Stolen grave marker recovered

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Herald-Tribune

A stolen gravestone was recently returned to its rightful place in the Gill Cemetery in southwestern Vernon County. The stone was recovered from the trunk of a vehicle by the Barton County Sheriff's Department during a traffic stop. Upon the suspect admitting that the stone was taken from Gill Cemetery, it was turned over to the Vernon County Sheriff's Office

On Friday, Dec. 10, the stone was taken to Gill Cemetery southwest of Bronaugh by JaWan and Nancy Thompson and Vernon County Sheriff's Office Investigator Steve Schlup. The stone was reset in the location from which it had been taken, thanks to cemetery photos, which Nancy Thompson had taken in preparation for the new Cemetery Directory. The stone was that of David J. Davies who died Oct. 4, 1881, aged 5 years and 27 days. Davies was the son of J.I. and L.E. Davies.

Unfortunately, while examining other gravestones in this small pioneer cemetery, vehicle tracks leading into the middle of the cemetery ran to where the stone of Lura A. Austin, wife of H. Austin, was found broken just above its base. Mrs. Austin died Sept. 15, 1880, aged 36 years, 1 month, and 27 days. The stone is too thin and fragile to be repaired, but it will remain at the grave site, according to Thompson.

By Missouri statute, removing a gravestone from a cemetery is illegal, as is desecrating or destroying a burial area. The paperwork regarding the recovery and return of the gravestone was turned over to the Vernon County Prosecutor's Office for further action.

No charges have been filed in Vernon County and the paperwork has been sent back for possible action in Barton County. No charges have yet been filed in that county, either, according to the Barton County Prosecutor's Office.

The Tri-County Genealogical Society maintains records on all of the cemeteries in Vernon County and provides books in the Nevada Library Genealogy Department for those wanting to research their family history. Information about the Society can be found on its Web site at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~motcogs/ or call Nancy Thompson, (417) 922-3596.

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What in the world would make someone desecrate a grave?

-- Posted by TerryB on Sat, Dec 18, 2010, at 9:32 AM
I think charges should have been filed here in Vernon; the crime was committed in Vernon.

-- Posted by wildflower on Mon, Dec 20, 2010, at 9:17 AM
I think a fitting punishment for this since you can't just hang the guilty party or parties, would be to sentence them to maintaining the cemetery for the next 5 years. Mowing grass and weeding in termperatures ranging from the 90's to the 100's might teach them to have more respect for others and to think before committing such a stupid act again.

-- Posted by 3DN74 on Mon, Dec 20, 2010, at 10:00 AM
I hope the courts make examples out of the morons involved.

-- Posted by willybishop on Mon, Dec 20, 2010, at 12:52 PM

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