People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 August 1896 — Ordinance No. 36. [ARTICLE]

Ordinance No. 36.

Cemeteries. An Ordinance regulating Weston Cemetery, Prescri bing the duties of the Trustees and Sexton, etc,. Be it ordained by the Common Council of the City of Rensselaer. Jasper County, Indiana; * Sec. 1. That all grounds within said City or outside of the limits, but owned by said City, which have heretofore been used or shall hereafter be nsed as Cemeteries or burial places for the dead, shall continue in use for such purpose. Sec. 2. No interments of the dead shall be made with-, in said City except in regular burial grounds already established or hereafter to be established, by authority of said Council, for such purpose; and any person convicted of having made such interment, contrary to the provisions of this section, shall be fined in any sum not less than Five nor more than Ten Dollars, and in the further sum of Five Dollars for every days continuance of such interment after such conviction. Sec. 3. Any person convicted of having removed from the immediate vicinity of any cemetary of said City, or from any street or alley adjacent thereto, any earth, sand or gravel for whatever purpose, shall be fined for every such offense in a sum not less than Five nor more than Twenty DoUars. Sec. 4. Any person convicted of having wantonly or maliciousiy altered, defaced broken down or destroyed any monument, tombstone or vault, or any fence railing or part thereof erected around the graves of any deceased persons in any public or private burying ground of said City, or of having in like manner removed or injured any ornamental plant, shrub or tree, standing in such burying ground shall be fined therefor in any sum not less than one nor more than Fifty Dollars. Sec. 5. That whoever shall visit any Cemetery in said City for the purpose of doing any unlawful act, or whoever while at any Cemetery shall engage in any unlawful or immoral act, or whoever shall be found loitering at or in such cemetery between the hours of 8 o’clock p. m. and 6 o’clock a. m. shall be fined in any sum not exceeding $25.00, upon conviction thereof. Sec. 6. Said Council shall, at their first regular meeting in June, 1896 elect by ballot, three Cemetary Trurtees who shall be resident freeholders of said City, for the control of Weston Cemetery and such other Cemeteries as hereafter may be laid out by said City, who shall serve for one. two and three years from the date of their election, which Trustee so elected shall decide by lot which onefof them shall hold for one year and which one shall hold for two and three years respectively, and annually thereafter said Common Council shall at the first meeting in June elect by ballot one cemetary Trustee to serve as such for three years, and until their successors are elected and qualified. Within two weeks after their election in each year such cemetery Trustees, shall meet and organize, by choosing a President, Secretary and Treasurer, and shall be known as the Trustees of Weston •emetery. At saie first meetings of said trustees, they shall appoint a Sexton, whe shall be a propperly qualified person, and who shall be at all times under the digection and control of the cemetery Trustees. Proviaed: That by the concurrence of a majority of said common council said trustees or any one of them may be removed and another person elected to take his place. Sec. 7. Said Cemetary Trustees shall each before assum ing the functions of his offic, be sworn to faithfully discharge the duties of the same, and the Secretary and Treasurer shall each give a bond in such penal sum as may be designated by the "common "ouncil. Said JJJJemetary Trustees shall report to the JJJommon JJouncil semi-annually at the last regular meeting inDecem* ber and May, in writing, the condition of said Weston "emetery grounds, receipts and disbursments. and the amount of funds on hand, and make such reccomendations for the improvament of said JJJJemetary grounds as to them seem advisable.. Sec. 8. Said “emetary Trustees, snail have the care control and superintendence of such JJJJemetary and public burying grounds: and shall direct all improvements, and designate the place of interment, with a view to 'regularity, and shall generally direct the performance of all duties necessary to keep said JJJJemetary in the best order. The Secretary shall pay all money collected by him to the Treasurer immediately upon the receipt of the same and shall take his recipt therefor, and in default of such payment as herein ordained such Secretary shall be removed as provided in Section 6 of this ordinance. Sec. 9. Said Sexton shall at all reasonable hours unlock and open the gates of said buryiug grounds for the ingress and egress of funeral processions, and to persons wishing to erect tombstones and plant flowers around the graves of deceased relatives and friends in said burying grounds, with the needful materials and articles, and vehicles used to haul the same; shall at all other times when present unlock said gates to grant said persons ingress and egress with such materials, articles and vehicles needed and used as aforesaid, and shall in no case be entitled to charge or ask any person any fee or reward for their leaving said burying groudds, or for his opening or shutting said gates. Sec. 10. Said Sexton, on due conviction of having violated any of the provisions of the foregoing sections, shall be subject to removal by the "emetery Trustees, and shall also be fined for every such offense in a sum not less than five nor more tjian Twenty Dollars. Sec. 11. No person shall interfere with or interrupt said Sexton in the discharge of his duties, or remain in said burying grounds with any vehicle, except in case of burials, after the expiration of the hour for closing said gates, unless admitted by the Sexton afteFt&S closeoT said hour for the purpose of unloading needful material, in which case such person shall immediately unload the same and withdraw in a reasonable time, so that the Sexton may fasten said gates; and every person, on due conviction of having violated the provisions of this Section, shall be fined therefor in any sum uot less than One nor more then Twenty Dollars. Sec. 12. Any person, other than the Saxton or JJemetery Trustees on due conviction of having entered any such cemetery or burial place or intered any dead body, except with the authority or under the direction of the Sexton or JJJemetery Erustees, shall bb fined for every such offense in any sum not less than Five nor more than Fifty Dollars. Sec. 13. That said Sexton of the city cemeteries shall be allowed the sum of Three dollars for children and Five dollars for adults, and demand and receive such pay in advance, for interring any body in said cemeteries: and that no person shall be allowed to disinter any body without consent of the JJemetery Trustees, and as a penalty for doing so, shall be fined in any sum not less than one nor more than ten dollars and the costs of persecution^ Sec. 14. The said Sexton ©f the JJJity 2 eme tery shall collect and receive as compensation for suen service four dollars for each adult graves and Three dollars for medium