Hello, I'm sort of a one woman show to get the cemetery cleaned up.

Tonite after the TV station did our update at the Alamo Masonic Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, for the 10pm news, one of the policemen drove by and we chatted.

He was delighted that we were getting the cemetery cleaned up, and told me there was a plot in particular that was always a problem. A few weeks ago they found a man dead there, from a drug overdose. It is a popular spot for heroin addicts, and the ground always has balloons and needles. I followed him to the plot, and I was horrified. It was the family plot of my new friend Dorothy, one of the few plots that are lovingly maintained by the family. Dorothy is a former president of the DRT (Daughters of the Republic of Texas), Texas' equivalent of the DAR.

The fact that the grass is always cut makes it a pleasant spot for addicts. Overgrown brush hides it from the street. Plots on each side are overgrown as well, with high bushes, so the Dewees plot can only be seen if you are standing directly in front of it. There are two overgrown bushes at each front corner, creating totally hidden spots on each side. That's where Baby Sara is. If you look closely at the ground you can see balloons. Balloons are actually those little colored balloons you buy for parties. They are close to the ground, and the lawnmower must miss them. One was right at Baby Sara's headstone, where the overdose victim left it. We didn't see any needles in one corner where they usually were, the next addict along usually picks them up. There was a tube of toothpaste by the large monument that wasn't there yesterday.

The officer said the man that died of the overdose on top of Baby Daughter Sara Gray's grave, his feet resting on her tombstone. Little Baby Sara lived only 3 days. His head was near near Caiaphas Ham, the pioneer who came to Texas with Jim Bowie and his brother Rezin.

Here are all of the Dewees family that "rest" there, their dignity insulted daily:

D-15 South section of D-15 plot
Our Mother, Annie Irvin Dewees, 16 July 1851, 7 April 1939
John Oatman Dewees, 30 Dec 1828, 10 June 1899
In memory of J. A. Irvin, born May 6th, 1822, Died April 6, 1865
Mother, Sarah Irvin, born Aug 15, 1825, Nov 15, 1901
Sarah Tom Irvin, 18 Nov 1860, 6 Sept 1941

D-15 North section of D-15 plot
Little Harry , 17 Jan 1893, 12 Aug 1893
Waldon Beckley, 11 Jan 1874, 9 Sept 1898
Claribel Remschel Deering 25 Oct 1908, 28 Aug 1995
Charles T. Dewees, 31 May 1884, 4 Dec 1929
Georgia Ira Dewees, 24 Mar 1880, 2 Jany 1890,
Papa and Mama's Darling
Kate Graves Dewees, 12 May 1891, 21 Nov 1974
Kate Ham Dewees, 2 Aug 1854, 13 May 1924
Lilla Dewees, 20 June 1882, 22 Aug 1882
Thomas Dewees, 2 Jun 1843, 12 Jun 1905
Father, Oscar Seth Dewees, 1 Aug 1875, 15 July 1928
Ola B. Gammon, 1878-1953
Sarah K. Gray, 30 Sept 1942, 2 Oct 1942, Baby Daughter
Ham: Gaiphas Kennard Ham, born Jan 16, 1803, died Nov 3, 1895;
Elizabeth Ham, born, 10 Dec 1814, died Aug 8, 1891.
Mother, Clariel Dewees Remschel, 25 Feb 1887, 21 Feb 1968
Robert Henry Remschel, Jr., 10 Oct 1911, 29 Nov 1937

Here is the news story about the man...

Cemetery buffs find above-ground body
Web Posted: 04/18/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Vianna Davila
Express-News Staff Writer

A couple searching for the oldest graves they could find in an East Side
cemetery stumbled across the body of an unidentified man Saturday evening
lying next to a headstone.

A historical marker for the grave of Alamo preservationist Clara Driscoll
compelled Todd and Debra Girgus to stop in the Masonic Cemetery-Alamo Lodge
in the 1700 block of East Commerce Street. They had been strolling for about
30 minutes in the cemetery, which contains the graves of San Antonio
notables including the Menger and Frost families, when Todd Girgus spotted
the body. At first, he thought the man was asleep.

"We go into cemeteries because we're big history buffs, but we've never
found one above ground before," he said. Girgus then called EMS from a cell
phone. Investigators were awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of
death, said police Detective Robert Blanton. He said there were no obvious
signs of foul play. He suspected the body had been in the location for less
than two days. The deceased carried no identification. He wore a white shirt
and tan slacks. Blanton said he believed the man was more than 50 years old.