San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-01-08
POOLING THE EVIL ONE.
HOW THE FRIENDS OF LEE HEM
YOU SAVED THE CORPSE.

Streets of the Metropolis.
Lee Hem You was dead, and Lee
Hem You was to be buried. The body
of the Chinese gambler lay where he had
died, in small, stuffy, rather squalid
room at Mott street, next door to the
temple of joss. Death had not brought
pallor to the face. The skin was of that
yellow tint it 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 time the body was alone. Lee
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, 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 a 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 filled with earth was
placed at the foot of the coffin, as was
also a 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
a piece of punklike substance of the
diameter of lead pencil. On the wooden
board they heaped a 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 out. An
other group came in, and the same cere-
mony was repeated until all Lee Henn's
g. L. nod +o1y l,Air 70 ratual
At 2 o'clock the undertaken came, and
the time for the trip to Cypress Hills
cemetery on Long Island was at hand.
Within the coffin We're placed a fan and
numerous oblong slips of rice paper, on
which characters were written, and then
the coffin was taken to the hearse, which
stood at the head of a procession of five
carriages. On the windows of the car
riages were pasted long slips of red
paper covered with black characters.
Into a wagon in the rear We're lifted a
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 the hearse began
throwing more oblong pieces Vi paper
covered with characters into the street
from a bag which he carried.
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 all
the pieces of paper thrown from the
hearse.
EvADING THE EVIL ONE.
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