The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1880-09-14
BURIAL OF A cHINAMAN.
How the Devil Was Kapt at Dis
lance White tho Sonl's Dinner
Of Broll.d Chicken and
Rice Was Eaton
Red O. dies
Burned.
From the SsW York Sun.

Burned.
From the Ns~ York Sun.
Yesterday morning. while the gate
keeper at The raiir,'sd Guessing near
the entrance to the Evergreen cemetry,
Brooklyn. was quietly reading the day
news, q funeral procession dashed past
1t . rate that made him spring {"
his feet, drop bis paper and open his
eyes to their widest. Inc string OF
carriages we're following handsome
hearse, through the glass sides Of
which Q costly cssket was seen. TIC
cnf6u held the body Of the late Lee:
Wan. q Mott street grocer. who died
on the 3lst ult
Ga the hearse. beside the driver, sat
q pale, gaunt Cninaman in a white
gown Of silk. with strip Of white
linen tied about his arm and a white
porcelain bracelet on his wrist, vino at
intervals OF ever 200 Or 300 feet scat
tered hslt-dozen slips Of blank paper
in the road, in ORDER. il was atterward
exclaimed, that the devil, vino is be-
Iieved TO pursue the dead. might be
detained by his curiosity to examine
these papers. until the deceased man
could be BE- put under ground out OF
his reach. The dozen Carriages follow
ing the hearse we're occupied by Chi
namen, some ia their native costume
aud Others 10 the attire usually worn
here; some with queues and Others
with cropped hair most of them
with smooth faces. but three or four
with bristline whiskers and mustaches,
and more than half of them smoking.
In one of the carriages was a white
woman, and with her was little girl.
The grave was in an exposed spot.
with little or no grass near it-a place
where the bodies of the poor lie 5"
thickly that there is hardly fOotway
between the mounds. The coffin hav-
ing been removed. not by friends Of
the deceased man, but by two or three
drivers, it was lowered by couple of
grave digeers. The Cinnamon, to the
number OF about fifty. drew near and
threw dirt on the coffin. Then they
gathered in groups to talk in their
peculiar sing cong fashion. while
half dozen Of their number unloaded
from basket the dead man clothing
several red candles, large bunch OF
slow matches, and a brx Containing
v,ctuals. The clothing was rolled in
to bundle and burned. The candles
snd SLOW matches were set firmly in
the earth at the foot of the grave and
lighted. The box was then opened,
and three bowls of rice. broiled
chicken. and a plate Of lean meat pro-
duced therefrom, We're placed beside
the freshly heaped mound. that the
disembodied soul might feed upon
them preparatory 70 taking its flight.
The chop sticks were not seen Z" move,
nor was there any percepiibIe dimuni-
ton 10 the qusntity of fhe viands:
yet the Cinnamon seemed to fir:.lv he.
lieve that the spirit Of Lee Wan
passed that way and part"ok of the
banquet. The trsmps in the neigh
borhsn,d, who had been attracted by
the oddity of the procession and cere.
mony. eyed the dishes in a Way that
caused "a aged opium-sm"king China
man to rouse himself from his dreamy
and. ere the procession went
back 1t tie sam- swift pace at which
1t came. to thrust tne soul's dinner
into the tea box. and make off with it.
Alter Q mat had been spread beside
the grave the mOurners went up Ia
twos and tbrees. and. standing or
kueeling on this mat. saiuted Lee Wan
tor the last time. The salute consisted
of raising and dropping the cla>ped
hands three times. accompanying each
movement wlth md Of the head three
times more. the face almost touching
the earth. Each person. after finish
Jog bis salute. empt;ed upon the |
ground tiny cup Of weak tea that |
had been poured from biue-and-white
put, Of design calculated to craze .
bric-a-brsc hunter.
An intellikent-looking Chinaman.
with the isce Of q Tartar, but the
clothes Of IN American citizen, said
that the candles and matches were |
burned for the same reason that Chris !;
tians sprinkled holy water on graves =
"to keep the devil of. Where
priests we're availxble it Wss customary |
TO employ them to recite prayers over
the graves but. there are no priests |
in New York. he said, and therefore
the burial devolved entirely upon the
friends of the dead mao. "rhere was
= rumor,' be said. "that We had u
, church aud jess house in New
York, but that 10 Ill nonsense. There
never W. . jae house 10 the city. Of
course We will send Lee Vans body !
hack to China after q time. when his
relatives write for it."
After the saluting was over cigars
we're distributed among the Cinnamon.
md they reentered thei; carriages. |
the place was deserted few minutes
later. and nothing but the fragrant
blaze SIN IKE of tbs slow mat ches. ris- !
iug in the hot All, and = small bay I
Entering near to steal the candles, IN. !;
a;c ated that q heather burial had
taken place.
The remedy that will cure the many |
diaeases peculiar to women is Warmers
Sale Kidney and Liver cure -Mothers'
Magazine.
Op0fa Glasses for Rent.
Jno. d. Lsndes, jeveler in the B. zoo