Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-05
AMERICANS IN JERUSALEM.
Personal Narrative OF One OF the Pill
prima IN paIcstipa


tCopyrtoht 1889 by James Gordon Bennett.1
JERUSALEM, April 2l.-[New York Herald
Cable-Special to The BEE. The pilgrims
from America left Cairo on the 4th of April
by special train for Ismalia, where, the fol-
lowing morning, we took the steamer up the
Suez canal TO Port Said. Thence the Egyp-
tian mail steamer conveyed us to Jaffa where
we landed on Saturday morning, April o. On
the afternoon of the same day we left in car
riages and travelled to Ramleh, where we
stopped for the night at the Franciscan hos
pice. In the morning, Sunday, the journey
was resumed and at p. m, the same day we
entered the city of Jerusalem and dismounted
outside the city, opposite Howard's hotel,
where we were met by the American consul
and large crowds, who had come out to see
the first American pilgrims
The reception was very enthusiastic. The
American flag which has been brought by
the Misses McCartens from New York. and
the beautiful banner of the pilgrims occu-
pied the central position in the procession.
The psalms, "Lactatus Sum-" "Laudate
Dominum," "Omnes Gentes,n "Bene dctus"
and the hymn, ave Maria Stella,n with the
"Magniitcat," were sung as we marched
through the Jaffa gate, the principal entrance
to the city, up to tho church of the Holy
Sepulchre.
After the veneration of the tomb OF Our
Divine Redeemer, we proceeded to the Casa
Nova, the hosptium of the Franciscans at
Jerusalem where quarters were assigned US.
The respect shown to the members of the
American pilgrimage by the Turkish soldiers
has been quite marked. The visa on our
passports by the Turkish counsel at New
York, appears to be of no value, as an order
from the American consul, warning us of the
necessity for procuring regular Turkish
passport, if we wished to proceed
to Beyrout, cost all the members of
the second and third sections the handsome
sum of ~ francs, in addition to the sum of 5
francs, which were paid to the Turkish con-
sui before we left New York. OF the ~
francs paid here. 5 go to the American con-
sui Not once have we been asked for our
passports, American or Turkish, since we
left Hoboken. The visa of the Turkish con-
sui at home was said to be good for AleXan-
dra Jerusalem and Constantnople. Natur-
ally there was some indignant feeling over
the matter, and the conclusion naturally
reached is that passport is very orna-
mental but very dear and useless piece of
paper. AS the majority of the pilgrims pro-
cured the American passports through an
agent, and paid s. therefor, 1t is safe to say
| that the American pilgrims have paid over
| 5000 for passports alone. When we get to
| Beyrout we will see what necessity there is
| for the last.
All the sacred places in and around Je-
| rusaem have been visited. The majority
| have made the trip to the Jordan and the
| Dead sea. The very impressive ceremonies
| of Holy Week, reacting the events of 1,90C
| years ago, on the very spot where they oc-
| Cured, were well attended The wild, and
l might add disgraceful, exhibitions of the
superstition and fanaticism of the Greeks,
in the reception of their so-called holy fire,
which IS stpposcd TO descend direct from
heaven, was also witnessed by the pilgrims
| On Monday morning, April %, the pill
| grimage proper to Jerusalem closed. The
| first and second sections left at O'Clock fol
tour through Palestine, to Nazareth, the
sea of Galilee and Beyrout, whence the
| members of the second section start on their
return trip, and the members of the third or
trip TO Constantinople. The members o.
| the first section will leave here on Wednes
day morning by coach, for Jaffa, thence by
| Alexandria to Paris and home.