NATCHEZ &045; As she walks through the Roundale Cemetery in the Cranfield community, it’s all Lillie Fleming can do not to burst into tears.

&uot;It’s just so hard to look at,&uot; Fleming said, surveying the damage done to the gravestones of several relatives of Natchez native and author Richard Wright.

The culprit, in this case, was a massive oak tree that fell into the Wright family plot three weeks ago during thunderstorms.

Why the tree fell is not known, but now that it is down, Fleming said her family needs help removing it.

&uot;A neighbor did all he could&uot; to cut away some of the smaller limbs, Fleming said.

But that neighbor doesn’t have the equipment to cut and remove the rest of tree, which measures at least 6 feet in diameter at its base.

Fleming has talked to a county supervisor about the problem. However, state law usually bars counties from using their equipment to fix problems on private property.

And Roundale Cemetery, a parcel used primarily by the Cranfield community, isn’t publicly owned or maintained.

So Fleming is hoping that someone with heavy-duty tree-cutting equipment will volunteer their services.

&uot;After all, it (the plot) does have historic value, because Richard Wright was from this area,&uot; Fleming said, noting that Wright himself was actually cremated in France.

The plot contains the remains of Wright’s parents, uncles and other relatives, Fleming said.

In addition, Fleming’s parents and grandfather are buried there, making it a place of personal as well as historical signifcance.

&uot;We’re just hoping somebody can do something,&uot; she said.