The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-12-05

6
How no FRIENDS o. LEE tseslt
you sAvsD TIE CORPSE
H.v : De~a Ohinazaan IN Nev xcrh =
Iaid g nsss -Ths Body IyinE n stats.
scnsterinx Bits ~ Paper Through The
streets OF ths 1Essropolis.
Lee Henn You was dead, and Lee
Henn You was 10 be buried. The body
Of the Chinese gambler lay where he had
died. in 5 small, stuffy, rather squalid
room at Mott street, next door TO the
temple Of Joss. Death had not brought
nallor 10 the fsce. The skin wasOf that
yellow tint Il had In life, IN common
with the rest Of his race.
Lee HEM had killed himself -not by
sudden and violent means. His lungs
had been eaten away by Opium smoking.
| The face, as that OF . cOnsumptive, was
pinched and drawn. and the high cheek
bones were made still more prominent
| by the deep hollows Of the cheeks.
For q time the body was alone. Les
Henn's countrymen avoid the dead when
ever possible. They do not neglect the
dead, however. Lee Henn's death had
been anticipated. Before he died other
Cinnamon had gone to James Naughton,
an undertaken In Mott street, and en-
gagged his services. By and by the un-
dertaker came to prepare the body for
burial A Chinaman is never buried In
any garment he has worn in life. There
fore, q new dark blue blouse, black.
baggy trousers, new sandals and white
stockings were bought and put upon Lee
HEM.
Then his cue was Wrapped loosely
around his neck, from left to right, and
On his head was placed tight fitting
black skull cap, having at its top knob
Of red plush After the body was placed
in the coffin the room where it lay Was
prepared for the visits of the dead mans
| friends. A tin pan filed with earth was
placed at the foot Of the coffin, az was
also q square piece Of board
THE PROCESSION.
All was ready. A group Of Cinnamon
entered. Each one walked to the foot
Of the coffin chanting, and in the pan OF
earth each man stuck candle about six
inches long and as thick as finger, and
piece of punklike substance Of the
diameter Of . lead pencil. On the wooden
board they heaped little pile Of papers.
Then the priest OF the temple Of Joss lit
the candles, the punk and the papers A
thick, peculiarly smelling smoke from
| the incense filed the little room and
drifted through the building as the Chi
namen chanted. In five minutes the
candles, punk and papers had burned
away and the Cinnamon went ont. An
other group came In, and the same cere-
mony was repeated until all Lee Henn's
| friends had taken their farewell.
At 3 o'clock the undertaken came, and
the time for the trip to Cypress Hills
cemetery ON Long Island was at hand
Within the cofin were placed . fan and
numerous oblong slips Of ice paper, on
which chaxacters were wxitten. md fhenl
tina colin W. tahen 10 the heax WhichH
stood It 'the head q : procei0n q I've
carriages. On tho windows of fhe car
riages were pasted long slips Of red
paper covered with black characters
Into . wagon In the rear were lifted .
roast sucking pig and several jars Of
boiled rice. A Chinaman took his seat
ON the hearse with the driver and the
trip was begun. Immediately the China
man on the top Of tho heane began
throwing moro oblong pieces Of paper
covered with chaxaSteu into the street
II 4. ~. -
This was TO protect the dead man.
The Evil One always follows dead
Chinaman, but before he can catch up
with the hearse and claim the dead
mans soul he must pick up and read III
the pieces OF paper thrown from the
hearse.
KvADMG THE EVIL ONE.
By the time the procession had reached
The Thirty-fouth street ferry the Evil
Ono must have hesa blocks behind, but
the hearse just missed the fairy and he
caught up. AZ soon . the hsaxss drove
onto the boat the Chinamaa scaktared the
dips with laviGh hand. A number a
smaA boys, however, usurped tho func-
tions Of the Evil One, and scrambled 10
pick up tho papers, thus throwing tho
Chinaman into despair.
The mAn perched On the heazse. how
ever, was equAl 10 tho emergency. just
q the hearse drove Of the boat he threw
oil the alps he had lat, . pcodigi0us
number, upon the deck. and be60re ths
Evil Ono could pick them III mp hs was
carried back 10 New York. yxhils ths
procession pursued IT'D way . Cypre1
ELL In peace.
On arriving at tho cemetery tAe comm
was placed beGide the open grave in Tho
Chinamsu's lot, whero twenty O. moro
/ longolians already He. md Agnin wsro
c1ndlen, punk md papw lighted and
chants uttered. Than H. body q Lea
Ham w. lOwseed into H. ground, md
the rod soaking pig and boilsd xiOs,
which had been ~ urOn ground uear
ii 49, v.na,Nns~n1 - 49,