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THE SOUTHEAST
ADVOCATE T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, A p r i l 16, 2025
Danny Heitman
Is there a cemetery where graves buck tradition?
AT RANDOM
Taking a moment for a miracle of spring I have my late friend and fellow journalist Relma Hargus to thank for introducing me to cedar waxwings many years ago. You might already know about these beautiful birds, which are most visible in Louisiana in late winter and early spring. They’re about as big as cardinals, mostly olive and bright yellow, with red wing tips that resemble wax and inspire their funny nickname. The most striking feature is the black bandit mask across their eyes, fitting for a bird that loves to plunder. Cedar waxwings pillage fruit and berries, and they work quickly, often stripping a tree in minutes before moving on. As Relma suggested, if you see a cedar waxwing, pause and take note. Its presence is a glancing gift, one to savor precisely because it won’t last long. Relma had a knack for living in the moment, which can be a complicated thing for anyone who works in a deadline-driven newsroom. She saw the frantic hands of our office clock as little more than a friendly wave. Many an editor sighed in defeat as the appointed hour arrived and Relma’s copy had not yet arrived. She was a woman prone to private reveries, perhaps more interested in the coming of waxwings than the urgencies of daily journalism. All of this came to mind a few weekends ago as my wife and I were having breakfast on the patio. A busy day loomed, and we were headed inside when my wife spotted the season’s first waxwing on our hollies. If we hadn’t lingered that morning, we would have missed it. I was working from home a few days later when, from the corner of my eye, I spotted our stand of hollies as they trembled in the afternoon sun. Every tree was alive with cedar waxwings, drawn to the big red berries adorning the leaves. Birds crowded the branches, some upside down as they reached for the best meal. Fifty or more birds worked the trees in a lively swarm, darting back and forth like bees rising from a hive. The legal pad on my desk included a long list of assignments to finish, messages to answer, meetings to attend. I hadn’t penciled in any appointments with waxwings. Then I thought of Relma and her advice about waxwings — the notion that their arrival is reason enough to pause. I
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
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Nathan Pearce, CEO of Pearce Bespoke
Baton Rouge-based tailor clothes Barron Trump, Jayden Daniels, Eli Manning and more
For good measure BY JAN RISHER
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Blame it on the gravedigger. As the story goes, he’s responsible for the incorrect layout of the St. Joseph Catholic Church Cemetery at 401 S. Adams Ave., in Rayne, which caught the eye of “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!” in 1997. Ripley’s featured the cemetery in its syndicated newspaper comic panel on July 24, 1997, declaring that not only did the gravesites’ north-south placement buck the cemetery tradition of east and west, it was also the only cemetery in the United States with graves facing the wrong way.
‘Wrong Way Cemetery’ This may account for its local nickname, the “Wrong Way Cemetery.” A Louisiana State Historical Marker standing kitty-corner commemorates the cemetery’s incorrect layout, concluding that no one really knows why or how this happened.
Staff writer
uestion: What do Barron Trump, Jayden Daniels and Eli Manning have in common? Answer: Their tailor is Baton Rouge’s Nathan Pearce. Though Nathan Pearce may not be a household name even in Baton Rouge, the 34-year-old entrepreneur says to just give him time. If the growth of his business over the last seven years is an indicator, he seems to be on his way. In January, Barron Trump wore a Pearce Bespoke suit to his father’s presidential inauguration. Remember the gray three-piece suit Jayden Daniels wore in 2023 when he won the Heisman? That was also by Pearce Bespoke. ä See TAILOR, page 2G
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Pearce Bespoke associate Cole LeBlanc, from left, is pictured with clients Jayden Daniels and Barron Trump.
ä See AT RANDOM, page 2G
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STAFF PHOTO BY ROBIN MILLER
The gravesites in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery No. 1 in Rayne are positioned north and south instead of the traditional east and west, which earned it the nickname, the ‘Wrong Way Cemetery.’
Which prompted Dee Jeffers’ inquiry. “I grew up in Branch, and I have relatives buried in that cemetery,” the Baton Rouge resident said. “We knew the graves were facing the wrong way, but no one ever said why. Is there anyone out there who might know why?” Author and local historian Tony Olinger stepped up with the answer. “We have no proof one way or the other, so it’s sort of a legend,” he said. In 1880, the community of Pouppeville decided to move its community a mile west. The
ä See CURIOUS, page 2G
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