Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor

On the first day of Spring in 2015 I planted eight (8) crepe myrtle trees on the West end of Russell Cemetery West of Grassy Lake on Russell Cemetery Road. Six of them were about six feet tall and two were about four feet tall, small and skinny. These two smaller ones were stolen from the cemetery in 2015.

This year on April 15, 2016, I replaced the two crepe myrtle’s that were stolen with a six food crepe myrtle and a 15 foot crepe myrtle. I check on them weekly and they were alive and well.

On Monday, May 2, 2016, I went to look at them and the 15 footer was toppled over. I called a schoolmate to replant the tree. He went out to replant it and it was gone! I called and reported it to the county sheriff’s office, and obviously, to no avail.

My next intention was to place a larger metal arch there with the name “Russell Cemetery” on the arch. But I was told if I did that the arch would be stolen and sold for scrap iron. And it would be a waste of my time and money!

Planting trees at Russell Cemetery in an attempt to beautify the scared resting place of our dead relative has been a long and arduous task. It has also been an expensive one. I deplore the actions of cemetery thieves who steal tombstones and flower cups made of copper, bronze and other metals. They also take live flowers left at grave sites during burial ceremonies. This amounts to desecration of the cemetery.

I wonder what we can do if we are not able to hire security guards or put up watch cameras at the small town cemetery sites. I would like anymore who knows of persons vandalizing the cemetery and robbing the dead to please call the county sheriff’s office and report them because this is the lowest act imaginable.

Let’s report these criminals and stop this madness.

Marian Barr, M.D. West Memphis, AR

To the Editor: