Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-07-14
OUR CALIFORNIA LETTER
FIsEERxAS's BAY. Cal,
- - 1914

smoke ana gossip their time away.
Here we have the identical country
store. surrounded by cosmopolitan pOpu-
lation, while farther away are class Of
settlers, livingand apparently thriving upon
their mountain ranches, who make this
central point for all necessary family sup
plies. Once inside, and you viii see an as
sortment of general merchandise gathered
from aIl branches of trade. An ex-Sheriff
Of this county, an old Rhode Islander, end
your correspondent, oficiate officially, IN
side. Though our customers are made up
of all nations, we have trade which is by
no means inferior to many stores Of more
pretentious towns, averaging daily nigh
two hundred dollars, Sundays not except
ed as that IS our principal day Of trade.
On that day We take the forenoon to do our
necessary abIutions and changes for the
health and comfort Of the body. Our
spiritual necessities we neglect. IndiTiding
up our time, we have left no portion to at
tend to the souls hereafter-we do not give
that thought. No friendly missionary is
here to point US the way. II We go, our
cases are in the hands Of Just and upright
judge.
AT noon on the Sabbath, we throw open
our doors, and the store is filed with
aborigines, Chinese, and motley crowd Of
whites. They gather from the surround.
ing country and the immediate neighbor-
hood, and on this day ones idea Of a from
tier town is fully realized. The older and
more venerable ones Of the household come
with their pack-horses for weekly supply
Of provisions while the younger members
ride into town for days frolic, with their
persons adorned in their Sunday best, with
long, elanking spurs attached to their
heels. A man among them is measured by
his excellency in horsemanship, and their
ambition, to own the feetest horse. When
a little liquor is in, we have many a scrub
race, which enlivens the day, but desc
crates the Sabbath. Outside Of this Sab
bath breaking we are wen disposed COM
munity. We have justice Of the peace
in our midst, and enough law-abiding and
respectable citizens to hold in check any
evil disposed person. Shn We have the
ealifornian's idea Of morality, and consid-
er that as long as no personal injury is in
ficted, each and every one may take their
own particular mode of enjoyment.
We have in our midst a physician, yet
boast of being a healthy community, his
services being seldom officially required,
only in case, Of accidents, which frequent
ly occur among the men in our logging
camps and mills. Death has, since my BE-
ing here, taken two middle aged men from
our midst. We have a modest appearing
burial ground, situated few rods away,
upon gradually sloping hill overlooking
the mighty Pacific. Here ara lying tie
bodies Of nearly score of people, being
the harvest which the reaper Death has
gathered in since this community was es-
tablished. No minister has knelt by their
bedsides, imploring them, before they go,
to make their peace with God. Their eyes
have closed in death, leaving their friends
only this consolation: "It may be we'll"
Rude, but friendly men, follow them to the
grave, where rough, but kind hands lay
them away. On the last occasion of this
kind acted as Priest, reading at the grave
the Episcopal burial service.
Some two or three days since a China
man, working at the mill, went to bed at
night in his usual health, but forgot to
wake up in the morning. Circumstances
caused suspicious of foul play, but proba-
bly, opium was the direct cause of his
death. His dying added another link to
my chain of experience, and watched
with great interest the manner and custom
Of a Chinese funeral The body being
ready for burial, was placed in rough red
wood coffin, and deposited upon a dray.
Upon the top Of the box was placed the
worldly effects of the deceased, consisting
Of his bed, clothes, and such other arti-
cles as was necessary for Johns comfort.
At the head Of the procession was & Chi
naman with handful of oblong strips Of
paper, who, from the house to the grave,
was continually strewing them along the
way. Just preceding the corpse was an
other one with two baskets suspended from
balanoe-pole on his shoulders, in which
were the provisions and other paraphrena-
liza to be used at the grave. In the rear
were the common rabble in no regular pro-
eession, smoking and jabbering in the
most approved Mongolian style. Even the
man sitting on the coffin and driving the
rude hearse had cigar in his mouth.
was not much struck with the solemnity of
the occasion, and falling into line march
ed with the rest to the grave. Before the
coffin was deposited in its resting place, an
argument seemed to spring up among them
which with some difficulty was settled, and
the body lowered away with the head to-
wards the east, A sprightly little fellow
then passed around box Of cigars. The
blankets and other effects Of the deceased
were taken to one side, and all indiserim-
instely burned. While this was going on,
and the grave being filed up, the mourn
ers were laughing and chatting in the most |
pleasant manner. A table was constructed |
at the foot of the grave, upon which was
placed cooked rice, sugar, cakes, s baked |
chicken, piece Of pork and liver, with the |
Chinese utensils for eating the same.
Whisky was very plenty, four bottles each
holding a quart, having conspicuous places
amongst the food. The grave was stuck
full Of eolored wax candles, and sort of
stick. These were all lighted. and while
burning, they took positions at the foot of
the grave. Then each Chinaman knelt
separately upon some green boughs, and
bowling their heads three times to the
ground passed to a second Chinaman three
lighted reeds, which be took and stuck IN
TO the fresh dirt upon the grave. Then
taking q small bowl, which would hold
about three thimbles-fuIl, and filing It
with whisky, he spilled it upon the ground.
reflled it, then arose and bowing three
times, fell to the rear. His place was filed
by another and this ceremony again gone
through with, until all had taken part.
The rice was then spilled upon the ground,
they deeming that sufficient to appease the
hunger Of the dead man. The other eata-
bles, together with what whisky was left