The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-06-07
B0neIess COrpses - the Triumph Of
Chinese Ingenuity over Amer
lean Law.
Gold Hill New. News,

, Gold Hill New. News
The law passed by the last legislature,
forbidding, under heavy penalties, the
disintefment of human bodies buried
in this State, without first obtaining
permission from the county commits
sioners, was suggested by and aimed
at the well-known custom OF the
Chinese of digging up the bones OF
their countrymen and shipping them
home to China. The custom has pre-
vailed not only from religious duty,
but through the CONTRACTED obligations
of the companies to which they be-
long, or by whom they are brought to
this country, to return them to China
alive or dead. Returning the bones
suitably boxed up, labeled and certified
to, fulflls the contract. For every
celestial not SO returned, or otherwise
satisfactorily accounted for, the COM
pany has to forfeit three times the
amount of the contract money to the
relatives of the deceased or to the gov
eminent For this reason it is that at
a suitable time, few months after
burial, the graves are reopened and the
bones taken out for shipment. The
new law would apparently discourage
and prevent in great measure the
emigration of Chinese to this county,
but John Is too cunning to be caught
out or kept out on any such arrange
ment rs that. Since the law went into
effect not one Chinese corpse has been
buried with any bones in it. Skillful
practitioners, employed by the compa-
MES, remove all the bones from the
body as soon as convenient after death.
The corpse is laid upon the operating
table face downward. Some aromantic
JOSS paper is burned in the cerser sus-
pended from the ceiling, the tea cup
fulls of sanctified rice water are sprink-
led over the body and around the
rooms, and priest repeats the sacred
Chinese proverb, "Koong he fat chop"
which signifies, "Peace and good will
to lis ALL" This is the religious formu-
Ia of the occasion. The two skilled |
sergical operators now step forward to
their work with glittering knives. An
incision is mode from the top of the
head down the spinal column, branch
ing off down each leg to the heel, and
along the back of each arm. The skin
and flesh is then carefully and speedily
peeled and trimmed away each side
from the skull, shoulders back, ribs,
hips, arms and legs. and in less time
than it takes to describe it the feshless
skeleton is drawn forth, leaving the
homeless corpse, lying there. Then
The clothes which deceased wore dur
ing life, often comprising all his world
y possessions, are carefully stuffed in
20 supply the place of the bones re-
moved, and the body being neatly
ewed up and washed, it is wrapped in
plain shroud and delivered to the
riends for burial.
The skeleton is now uniointed and
he bones boiled for several hours,
efficient to remove all adhering flesh
II refuse matter. They are subsequent
y baked in oven and packed for ship
1ent. 1t is unnecessary to enter into
be details as to the disposal of the &
pup OF burial OF the body, the removal
nd preparation of the bones being the
lain point in view.
The advantages of this new method
securing the bones over the old
yle are very apparent, and the Chin
e consider it a great improvement
involves no delay or uncertainty,
Or the extra work of re-opening the
'nes are more agreeably secured and
'epared, with no obnoxious or OPP -,
'essive law to interfere. The story q
lrted few days ago by misinform- u
contemporary to the effect that the :
linese were obviating this law diff
lty by placing the corpses in large
rthern pots, for shipment to Califor-
q. was untrue, absurd and impracti-
bic.