Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-21
In MEXICANA.
HOW TWO SUPP0sID C0RPSES
TURNED THE TABLES.
A Ghos. Guarded Cavern-Bullfigh
ing Consecrated to Sundays
The Cross of Paienque.

Inc SrOSS Oh t-0itDQuC-
Especial Correspondence of the RECORD ONION
CITY OF MEXICO, January u, 1888.
4 remarkable thing occurred last week
in the little town of Puerto Rico. A
prominent citizen suddenly gave up the
ghost; after which, according to custom,
neighbors and friends of the deceased
focked in to pray for the dead and cor
dole with the living. The corpse, dressed
in his best and crowned with wreath of
red tissue roses, lay covered with skeet
upon black-palled bier, candles burning
al the feet and head. a bountifully-
spread refIeshment table in ;n adjoining
room groaped under its load of funeral
baked meats and various drinksbles, set
out to sustain the mouraers in their sor-
row the priests had said theiE say and
departed, leaving the stuffy little room full
of incense the wife and daughters were
making such an hysterical fuss as only
Mexican females CAM men were groanirg,
women crying aloud, and all praying au-
dibly, in full enjoyment of the luxury of
grief-when the dead man unexpectedly
popped up his head and inquired
THE CAUSE OF TIE ROW.
The mourners shrieked and fed, tum-
bling over one another in their frantic
haste-and Though the supposed corpse
begged piteously not to be left alone, even
the wife deserted the casa, and could not
10 ,,,l,,.oI 20 until 4ha Jox.
after strangers had seen the man clothed
and in his right mind" and repeatedly as
sured her that he had only been in par
ticularly sound sleep.
A similar circumstance occurred several
years ago in the village Of Candida, State
of Coahuila. 1t was Sonora Guadalupe
REDUCING, wife of wealthy Mexican, who
was taken very i'll, and, to all appearances,
died. She was treated as all corpses are in
this country, the usual pow-wow was duly
gone through, and the hour for burial APP
preached. 1t happened that an intelligent
woman of the neighborhood came to look
her last upon the good lady, and discov-
cred what to her seemed like faint signs OF
life. She called the husbands attention,
but he, being devout Catholic, and there
fore in duty bound to feel resigned, piously
remarked something to the effect that the
Lord hath taken away-blessed be his
NAME" and refused to NEEDLE with the de-
crees of Providence
But the neighbor persisted in his hum
BILE opinion that Dona REDUCING was not
dead, and finally won over one or two
others to his belief Then new compli-
cation arose, for the law compels the bur
ial Of the dead within twenty-four hours
after life has left the body. Though still
believing that his wife had regularly shut
fled off, Don REDUCING took no further
steps toward burying her till the third day,
when the local police notified him that If
he did not get her under ground imme-
ately, there would be trouble, in the shape
of heavy fine and funeral per force ;
whereupon the grave was dug and an early
hour appointed for the last sad rites.
The prayers had all been said and
friends gathered around to close the coffin
and carry it to the tomb-when the corpse
gasped and opened its eyes. The couple
are still living, surrounded by their chill
dren and grandchildren, near Oio Caliento
blot Springs, in Coahuila.
That reminds me of another occurrence,
equally grueSome, recorded lately in the
Mexican papers. \ lady of this city, who
owns house in Manzanares street, dis
covered somehow that the family who
rented it had not been seen for several
days. Finally she went to the casa and
knocked loudly for admission. Receiving
no answer, she became alarmed and called
upon the police to force open the door.
The sight they beheld was a horrible one.
Father, mother and their only daughter
(aged Isl were
LYING DEAD UPON THE FLOOR,
Their distorted faces, clenched hands and
twisted bodies telling plainly the agonies
they had suffered That they had been
dead several days was proved by the terri
bic smell and their blackened and swollen
condition Investigation revealed the fact
that they had been poisoned and robbed,
and suspicion pointed strongly to the serv-
ants as the perpetrators, all three of
whom had decamped for parts unknown.
While on the subject of horrors let me
tell of ghost-guarded cavern not far
away, situated III 4 canyon of the Sierras.
few miles from Cuernavaca All the
hills of that section are known to contain
gold and silver, but no prospector-unless
he be very yerdant one-will venture
near this ghost-infested gorge. Now and
then some doubling Thomas from Yankee
land shifts at the story and determines to
prove Its falsity; but none have ever been
known to get into the cave or to attempt
1t a second time. Tradition saws that at
the entrance of Il vast black hole in the
mountain sits the corpse of an Indian
woman, and If one attempts to pass her
she clutches him with bony fingers, utter
ing cries that are warranted to freeze the
blood of the bravest.
The story goes that in 1868 the cavern
was occupied by peaceful Indians of the
Tonto tribe, when party of whites, sim
ply for cruel sport, cleaned OUT and
murdered every one of them; and since
that day nobody has been able to enter
the cave, because of the thing that sits at
the door
Not long ago couple of Americans
tried 1t, having been so foolish beforehand
as to boast OF what they were going to do.
After while one Of them came back. with
shattered nerves and air distraught; and
the other one has not been heard from
since, even by his partner. The man who
returned is strangely reticent on the sub
ject, but has conhded a portion of his ex-
periences to one of his persistent inquisi-
NN'S. liz illSaf the gorge, away
up amid the highest buttes of the Sierra.
surrounded by the most lonesome and
God-forsaken scenery it is possible to i'm
agine- Having no faith in the stories.
they walked boldly ahead-till suddenly
both felt strange chill, as if struck by an
icy wind. AT the same moment fearful
shrek, as of mingled rage and terror,
arose, and directly in front of them APP
peared a horrible figure, that of a tall
female corpse, bearing down upon them
with claw-like hands extended. 1t k
needless to add that they stood not upon
the order of their going, but ran for their
liyes-and one of them seems to be run
ning still
Another newspaper hasmade its appear
ance at the Mexican Capital, called
LAS HIJAs DE ANAHUAc,
The daughters of Anahuac," the last
word being the ancient name of the valley
OF Mexico. 1t is new departure in Mex
lean Journalism, being owned and edited
entirely by ladies. Something of the same
kind has been inasgurated in Monterey,
but what the outcome will be remains to
he seen.
The journalists and literati of the State
Of Vera Cruz are getting up a grard cele-