The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-07-17
THE CHINESE COLONY
Enjoys a Sudden Influx Of CeIes-
tiaI Visitors.
THE MISSION OF MOY WAN LEE
Who is Gathering Dry Bones in this
Country for Shipment 10 China.
He Lifts the Only Chinese
suT in wheeling.

just now attracted to Wheeling a num-
Der of Cinnamon. A reporter ran across
a part OF the delegation by accident last
night, and though each of the visitors
knew, or protested to know, little Or
nothing of the others, it did not require
much investigation to find out who
they were and why they are here.
A good deal has been printed recently
about the taking up OF the remains Of
dead Cinnamon here for shipment back
to China. &Ioy Wan Lee, Chinamar
who speaks fluent English, is now visit
ing all the large cities where Chinamer
are buried, gathering their bones. The
statement has been repeated by him t.
reporters in several cities that he VISITED
Wheeling, but when some days ago ar
ISTgLLiGESCER man tried to ascertain i
this was true, the Almond eyed Celestial!
here knew nothing about it.
The statement has been repeated 81
often that the INTELLIGENCER again dis
patched man last night to see wha
could DO asCertained. The reporter frs
visited the laundry Mt the corner o
Fourteenth and Market streets, ant
from force OF habit or for want OF some
thing better to say, remarked:
Good evening"
The response caused much surprise
1t was:
Good evening, sir. Come in"
A glance at the speaker showed tina
he was a Chinaman, but he wore a very
neat fitting light summer suit OF stylish
American cut, and his cue, II he Wort
one, was tucked out OF sight under {
jaunty straw hat. He was n regula
dude.
"Do you know Moy Wan Lee?" The
reporter asked.
Eyes; know all about HIM"
as he in this town."
"Oh," said the Chinaman, "you NEAR
this man." And he drew out n care
bearing the name of Mel Lee Wa 4 Co.
OF 10 Bowery, New York, and also that
OF Wong He ChOng and Wong MIN
"These men are here" he added.
The card was that OF dealer in Chi
nese goods and provisions for China
men, and the name OF Wong MIN was
that OF the drummer who presented it
1t was explained that Wong He Chong
the head OF the firm, and Wong Mn
we're here to buy ginseng for export t.
China.
"What is your name2" the reporter
asked.
"Loy Sum-"
When the reporter repeated this nam'
to fix it in his mind, 10y very politely
spelled it out forhim, and there was moi
a trace OF Chinese accent. He said he
came here from Pittsburgh, and from
the fact that he was engaged when the
reporter entered in teaching one OF hi:
countrymen English words from {
primer containing the Chinese wordi
and English equivalents, twas inferred
that he was here to educate the Other
Cinnamon. He said Unexpected to stay
"a little while" The reporter pushed
his inquiry as to Moy Wan Lee, but
10y Sun did not know whether he had
been here, and the other Cinnamon did
not seem to know anything. BY Logs
advice the reporter called on Yee Wah,
proprietor Of the laundry on Market
street above Twelfth. zee said Moy
had been here, and had taken up the
body OF the deceased Chinaman two
weeks ago, put it in n la and shipped
it to "FlisCo" en- route to China.
Moy was interviewed in New York on
Saturday, and explained that every Chi
naman who comes to America to live
feels certain that his bones will some
day or other go hone TO China. They
may 90 quite alone, or they may have
an accompaniment OF flesh and life
but of one thing he must be certain
the bones must 90 back to his native
village. Nearly all the Cinnamon who
live in America have been brought here
by the "Six Companies" OF Hong Kong.
Every merchant, taundryman and labor
err Of all this vast army has written
contract with the "Six Companies that
his bones shall be sent back to China il
he should not be able to go there with
them personally. Without that contract
John would as soon think Of starting for
the moon as for America or any other
country outside of his native land.
The reason OF this anxiety to get home
dead or alive is that the Chinaman
thinks he can not stay in heaven II his
body be neglected on earth. 1t is his
pet belief that his bones last practically
forever. Respect must be paid to them
in proper and ceremonial ways or there
will be hard times in store for his spirit.
There are three feast days every year,
when the graves OF ancestors must be
decorated. Early in the morning OF
each OF these days every devout China
man must go to the tombs Of his father,
mother, grandiathers, grandmothers,
great.grandfathers, great-gFaRdmothefs,
and so on among various degrees OF
grands and great-grands us far back rs
he can remember, and the graveyard
can accommodate. Here he must pile
up flowers, fruits, some rice, boiled
chicken and candied ginger. Also, he
must burn prayer cards and sandalwood
joss.sticks. So long as all these things
are punctually done, the spirits who
once owned the bodies thus honored
have fine times in heaven, and live on
without cloud to mar their
happiness. II their bones are not sufti-
GENTLY respected and propitiated with
offerings they get full OF govt and rheu-
matism, and thus bring back the ghosts
on the Jump and make them hustle
around and haunt people until some one
the contract TO pay the
twinging bones proper reverence.
The New York World says OF Moy
that "his first duty on arriving in this
town early last week was to report to
the Chinese Consul. That gentleman
furnished him with proper credentials
to the friends OF long dead Cinnamon
and to the authorities OF the Evergreens
Cemetery. Thus armed Moy visited
Undertaken james Naughton in the
bend in Mott street and chartered n
one-horse wagon to go out to the ceme-
terry early Monday morning. In the
he had metal worker in
Bayard street make him twenty-five
zinc cases about as big as the bright tin
boxes that tea.biscuit comes in. Then
he got a packing.hoX man in Pell street
10 make some wooden cases to hold the
zinc boxes"
zee Wah told the INTELLlaENoER man
asst night that there was but one body
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