The Mystery Grave in Masonic Cemetery
Sexton D.P. Metz discovers a tiny, unmarked grave, reviving memories of a haunting trend of abandoned burials.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
During Monday night, an unknown infant was interred in the Masonic Cemetery without a permit. Sexton D.P. Metz, while checking the 'near ground'—the most valuable part of the cemetery—stumbled upon a small, fresh mound of earth. Upon clearing the soil, he discovered a cracker box containing the remains of an infant male child. There were no clues to the child's identity. Mr. Metz reburied the body in the 'unknown' plot. This marks the second time in eighteen months that such a burial has been discovered; a similar case occurred in the Odd Fellows' cemetery with no resolution. As the case was not reported to the authorities, it is likely the mystery will remain unsolved.
“At the depth of three feet the excavators came upon a small-sized cracker box. This, when brought to the surface, was found to contain the remains of an infant male child.”
Unmarked infant graves in 19th-century cemeteries are grim reminders of the extreme social and economic precarity of the era. The report, while detached, highlights a recurring tragedy that the city of the time seemed unable or unwilling to address.
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