Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-06-20
A CHINESE FUNERAL.
New York World.

whom David Quinn killed Slnda,
night. was bhried yesterday with Chris
tisin and pagan rites. Merchant AL
Foo and two cousins of the dead mai
went early to Undertaken Naughtoni
shop, ut No 81 Mott street, and pre-
pared the body. They were the onl,
Chinese present, for superstition for
bids most of their race from looking
at a corpse. All Foo taok long scarf,
of red and blue and twined them like
a turban around the dead mans head
The body was dressed i'll new clothing
of the same colors. Then the body
was placed in a dark rosewood coffin
with silver handles. A silver plate on
it bore the inscription "Ah Mon
died June z, 1885, aged twenty five
years" There was no trace of suffer
ing ON the pale, olive features. A
small, almost imperceptible dark spot
under the left eye was the only mark
of violence.
When the body was laid in the cof
fin All Foo began the Chinese funeral
rites. Gazing intently upon the pallid
features, he began talking in loW
monotone. Passing from the head to
the bottom of the casket and raising
his voice as he went, the speaker final
ly called ia a loud voice, in the Chi
nese language:
"Ah Mon, if you are alive, rise up p
After moments silence he drew
from his pocket two packs of long mar
row cards on which were intricately
traced designs. There were thirteen
in each pack. These he scattered at
intervals upon the body from head to
foot, keeping up all the time low,
measured chant. One of the men
present said they were prayer-cards.
After another brief pause he approach
ed the head of the coffin and gazed
silently and long upon his dead friends
face. Then he grasped the left arm
and shook it three times as if to arouse
the sleeper. There was no response,
and in another moment all three Ce-
lestials had noiselessly vanished from
the room.
Crowding each other upon the mar
row pavement and fighting for places
at the windows overhead, the Ameri-
can population of Mott street, early in
the afternoon, made ready to gaze
upon their choicest spectacle, Chi
nese funeral. At 2 O'Clock, the hour
for the services, the street was jammed.
Mothers with babies IN their arms, and
low -browed girls in gaudy dresses, JOS
tied each other in their efforts to geti
peep at the show inside.
"What are you doing here, anyway ?"
one OF them to a gr;ly-haired
lady who passed in. "You
ail't no relative of his, and you We got
no right in there" The six white
gloved pail bearers, some in native
and some i'll American dress, stood
shoulder to shoulder with curious
and sunday school teachers.
Mrs. S. d. Seaman, from st. Thomas
Episcopal school, brought large
bunch OF immortellcs, tuberoses and
ferns. She arranged the white bios
some around the sides of the sleeper's
pillow, and then the other ladies view
ed the features.
Coroner Levy and his jury viewed
the body and went away. None of the
pall-bearers would APP
proach the coffin until the lid was
screwed down: Then they put it in
the hearse and proceeded to the
Young Mems Christian Association
Chapel at No Sc Bowery. A crowd of
many hundreds, laughing and pushing
each other, swept along the sidewalk,
carrying everything before them. On
Iy a few people were admitted to the
little room where the services were
held. Grouped around a little, meiO-
leon in a corner behind the platform
sat twelve young ladies and as many
the dead snanis. Sunday
school associates. The Rev. Floyd
Tompkins and the Rev. Gordon Bur
,hard were ON the platform. Inter
prefer Charley Sing, All Kim, All Kue,
Ah Sing, Foy Yung and All Foo, the
pail bearers, sat silent and solemn
looking in front OF the audience and
ook no part in the ceremonies. The
,hoir sang Safe in the Arms of Jesus"
md the Rev. Mr.. Tompkins made "a
Drief prayer. Then DR.. Burchard read
passages from the Bible and DR.. Temp
linS made Il few remarks He said
I'VE who are white here to-day must
blush for our race when we look upon
his casket and think that stranger
IN our shore was treated as this MIN
Was. He gave no provocation, yet he
Was cruelty stricken down in our
streets. We ought to blush, too, when
We think that this mans Christianity
Was so much better than ours; that he
indignity even unto death
without resistance. 1t is Il character
site of the race, perhaps; but Christi
nifty intensiiies it. | have noticed it
many times before"
Alter another prayer the choir sang
There's a Land that is Fairer than
Day." and then the bearers took the
,lsket to the hearse. Ah Wun, the
lead mans cousin, from Danbury,
Gonn., mounted the box beside the
lriver. The other Cinnamon, DR.
and the missionary ladies
rot into the half dozen carriages and
he procession started for the Gene
cry OF the Evergreens, i'll Brooklyn.
Ah Mons brother was too ill from his |
wound to be present. Hundreds OF
people gazed curiously at the passing
learSe and carriages and at the. Grand
treet ferry a crowd soon surrounded |
he party.
Perched on the drivers box All
Vun held in his left hand Il bunch of |
hick oblong slips of brown paper
Iow and then he scattered ii few pieces |
n the air. The tradition is that these |
lips are to distract the devils atten-
ion as he hurries along to catch the |
lead mans soul; but the Cinnamon at |
his funeral said that was not their rea-
on. 1t was only an old custom, that
vas all.
On arriving at the Evergreens the
Iearse did not stop until it reached
Celestial Hill," as the Chinese burial
ract is called. The Rev. Mr.. Tomp-
,ins prayed and the ladies sang a
ymn. Then the clergyman repeated
art of the burial service of the Epis-
opal church, dropping three handfuls
t earth as he did so into the grave.
hen Mrs. Walter sang Twill they be
yatching and waiting for me ?" and
he Christian services were at an end.
BY this time throng of 300 people
ad collected around the open grave,
llking loudly, jesting and jostling the
lourners who stood about their
riend's coffin. The Cinnamon bore it
yithout murmur.
All Wun and the other pall-bearers
0ok big round basket from one of
he carriages. From it they took a
lie of rice-paper, which they lighted