The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-20
GING LING'S BONES.
Taken From the Tomb for Shipm eIit Back t.
The Monaghan Empire,

Yesterday when an EAGLE young man
called around at Kendall's undertaking
rooms to get the news OF the living as well
as the dead he took a seat on what seemed
| to be a candle box and proceeded to quiz
| Doc Holmes who was in charge of the
| shop. you are sitting down on mighty
| good item if you only knew it," said Mr.
Holmes and turning the box over the fol-
| lowing inscription was on its cover: "Ning
! Young Co, San Francisco, Cal, % Way
erly street, Yes sir, said Mr. Holmes
| continuing, ''the contents of that box is
what remains of Cling Ling, formerly one
of the dead swell Chinese laundrymen of
this city" The box was turned over again
and Doc proceeded to tell the story of the
deceased celestial.
~ hen the boom was In session here in
1887 the Chinese population was much
greater than it is today Among them
was Cling Ling who kept a laundry on
East Douglas avenue. On the 14th of
August after hard days washing Cling
invested in watermelon and eat 1t, but
unfortunately it was his last watermelon,
for it killed him. Doc Holmes was called
in and SO were all the Cinnamon in town
and after Cling being inserted in the cof-
fin, chopsticks. rice, chickens, cigars aud
cigarettes were also put in and the re-
mains carried TO the old cemetery where
they were buried according to the rite of
the Chinaman's peculiar form Of religion.
From that day till this Coon Lee, fellow
countryman and friend has attended to
the grave and every year, On the
day before good Friday, he took
TO the cemetery stock of provisions as
well as some luxuries, such. as cigars,
oranges, cigarettes, ETC. The provisions |
generally consisted of fried chicken, rice !
and other meats. Yesterday this same
Coon Lee called on Doc Holmes and de- |
sired him to exhume the bones for ship |
ment back to China through San Fran
cisco agents, whose names are mentioned |
above. Mr.. Holmes and another man went |
out, and were followed by Coon Lee. who |
made the occasion kind of holiday. for |
he went in hack, dressed in his Oriental
habits, and travelled like prince in state.
And he acted like prince too, for he took
along with him an immense Chinese |
basket full of cigars, oranges, fried
chicken and various other nice things,
with which he Toasted the grave digger,
Doc Holmes and the hack driver on. When
the coffin was opened Coon Lee suprerin-
tended the work and saw to it that every
bone and piece of bone was taken out
and replaced in the smaller box except the
chicken bone which Coon distinguished
from his countryman's bones with a de-
gree of accuracy that did credit to his shill
in boneolgoy. No flesh was left on the
bones but the que was intact and that too
was enclosed in the box with the bones for
A pocketbOok was also
found in the coffin but it contained only
two dimes. These Coon Lee generously
gave Doc Holmes saying that il was only
necessary to send the bones and the que
back to China. The box, when all the
bones were enclosed in il, was securely
and addressed for transportation
to San Francisco and from there they will
be shipped to Canton China, the birth
place of Cling Ling.
In conversation with Coon Lee last night |
.he EAGLE reporter learned that the
mother, grandmother and great grand
mother of the deceased are still living and
hat they have written frequent letters
Urging him to have the bones shipped back ,
o China. They will be shipped by express
o San Francisco, then by steamer to I
Jhina. The transpaciic journey will cost
lothing as it seems to be part of China =
mans contract when he pays his passage |
o America that his bones shall be return s
d to his native land by the steamship /.
ompany provided he dies in this land !
low the bones can be recognized as those :
4 the original passenger is, of course, s
lard ruatter to determine by the steam I
hip company, but, presumably they have =
ONE means of knowing. Gong Lee was !
he first and only Chinaman who died il
Wichita.