WANTON VANDALISM

Otago Witness, Issue 3509, 14 June 1921, Page 22

WANTON VANDALISM

GRAVEYARD DESEC RATED. CIIRTSTCHFRCH, June 10. An act of a most despicable character was perpetrated in the Church of England and the Roman Catholic cemeteries Bari tadocs street, on .Monday evening or Tuesday morning. Thirty-three headstones were damaged in the former graveyard, and 15 in the latter. 1 ffese burial grounds are the last resting place of many of the foremost of Canterbury's earliest settlers. A visit to the cemetery to-day by a representative of the .Sun revealed the full extent of the damage. The sexton pointed out 3 bead-tones which had been visited and damaged, including -11..- stripped off, caps broken, and stones pushed over. Crosses were given the most attention, over a dozen being snapped off. whilst others were push'd over with (he foundation stone, to break in the process. Some of the stones are vc. oh! and the work of stripping the inscriptions off the face would not be a ver. difficult matter. A smooth surfac'd marble slab of generous dimensions could not be moved, and an unsuccessful attempt w.is made to efface tli*- inscription. The vandals, who apparently were not ]>res-e ( t for lime, non op-med the tiny gate- to fences round the if-aves. Having snapped off’ crosses they left the gates open bout" very old and beautiful headstones have been materially damaged. Cro-s headstones of Bishop Harper, the first Bishop of Christchurch, and Dean Jacobs, the first Dean of Christchurch, were both wantonly attacked. Tn the first cas" the cross was broken off. but in the second instance the foundation sttSie yielded to the pres-ure placed on the cross, tho top of which became embedded in tiie soil, and did not break. Investigation of the soil about the despoiled graves showed several footprints which are obviouslv not those of a man, and wore made eith-r by i boy or a woman. The police have the matter in hand.