Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-01


Police Court the next day, when the spirit case
was brought to trial. A stocking, Shoe gar.
ter, and other parts of woman's apparel were
exhibited as convincing evidence of the fake
pure and simple.
The writer does not exactly remember the de.
PENDANT or defendants, whether it was the me-
dunn or the boys, but nevertheless the evidence
brought out was sufficient to prove tn nanv
OF the patrons Of such places that the materiali-
cations were entirely of the humbug variety. And
SO, even II you happen to live on top of McCurk's
grave, you have no reason to fear his return
ing 10 DO you or any one else harm It's the
live ghosts We have reason mostly to fear.
for their interest in world affairs has not vet
ceased and they are still capable of making
powerful lot Of trouble for their fellow trav.
elers When you obscure your vision at night
oy covering up your head, you are doing lust
"naI tneSe spirits" want you to do: they
would rather not be seen than to be seen.
FOR its age and its size, it is doubtful If anv
other place has had a greater number of
burial places than the Capital City On nearly
every little farm of the number of which IL
orIgInany consisted, there was its little Gods
acre" and as the city grew, the church and
public cemeteries likewise increased in nuno-
Der and size.
Just what might be considered the Oldest
cemetery in the District of Columbia the writer
would not be willing positively to saw. So far
ne would say that it lay between Holmead's
ana ROCK Creek. In the latter ST. Pauls was
founded in l719, and the chances are that
nurlals took place there from around that date
tnougn tne dates upon the tombStones do not
run back nearly so far The Holmeads came
into this vicinity in 1918 when James Holmead
secured patent for land nearby, probably
the same tract upon which ANTHONY Holmead
mad his home across from the street propertv
OF PRESIDENT Hoover. If this is So then it is
&c
between Nineteenth and Twentieth streets and
. street and Florida avenue northwest was be-
gun about the same time as Rock Greek. but
tnlS Is not certain, for there seems no positive
resided.
In the beginning, Holmead Cemetery con-
famed put q small piece of ground, but when
the city was laid out, two public cemeteries
were provided for, one called the Eastern Gene
terry and the other the Western Cemetery gem
eraAy called HolmeadS-and for years after the
establishing of the seat of Government here
the latter was the principal burial ground of
this city.
A VERY interesting account of this old Gene
terry appears In The Star of October IL
1879. and is worth repeating. 1t reads:
Inc act OF Congress, approved March 3 last
entltleo An act to protect Holmead Cemetery
In the District Of Columbia provides that ali
the right and title of the United States to and
monty known as Holmeads Cemetery be and
the same is hereby granted to and vested in
the District Of Columbia and shall be used bv
said District for public school purposes and for
none otner The Commissioners of the DistrioS,
or Cner successors in Office, may at any time
sell any part or the whole of said souare but
the proceeds Of such sale or sales shall be ex-
cluSively invested in sites for public schools or
In the erection or purchase of school buildings.
and shall be used for no other purpose what.
mn
said square. the District of Columbia shall re.
move all the bodies remaining inferred therein
to some suitable burial ground, together with
all tombstoneS or other monuments remaining
at the graves from which the bodies are so
removed
HISTORY OF CEMETERY
"The aforementioned square is bounded bv
Nineteenth, Twentieth, and Boundary streets.
and was used as a burial place as far back as
1884 the first interment therein being that of
Mr.. Robert Smith, member of Boston FAM
lily, whose burial took place May 20 of that
year. HIS remains were inferred in the ex- .
IRENE northeast corner of the ground and prob
ably when only a small portion of the square
had been set apart for use as a graveyard, it
being the free gift of Anthony Holmead fo-
such purpose. In the subsequent allotment Of
lands In the city the remainder of this square,
failing to the Government, was added to that
already used for burial purposes For wears
the square was not inclosed, and at one time
the mail stages running between this city and
Baltimore passed directly through the grounds
subsequently there was a common post and
rail fence placed around it, and bars were put
up on either side of the roadway through it.
GIT has been the common belief that the
land was devised in the last century to the
Government for burial purposes, with a proviso
in the deed that when it ceased to be used for
such purposes it should revert to the lawful
Hnc I,nor,