Dear Editor:
In reference to the lost Dixon family cemetery article printed in the News Tribune Feb. 8, I read all the comments and replies on the article and wanted to express my opinion on the desecration of any cemetery.
In the past, if vandals destroyed just the stones and were caught they were punished. What is different now?
It doesn't make any difference when, where or who knew about this burial place of some of the first settlers in Cole County. It is not about what someone did or said; the cemetery is gone, along with the memories of the people who have gone before us. It appears that whoever destroyed the Dixon Cemetery did so with malicious intent and with no concern at all for the people of the families buried there.
It was and is a part of our history; only three families have owned this land since the land grant. This is Cole County history. As in any cemetery, the final resting place gives those left behind a place to stop and reflect on "who and what' it took to live their lives.
I have had vandals destroy one of my family burial sites (cemetery) so completely that I can no longer find it or any sign of where it was and in another cemetery, broken headstones were scattered around.
Thinking back through the years, I always went with my parents around Memorial Day to visit family cemeteries. Not only to put flowers on the graves but to stop and remember them and their lives, and how it reflected on my life. We would check to see if stones were still in place.
I personally would not like to lose any more of my family cemeteries. Please stop this from happening again!
Whoever desecrated the Dixon Cemetery should be held accountable and punished, either by community service and/or a fine. I would certainly hope they would have to put up a stone, or the original stones if they still exist, close to the original burial site.