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Thousands Buried in Old Graves, Investigators in
Kentucky Report AP LOUISVILLE, Ky., Nov. 27— The remains of up to 48,000 people were buried in graves
that were already occupied at two cemeteries in a practice believed to have
begun in the 1920's, investigators for the State Attorney General's office say.
Three former officials of the
Louisville Crematories and Cemetery Company, the city's oldest cemetery
concern, are to stand trial in February on charges resulting from the
investigation of Eastern and Greenwood cemeteries. ''It may be beyond the abilities of
most people to comprehend just what has gone on out here,'' a University of
Louisville archaeologist, Phil DiBlasi, said in a recent interview. Some graves contained the remains of
as many as six people, and graves containing the remains of three or four are
common, said Mr. DiBlasi, who supervised the excavation of about 100 graves at
the two cemeteries here. Infants in Shallow Graves Remains from previous burials were
found so often in one section of Eastern Cemetery that about 70 infants' bodies
were buried only 10 to 18 inches deep, employees have told investigators. Jim Caldwell, an investigator for
the State Attorney General's office, reported finding human bones at Eastern
Cemetery in a truck's glove compartment, a tool box, a storage shed - even a
fast-food hamburger bag. In July, a Jefferson County grand
jury indicted three officials on 60 counts, including re-use of graves and
abuse of corpses. The officials, who have since resigned from the 141-year-old
company, are Charles Alexander Jr., executive director of Louisville
Crematories and Cemetery since 1986; Clifford B. Amos Sr., board president and
acting executive director from 1980 to 1986, and Robert Copley, board vice
president and a company employee since 1987. If convicted, they could face up
to 268 years in prison and fines of up to $4,000. Mr. DiBlasi said the excavations
indicated that the practice of re-using graves had been going on as early as
the 1920's at Eastern, long before the three officials joined the company.
''This isn't something that started with these folks back in the '70's, as was
first suspected,'' he added. Room for 18,000 Bodies The 15-acre cemetery had enough room
for about 18,000 bodies under existing standards, but investigators estimate
that 51,000 were buried there, Mr. Caldwell said. His report estimated that the
capacity at Greenwood was exceeded by 15,000 bodies. That would put the number
of bodies in previously used graves at both cemeteries at 48,000. Louisville Crematories and Cemetery,
which also operates Schardein Cemetery, came under scrutiny in May when Bob
Allen, a gravedigger and maintenance worker, called the State Attorney
General's office and said graves were re-used throughout the eight years he
worked for the company, Mr. Caldwell's report said.
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