The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-12-02
MONGOLIAN MOURNERS.
BURIAL OF A CHINESE WOMAN IN
NEW YORK.

Singular FlummOTy to Keep Evil Spirits
Away-Food and Drink In Plenty for
the Departed-The Sudden Change From
Sadness to Gayety.
New YORK, Nov H-Whils most people
were celebrating Thanksgiving Day with the
enthusiasm born Of a good appetite and the
possession of a tender turkey, more than half
hundred sad eyed, sallow faced Celestials
were paying their last sad rites to Mai shum,
the dead wife Of Chin Shum and doing all
in their power to make the journey Of the
soul OF the poor woman heavenward as easy
as possible Mai Shum died of consumption
on Wednesday night, and in order to protect
her soul from seizure by the Evil One, her
body was prepared for burial as quickly as
possible and locked in the room where she
died.
Edibles were placed near the coffin so that
the soul might eat, if so disposed, and all
through the night and until l o'clock Thurs
day afternoon no one entered the room.
During the morning Chin Shum visited his
friends to notify them to be present at the
funeral, and secured the articles that wers
necessary to perform the last sad rites in
strict conformity with the customs of his
country. Shortly after l o'clock the mourn
ers gathered in the hallway of No 179 Park
Row. and few minutes later twelve car
riages and a closed undertaker's wagon drove
up. There was some delay in getting off to
Evergreen cemetery, where the interment
was to take place. The bed and bedding on
which the woman died, together with all the
clothing she wore at the time of her death,
was loaded into wagon, and then the coffin,
containing the body, was finally forced into
the small space left for it, and they left and
the door shut
The mourners crowded into the carriages,
and the funeral started as fast as the crowed
condition of the street would permit On the
way to the cemetery with the exception Of
the time occupied in crossing the ferry, sew
eral of the Cinnamon, especially Chin Shum,
were busy throwing small pieces of rice
paper out Of their carriage windows This
was done to delay the Evil One who was sup
posed to be following the funeral with a
view to sezing the dead woman's spirit the
moment an opportunity offered, the impress
sion being that the Evil One would
stop to pick up the paper in order to prevent
a rival from discovering the location of the
spirit.
1t was after 3 o'clock when the cemetery
was reached, and at an open grave in a small
plot known as Celestial Hill, where all Chi
Dese who die in this vicinity are buried,
halt was made The moment the carriages
stopped Chin Shum jumped out of the fore
most carriage and urged that the body be
quickly lowered into the grave This was
done without delay, the mourners meanwhile
Watching tue proceedings with the saddest
of expressions but without comment or con-
yersation Of any kind The moment the
grave was filed in, a quantity of rice paper,
from which the slips which had been Iistrib-
Uted along the route had been torn was
burned over it. This was done to put the
Evil One off the track and at its conclusion
every one seemed easier.
The contents of the undertaker's wagon
were arranged in four piles about the grave.
the bed at the foot and the bedding at the
head of the mound while the woman's clothes
occupied smaller spaces on either side. These
were all set on fire, but not without much
trouble, owing to the rain and wind, and
while the material blazed away one of the
party, in a sing song manner, repeated an in
cantation intended to drive away evil spirits.
As the fires smOuldered away twenty or
more candles were placed in the earth above
the grave, and inside the square thus formed,
rice, chicken and mutton, all properly
cooked, were arranged and the candles
lighted. They would not burn properly,
however, and some time was consumed in an
effort TO protect the lights from the wind.
The mourners formed themselves three deep
about the grave, and with much soemnity
and peculiar guttaral incantaton which
sounded something like "Olla-gar-wol-lon
spoken quickly, the entire party bowed three
times, and gathering up the candles and
edibles stood together in knots, while Chin
Shum and another Celestial poured tea upon
the grave,
The ceremony over, most unexpected
change came over the mourners. Every
trace of sadness had departed, and all began
chattering gaily, seemingly congratulating
each other on the success Of the funeral.
Several lighted cigars as they entered car
riages for the return home. As near as the
reporter could gather from Chin Shum, the
edibles which had been placed on the grave
were to enable the soul to eat on its way to
eternity. The candles lighted the way.
Several Chinese are buried at Celestial Hill,
but at some future day it is intended that
the bodies will be taken to China and in.
TERED there