,
showed the skull to other men in the
tavern, and some of them expressed
the opinion that it was the skull of
an Indian princess with an "unpro-
name" who was supposed
to have been buried there. What
happened to this skull Mr.. Munns did
not know, but his story checks with
the theory that Pocahontas was buried
at St. Mary's on the site of the present !
tavern.
Some time later, about 33 years ago,
some changes were being made at st.
Georges church. A wall was torn
down and a foundation altered. Many
bones were dug up and were put in /
a pile near the road. after which little
attention was paid to them. Soon
the good people of the town learned
that thoughtless children were taking /