Disgraceful Scenes

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 79, 2 January 1892, Page 3

Disgraceful Scenes

';A^©h^am'c6rr^pondent r stateft:-4 A ( '^aiHrul-in'cidftDt hai occurred at . Rainbam, a village between Chathani and Si«an^Um'e.y a T^e ; obody> of a mm^USiaed Ckfic^haa^beeri interred in the churchyard and the mourners had departed^ w hen'S gang of youths, in the temporary absence of the sexton, got<int^thagrav« and- jumped on the ooffin, 6nly a few shovelfuls of earth hayhig at that .time. been, thrown in. They alsd pelted one aiiother with^the floral wreatfiii' which'-' ha4 been de» positeclTby the side of the grave, and which ythey [pulled to> pieces* for that purpose. Strange to say. a similar scandal is- reported from Ciffe. near; Rochester, about 12 miles from Rainham. • There' « number of boys, after having witnessed the interment of a parishioner named Waghorn, and having seen the mourners leave thp churchyard, >mused ; themselves ,by throwing stones into the graye r upon the cdffih'ATid'by ' /parading -the burialground wearing 1 tfie wreaths on their heads. It thquld be stated that the sexton aiidersivecligger left the church yaM'i^ediatd/°itfter i the funeraj, 1 intending to come back after to fill in the gtp-^e,' aM this shocking episode c^rre^inV; tte Incredlbie as th^pWept village life may seem both stories are vouched for by reliable witne*fe«;^^^^^^^^ y : - ;