“1655. What is he?—I do not know that he is anything; he has formerly been a shoemaker.”
“1656. Does he put on a gown when he buries the dead?—Yes, a surplice.”
“1657. What service does he read?—The regular Church service.”
“1665. Chairman. Were you in the habit of performing this grave-digging without the use of spirits?—No; we were obliged to be half groggy to do it, and we cheered one another and sung to one another.”
“1666. You found the work so disgusting you were obliged to be half drunk?—Yes.”
And so on. Many of the revelations made to this committee are so revolting that they are best forgotten. It is, perhaps, only fair to say that this particular man’s evidence was contradicted by Mr. Thomas Tagg, the owner of the ground, but it was subsequently corroborated by other and disinterested witnesses.
PEEL GROVE BURIAL-GROUND, BETHNAL GREEN.
VICTORIA PARK CEMETERY BEFORE BEING LAID OUT.