The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-08
QUICK AND DEAD
How ArequipanianS Dispose of
Their Dear Departed.
SCENES IN A TYPICAL CEMETERY
The Uncofiined Poor-Burial of Foreigners
Silver Handles the Gauge of Swelld0m
Other Queer Sights.

AREoUIPA, Peru, Jan. s, 1S9L-[Special
correspondence of The HERALD. Passing
along the street one day our attention was
drawn TO the subject of funerals IN forcl-
bic and rather unpleasant manner. with
hands full of roses we were musing on the
cold winter weather at home and the beauty
of tropic sunshine amid snow clad noun
tains, when we barely escaped being
knocked down and run over by four horses
driven furiously, the foremost one ridden
by position, that came dashing around
the corner attached to hearse About the
only thing that goes with speed in lazy
Peru is
4 FUNERAL PROCESSION;
and when wheels are out "a comparatively
rare occurrence in Arequipal, they claim
the right of way, not only in the street, but
on both pavements, invariably cutting off
all corners so closely as to Craze the houses.
This is not always the result of careless
ness, however, nor due to ''malice afore-
thought on the part of the drivers. The
city streets are very narrow and irregular,
paved with small slippery stones, and slop-
ing sharply from the middle toward gutter
or either side. Consequently clumsy
wheels will slide toward the edges, and in
many places the only way to prevent them
from actually leaning up against the houses
is to drive pell- nell.
Considering the fearful iolting over
GJones and hollows and broken places in
duced by such l0comotoD, there is little
danger of being buried in a trance in Are
quipa-at least where the hearse is en-
ployed
THE POOR PEOPLE,
of course, cannot afford to hire it, but carry
the dear departed on their heads to the
cemetery-a distance of something more
than three miles from the central plaza.
Most of the latter class cannot even afford
2 coffin, though the luxury of a wooden box
painted black, blue or yellow may be rented
or the journey between the cathedral and
The place OF lnterment-the same coffin
serving the purpose over and over again,
DAY after day, for years. 1t is not uncom-
mon 10 meet a company of men carrying
their dead on a public bier, the latter being
constructed OF i've narrow pieces of wood,
about a foot apart, nailed cross wise 10 the
side poles that serve for handles, the end
boards stained black and showing a cheer
ful skull and cross-bones outlined upon
them with white paint.
The procession so unpleasantly encoun-
tered was evidently that of a swell Arequi-
panian, for the coffin had silver handles on
it (the gauge of highest swelldom here,
while several priests
RODE NEXT TO THE HEARsE,
followed by forty or fifty men all on horse
back. TIE sight reminded US that we haC
not seen the cemetery; and a few after
moons later we TOO rode out on horse back
accompanied by party of resident foreign
crs-for it is utterly impossible to induce
native, OF high or low degree, to escort any
stranger to the Campo Santo; fact We
ceased to wonder at when we had visited
the place.
Arequipa's only burial ground is situated
on a barren foot hill, reached, after the city
limits are passed, by an uninhabited road
whose deep sands are alternated by
stretches of loose bouliers. 1t is very
small place, considering that the city /:
more than three centuries old, and during
all THAT time has had population VaryinE
between twenty and fifty thousand. Thl
front OF it is quite imposing with high adob
walls and massive iron gates set in tai
arches; and just inside is well kept spac
devoted to flower beds, which give
NO HINT OF TIE HORRORS
to be met with few steps beyond. In thi
end aristocrats are buried in inches tire
deep il the surrounding walls with top an
sides of lava stone six inches thick an
adobe foundation. Most of the inches nav
no mark, except number rudely painte
on the face, corresponding to figures place
opposite the tenants name in the churc
records. Some Of them have nam
scratched on the dried mortar with lea
pencil, and a few have marble slabs elabor
ately lettered, setting forth not only tn
name and virtues of the deceased. but ais
advertising the fact of his or her wealt
and social Importance. At the top of thes
latter are generally inscribed the word
nicho pefpetuo, TO indicate that the cadaye
win occupy the place "for life.'' so to speal
As GRAVE ROBBERY
Is OF very common commencement fo
scientific purposes, as there is no medic;
college anywhere near, but simply to seem
whatever of value may have been burie
with the corpse, even TO the boards Of II
coffin, wood being scarce hereabouts-tt
front of each niche is not only firmly close
with mortar, but further guarded by an iro
grating.
OF course the ghoulish work of the resu
rectioniSt is done at night because there
hardly an hour in the day without an int
ment; and innumerable CHASTITY stories al
told of finding the pale clay of well know
men and women tumbIed out on the groun
and stripped OF grave clothes, rings, shoe
everything that the love of the living hs
an accident of this kind, illustrating ii
Cholo character, occurred a few month
ago, and it is said to be directly responsib
for the terrible epidemic of smallpox tn;
afterwards carried off its victims at the ra
of two or three hundred a week AS
most parts of South America,
ISOLATED CASES OF THE DISEASE
are always to 0e found in Arequipa, and n
body minds il more than measles. ague ar
other common Ills. A very fat old womf
died OF what is known hereabouts
rirltdld negrd (black smallpox, and her r
mains were hurried into the ground wit
out a coffin, there being none in the limit
stock on hand large enough to accommoda
her 'build.n knowing well the tricks al
manners of their compatriots, the frien
left nothing of value upon her but pla
gold ring, which they could not get off fro
her swollen finger Next morning ear
the next funeral procession that arrived
the cemetery found the old lady on top
her grave, black smallpox and all, min
her wedding ring, the swollen finger tn
wore 1t having been cut off close to &
hand. They returned the putrefyinr corn
with all possible speed: but for three sil
cessive mornings thereafter she was foul
disinterreo, having been resurrected aga
and again by other robbers who were n
aware that the bit of gold had alreacy be-
appropriated.
At the far end of the enclosure is tn
portion set aside for
THE BURIAL OF FOREIGNERS
generally known as ''the English corner
There was great difficulty in securing II
concession to the alien element. and To n
day the spot is looked upon by the pativ
with reproach and contempt, as if the ne,
ness of bones that may possibly have he
IL