The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-12-10
Mars QUAINT Funeral.
THE ODD CEREMONIES MARKING THE BUR-
IAL OF A CHINESE WOMAN.

Curious sticks of Chinese incense,
emitting a peculiarly pleasant odor,
burned at the foot, the head, aud upon
the silver-decked coffin in which lay
the emacialed body of Mai, the young
Chinese woman who died at No. l39
Chatham street, New York. Other
burning incense filed the room with
its BLUSH smoke. Fifty or more jab-
bering Cinnamon gathered in the dead
woman's two little rooms, and Chin
Shun, her fat husband, gravely dis
tributed various kind of Chinese edibles
TO his guests, moving around among
them with the air OF a man who was
entertaining a choice circle of friends
than one who was mourning the loss
of wife.
The coffin had the day before been
partly filed by Chin with silken robes,
jewelry and other things, stuffed down
between the body and the sides Of the
casket and all the rest OF the available
space was filled with queer looking
Chinese trinkets and innumerable small
slips of paper on which was written in
Chinese letters what is supposed to be
Mai's letters of recommendation to the
heavenly powers. AT l.30 the lid of
the coffin was fastened down, and a
dozen of the attending mourners, grid
ing up their blouses, carried it down to
the hearse waiting at the door.
Then everything which Mai had
owned-all her clothes, her trunk, the
bed in which she died, the chair on
which she last sat, the bedclothing she
had ustd-in fact, everything to which
she could have laid any possible claim
were piled together, and after being
carried down stairs were put into and
completely filed an express wagon
which had been drawn up behind the
hearse. Twelve carriages were in
waiting. These were promptly ap
propriated by as many Chinamen as
they could hold, and the funeral pro-
cession started for Evergreen Gene
terry. The crowd of Cinnamon who
had, from lack Of carriage accomoda-
ton, been left, employed themselves
energetically in showering thousands
of little slips of paper, such as had been
placed in the cotfin, after the hearse,
and those in the carriages vigorously
added their pile of papers to the gen
eral shower.
The procession passed up Chatham
street to the Bowery in perfect whirl-
wind OF paper, aud through that
| thornn o<hf fara 60 nro,I a..o,. o..1.s:. :.
by the Grand street ferry 10 Brooklyn,
and thence to the cemetery.
Arriving at the grave Joss sticks
were burned, prayers were recited, and
the coffin, still enveloped in a cloud of
the little paper slips, was lowered into
the grave. Up to this time the uniniti
lated spectators who from curiosity had
offended the funeral were wondering
what on earth was to become of Mais
effects. They were not much enlight.
ened when the whole pile was dumped
ON the ground. But when the China
men arranged the various articles into
a sort OF funeral pyre and set fire to it
the solution was reached. The smoke
OF the earthly necessaries, the China
men explained, was to be caught by
Mai in heaven, and she needed them,
the process of naturalization was easy
Ito her-and she could thus have ali
the Injuries in heaven to which she
had been accustomed during her resi-
dence on earth, The death of Ma
leaves but three Chinese women in
New York city,