The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-05-19
KEEPING THE DEVIL AWAY.
Chinese Feast of the Dead-A Mongolian
Picnic In Raging Snow Storm.


Virginia City (Nev) Cor. New York world.l
From Virginia City to the Sutro tun-
mel road has been built across the hills
for the accommodation of the Tunnel
Company. Since the road was built,
various habitations have sprung up along
its borders. The county hospital is
reached by this road, likewise the habi-
tation of "Old Kentuck," hermit, who
lives, with his donkey and dog, in hut
about three miles from Virginia, and a
like distance from Sutro. "Kentuck"
is certainly O curiosity, but the great
curiosity of the neighborhood is the
Chinese cemetery, in the sage brush,
just east of the county hospital. l have
often been struck by the bare and de-
serted appearance of the place as ]
passed along the divide between the two
towns, but was never more forcibly i'm
pressed with its weird and somber char
acteristics than on a certain clear and
terribly cold midnight in February, as 1
guided my jaded horse through the
if ever any one saw a Chinese ghost
This afternoon l had occasion to pass
over this grade, and my curiosity was
aroused by the spectacle of a wagon
load of Cinnamon directing their way
toward the Chinese cemetery. could
not believe it to be funeral, for there
was nothing to indicate corpse, but to
satisfy my curiosity I followed them.
Just as they arrived at the cemetery /
looked toward Mount Davidson, and saw
the snow whirling on its crest. Before
/ arrived in the midst of the Mongolians
q binding, stinging snow storm was upon
us. 1t came directly from the south
east, driven by fearful gale of wind,
and for half an hour it ragged as 1 never
saw snow storm rage before. The
Cinnamon, nothing daunted, commenced
unloading the wagon of its treasures-a
whole roast hog, plates of rice, bundles
OF cigarettes, white biscuit sprinkled
with red sugar, preserved ginger,
liquors and fireworks and bun
dies of light brown bits of paper
inscribed with Chinese characters. One
OF the heathen spread out a roll of pa
pers to the four quarters of the compass,
and laid them on each grave, keeping
them in place with a stone; another
grasping a handful of sticks about as
large In circumference as q match, and
foot in length, lighted them and placed
them at the head of the graves. Others
took punches of tiny candles, and placed
them lighted on the graves, the whole
crowd keeping up the most incessant
chattering all the time. "Hi, va! Hi,
va gou wa +; teya," seemed to my I'M
educated understanding the burden of
their song. Then bundle of fireworks
were set off amid loud hurrahs. With
out further ceremony they squatted
themselves on the ground and the feast
commenced. My distinguished friend
and laundryman, Su Wong, politely re-
quested me to join the feast, but be-
heved that 1 could wait until reached
Virginia City. The fact is was not
hungry. The joss sticks continued to
burn and the Cinnamon discussed the
baked meats of the many funerals, and
the storm increased in fury every mo-
ment. Finally the feast was completed
"a little quicker than is usual on these
occasions, / judged, and, gathering up
the remnants, they replaced them in the
wagon, and all returned to Virginia. In
former times they used to leave the re-
mains of the banquet in the cemetery,
but the Piute Indians, without the fear
of the Mongolian deity before their
eyes, were wont to gobble up the dainties
as soon as the Cinnamon were out Of
sight, which "would never do for Larry
O'Brien." During the ceremonies L
asked Su Wong what it all meant, and
was told it was a "yearly feast of the
dead, to keep the devil away"