Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-02-27
IMPOSING CEREMONIES OVER THE BODY OF A
DEAD CHINAMAN IN SAN FRANCISCO.

IMPOSING CEREMONIES OVER TIE BODY OF
DEAD CH1NAEAN IN SAN FRANCISCO.
A San Francisco subscriber sends us the
following account, clipped from the Bulletin
of that city, of recent Chinese funeral, con-
Quoted with all the pomp and circumstance
which wealth and position can give TO n cere-
mony Of that kind;
The funeral ceremonies over the late Wong
All Sing, Chinese merchant and member Of
the Hop Wo company, who was shot and
killed in the basement of 7OS Dupont street
on Sunday evening last, by Wong All Tak
were conducted with due Oriental splendor
and regard to the prominence of the deceas-
ed person. on Dupont street to-day. About
/ o'clock a hearse containing the remains
drew up at the corner Of Dupont and Com
mercial streets, and the body, which was en-
closed in q handsome metallic casket, was
placed on a table in the street, over which a
white canopy had been erected. Over the
coffin scarlet cloth was draped, and upon
this were several ornaments of gilt paper and
peacock feathers, with which the Celestial so.
journers in our midst are wont to decorate
their homes and graves Outside of the can
opy, and at the foot of the coffin, was placed
a table loaded with dclicecies Celestially pre-
pared, upon which the soul of the departed
Wong All Sing is expected to live during his
passage to the abodes of joss. Among the
contents of the table were roasted and un-
cooked hogs oranges, Chinese cakes nuts,
candy, etc, while a miniature image of the
great Joss spreads his hands benignly over
the feast. Large candles of fanciful design,
and scores of punk k-sticks burned fitfully
around the coffin and table, and added their
aroma to the already countless smells of the
vicinity; while small bonfres Of paper, upon
which Chinese characters were written, were
kept constantly burning by the attendants,
whose name was legion. Around the coffin
We're grouped several Cinnamon in white
cloths with pieces of white cloth bound
around their heads, and at the foot of the
coffin were several professional female mourn
ers whose cries and lamentations could be
heard for some distance off. These women,
who were attired in white, with a cloak of
straw-cloth over their shoulders are supposed
to remain on their hands and knees during
the entire ceremony, which sometimes lasts
tue better portion of the day, and in that po-
sition keep up necessarily their cries and
prayers. About noon a Chinese band appear
ed on the scene and for a while the ceremo-
MES were carried on by one man. The male
mourners left the coffin and grouped them
selves around this person, who stood at the
foot of the hill. He was dressed in the ordi-
nary Chinese costume, with the exception of
black cloth turban, fancifully decorated with
brass ornaments. In his hands he held
small blue flag, on which Chinese characters
were Transcribed, a pair of cymbals and
bell Alternately accompanying himself up
on the bell and cymbals, he chanted in a cry
ing tone of voice the good deeds of the de-
ceased, Wong All Sing, and the greatness of
the Chinese joss, who would undoubtedly
bring his assassin TO justice. Finally, having
finished, he gave a sign to the Chinese band,
which Immediately began playing what pre-
sumably was a funeral anthem, in which they
were joined by the mourners, the female por-
ton of which howled themselves almost into
Mysteries, humping their foreheads on the
ing as if they were insane. Upon the close
of the funeral services the body of the deceas-
ed person was placed in hearse, and taken
away to an undertaker's, where they will be
boxed up to await shipment to China it not
being the intention of his friends to have him
buried in California The Funeral baked
meats" were then carried off for the mourn
to regale themselves on, and the funeral
services over Woh All Sing came to an end
During the ceremonies, which lasted about
three hours traffic on Dupont street was con-
siderably interrupted, and sometimes COM
pletely stopped, by the immense concourse
of people, both Mongolians and Caucasans
witnessing the proceedings, and the balloon
les overhead were literally jammed with the
better class of Cinnamon and Chinawomen
who had gathered together to see the per
formance of the last rites to the dead.