| Show BURIALS AT CROSS ROADS Events That Led to the interment of the Suicide With the Executed Criminal In rn pre pre days duya were terribly fr frequent and It was as generally general ly Iy that that n n man might escape the the burden of life In this manner without dl discrediting credI nJ his memory Christianity with Its higher higher code of morals taught Ih the wickedness earl and cowardice of or self self murder murder In the strongest terms When n consecrated were sot set apart as the resting place of ot the Christian th n dead It was felt that tho those e who died lied In tend dead deadly ly 1 sin In In flagrant rebellion against their lr Maker 1 had cut themselves off from rom the faith and no right to await the resurrection with faithful Christians They were WE believed to have e put themselves outside of so so- defy clety and Inti to ha nave forfeited Well to share Its burial privileges In those early days before churches could be built It was was vas the rule to preach and conduct divine services at the cross cross- roads Wooden and afterwards stone crosses were erected to mark the situation situ situ- atlon where services would be held Some of ot these have been beeD preserved to this day being memorials erected to the dead or dedications ns of lag Ing ng Since suicides ul ldes might not be burled bur bur- led ed In the churchyard or other consecrated consecrated consecrated conse conse- crated ground pity sug suggested std that th the next most holy spot was 5 the ground near the old cross crofts where service had once been held or was then held They burled th the poor suicides there bo- bo cause they were wert unwilling to rell relinquish relin rehn- hope hopp for tor them Afterward for forthe forthe the he sake of greater publicity the gibbet gibbet gibbet gib gib- bet and the gallows were set up at atthe atthe atthe the crossroads end and criminals ls were burled buried beneath them after their exe exe- cution The law decreed that suicides should hould lie He with tb these e criminals In order order order or or- der to mark th the detestation In which the he crime of murder self murler was held And so EO what was once ft n. n signal of ot Christian hope and charity became a legal egal Indignity Imposed upon the dead bodies to mark an on Immen Immensely cl serious breach of the law low of the country |
