Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-11-03

80 he was buried under the especial dl-
-ection of the priests, with all the cere-
monies of the Romish Church, and, as he
nad hitherto been considered not of the
true fold, his funeral was made one of the
greatest celebrations ever known in Car
tago. All the people attended. The pro-
cession was headed by drums and viols;
priests followed with all the crucihxes, |
banners and figures of saints that had been |
since the foundation of the |
city and at the corners of the plaza and all
the principal streets the train halted to sing
haiielulahs. representing the joy in heaven
over a brand snatched from the burning.
But not so well Jared a Young American
who died In Carriage during the same year.
lie was brilliant, whole-souled fellow,
the only son OF wealthy New Yorker,
who had strayed down he3e in a spirit of
youthful adventure and had fallen vic
tim to cdteIltara As he was not Catholic,
the vicar refused TO bury him in conse-
Grated ground. DR.. Bridley-who was
then the only american resident in the
place, and in whose house the young man
died-rode over to San Jose, and, making
an especial point with the Government on
the treaty existing between the United
tanned an order from the President for the
New Workers. burial in the Campo Santo.
Sull the fanatic vicar-acting, he said,
under a higher power than that of the
President-ref'Ised to admit the corpse to
the cemetery.
Then messenger was dispatched 10 San
Jose, and two companies Of Federal troops
ordered out to escort the body to the grave.
The people gathered in scowling groups
and threatened to mob the soldiers; but
the poor cadayer was safely inferred, and
for two months his grave was guarded by
bayonets. The day after the funeral, the
disgusted vicar, with ali the emblems and
images of the cathedral, attended by a
large concourse of citizens, went in solemn
procession to the Field of Saints" and re-
consecrated the ground that had thus been
polluted by the burial of hereto The
grave is the third from the corridor-but |
doubt if any bones are in it, for the soldiers
could not watch forever.
The Church of Our Lady of the Angels
Is the prettlest structure in the city, with
its doric facade, massive square tower
tiara OF bronze and root ofgreen zinc; and its
| legends are dear to the heart of the Carta-
goans. The clustering of rich foliage out
of which it emerges, and volcanic boulders
piled around it, served to brighten the
effect Of the alabaster-hued pilasters that
flank the doorway and the cohort of angels
all of boyish stature, winged, petticoated
and buskined-which are Gagged behind
an iron network in a series of ntche3 on
each side Of the main entrance.
The high altar of this church is one OF
/ the finest | have ever seen. Above it, ris.
ing to hight of thirty feet, is a loftiel
tabernacle of cedar, lavishly gilded and di-
vided into chambers, the lower one CON
tanning the Sacrament and the upper
an image of Our Lady Of the Angels
The architraves projecting from these
chambers are supported by golden cheru
bin figures three feet high. From the
dome of the tabernacle ascends a golden
image of the angel Gabriel, bearing in his
right hand silver wand, and in his left &
pair of golden scales The pillars and
cross-beams Of the sanctuary, in the cen
ter of which this superb altar stands, are
painted in arabesques, and during the
month of May are hung with profusior
of lace and network Of pale blue. The
church is kept remarkably clean and al
ways fragrant with frankincense and frest
flowers. Near the door is a large boz
wherein the people deposit their offering,
to the sacred image. At ;he end of every
six months the box is opened, and, poor a,
the people are, the accumulated tribut,
seldom falls short of $1,000.
The story Of Our Lady is as follows; Ii
the year 1913 forest stood close by the
old city of Cartago. At its edge liveC
| o1l xui,n nt1t
ing to gather frewood, found an image o
a lady lying on stone near her own hut
The image was of stone and very heavy
but she dragged it to her room, and hav
ing set it up in a corner, returned to tht
forest. As she neared the same stone
second time, she was astonished to fine
upon it what she supposed to be another
image, precisely like the first. This, also, sh,
dragged to her hut, when she discovered
that the one she had first placed there wa
gone Returning third time to the for
est, there upon the same stone was thirt
image. exactly like the other two; ant
running To the hut, behold no image wa
there Alarmed she went to the curat,
and told her story This devout prelate
Don Alonzo de Castro de Sandeval, hat
the image brought to his palace ant
securely locked in private closet, intend
ing to examine it at his leisure Bu
when he returned to the closet, it wa
empty; for the image had miraculousl,
gone back, the fourth time, to the ston
near the poor woman's hut.
That settled all doubts of its super
natural origin, and in solemn procession
the people conducted it to the Parochia
Church and set it up amid masses ant
music, prostrating themselves before it
But the very next day, when the curat,
went early to pay visit to the wonderful
lady, her shrine was vacant, and she wa
again found on her stone at the edge O
the forest.
Then this church was erected upon tn.
chosen spot, and herein the willful imag,
has ever sicce remained. In 1882 the ii
lustrious Estaban Lorenzo de Tristan
Bishop of Nicaragua, christened her " Oul
Lady of the Angels" and declared her t.
be the special patron of Cartago. The II
lustrious Don Augustus de Santa Cruz pre-
sented the splendid jewels that to-day
adorn her golden tunic; and another
Bishop consecrated her with holy oil, for
bidding the image to be thencefortf
touched by any but anointed hands. Las
of all the church in which she still re
mains was consecrated by the Illustriou.
Don Anselmo Lorente, and raised to the
rank OF Bascilica.
Strange to relate, when every othel
building in the vicinage was shaken t.
dust by Irazu's wrath, the church of Car
tago's patroness remained unframed
Among the many marvels which she il
believed to have wrought, one Of the mos
remarkable was the routing Of eight hun
dred buccaneers. 1t seems that the enter
prising rascals, under command of Captain
Mansfeldt (one of Morgan's fellow pirates
had landed at Matina and penetrated a
far inland as Tarrialba, committing al
manner of depredations on the way. Th,
Sergeant-Major of Cartago, realizing tina
none but heroic measures" would avail
marched boldly forth to meet the plum
derers, with only picquet of men, bu
carrying Our Lady of the Angels at til,
fore
Descending into the valley at the foot o
the White Tower volcano, where the buca
neers were encamped, their unexpected
appearance so frightened the latter, VIII,
perhaps mistook the stone Lady for somt
dreadful engine of warfare, that they tool
to their heels and subsequently to theil
ships with all possible speed. And to thi