The Inquirer (Monrovia)
D. Webster Cassell
7 March 2008
The well decorated and fenced in Palm Grove Cemetery on Center Street has been burst into and vandalized by some individuals who once upon a time inhabited the graveyard.
The attitude of the alleged grave robbers was brought to light yesterday when some family members of deceased people visited the grave sites to begin beforehand 'Decoration Day' clean up works of their late kinsmen and friends, our sources revealed.
The alleged grave robbers criminally and wickedly burst into the graves of several prominent dead individuals with the intent of scraping the steel from the various graves as well as carrying away caskets of prime costs.
According to information gathered the grave rogues entered the cemetery by means of the drainage which is directly opened to the cemetery's yard and cruelly capitalized on the opportunity by breaking into graves of several persons; thus getting away with the steel rods used while building the tombs and vaults.
The grave of the late Waldrom Greaves, the founder of Pepper Bush Night Club was one of the sites which was wickedly vandalized by the alleged graveyard robbers with the sole purpose of stealing the steels.
The daughter of the deceased, Miss. Eliza Greaves, who walked into the offices of the INQUIRER yesterday, narrated that upon her arrival at the Palm Grove Cemetery to begin early cleaning up work on her father's grave, she shockingly saw the grave open with the body of the deceased out of the bronze casket.
"Just imagine, the body was one side, the casket one side and the grave was burst into. I don't know for what reason but it was really scariy," she explained.
Miss Greaves further said that not only her father's grave was wrecked but several others were damaged.
"I was really disappointed because I came purposely to work on my father's grave and then could not continue only because the grave was widely opened and to my disbelief, opened, she added.
Following Miss. Greaves' explanation, whose father's grave was damaged and looted, reporters of this paper went on a tour to verify the claims at which time it was confirmed that several graves were burst into.
It was also discovered that the graves of the thirteen former government officials executed after the 1980 coup in Liberia were also tampered with by the grave busters.
The grave of former police director, during the regime of te late President William V.S. Tubman, also late Tommy Bernard, as well as the plot of the Bright family was also pillaged.
The grave robbers also vandalized the grave of the late Gabriel Dennis, Julius Everett Copper and area of the late President Williams R. Tolbert were also hit by the devilish individuals.
Meanwhile, the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) has expressed dismay over the recent occurrence of graveyard robbery.
MCC boss Madam Ophelia Hoff Satumah told journalists that it was very frustrating to see people trying to undermine the effort of development, while other are eager to see the state progress.
She said that the project has not been officially turn over to the MCC and noted that the City Police lacks logistics to counter act incident of such.
Madam Satumah promised that her organization will do every thing to take corrective measure to prevent reoccurrence.
According to her, no arrest have been made to that effect but pointed out that the act completely undermines the effort of the state to beautify the city.
She encouraged residents of the area to assist in the process by pointing out some of the perpetrators so that they can face justice.
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