, 1885-09-16
HEATHEN CHINEE.
A Party of them Caught Boil
ing the Bones
OF their Countrymen for Ship,
ment Home.
A Brutal Prize Fight in Gull
chaWed Boston.
Horrible Discovery.

discovery was made in Chinatown to-day.
Information was given the city coroner
that a frightful stencil was being emitted
from a cellar on Pacific street. lie went
and forced his way in and found floor cov-
cred with human skull and bones, partial
ly covered with flesh, in the last stage of
green putrefaction. Among the decayed
mass worms were crawling, while the floor
was wet and Shiny with liquid exuding
from the remains. In an inner room the
coroner found a number Of Chinese en-
gagged in boiling down the remains of
other bodies, while other Chinese were
engaged in scraping the boiled bones and
packing them in boxes for shipment to
China. 1t is estimated the cellar con-
tanned over three hundred dead bodies,
which have been taken secretly from vari-
Gus cemeteries throughout the state. As
an instance of Chinese ingenuity, it is
stated that those in charge of the opera
tons fearing the stencil from the boiling
pots would be so great as to attract atten-
ton outside, procured two living skunks
so that the odor of the later might over
come the former. The coroner conis-
Gated all the remains.
The discovery this afternoon of the
horrible wholesale practices OF the Chinese
committed under the very nose of the
city authorities has created deep and in-
tense excitement. The knowledge that
such a mass of putrifaction was lying ex-
posed in the very heart of the city, while
at the same time the drainage and sewers
OF the city are known to be in an unwhole-
some and filthy state, created a feeling of
fear for the health Of the city, After all
the boxes containing the remains of dead
Cinnamon had been removed to the
morgue, the city coroner was interviewed
in regard to the matter and stated that
when he arrived in the cellar in which
the boxes were stored, and the purified
remains which had yet to be boiled, were
lying, he set to work with a Ratchet to
break open the boxes, there were some
sixty bodies in all. Each of them con-
tanned a tin case in which were carefully
rolled up in oil cloths a number of human
bones Smaller bones and long strips of
skin we're wrapped up in separate parcels
and placed within a larger one. On the
ontside of the box was a label in Chinese
characters, indicating the name of the
person while living, so that the
remains could be claimed by the
relatives on their arrival in China.
After having opened several cases
the coroner concluded to seize the whole
lot and remove them to the morgue.
Express wagons were called, and while
the cases were being placed in the wagons
some Of the boxes rolled off to the pave
ment, breaking them and leaving the
bones exposed to view. The crowd which
had assembled having learned the cause
Of the excitement jumped on the bones,
and in their indignation trod them under
foot. Police officers quickly interposed,
and the loading was continued without
further interruption and the remains
removed to the morgue, Most of the
boxes containing the remains were, on
examination, found to have come from
cities in the interior part of thestate. The
remains were shipped from there to San
Francisco in common tea boxes. Those
that come from the interior are boiled
and prepared before shipment, so that no
odor is p%erceptible on the route, Only
those removed from San Francisco GENE
teries have the flesh still on them when
brought TO the preparation cellar. 1t was
the intention to have shipped all these on
the steamer City Of Picking. which sails
on Saturday next 1t is rumored the
Chinese Six Companies will bring an ac-
ton against the coroner for the removal
Of the boxes and the remains.