The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-16
RAISING THEIR DEAD.
Chinese Bones to be Dug Up and Sent
Back to China.


Bones Of Cinnamon are valued in China
No matter how worthless the owner
Of the bones may have been when alive,
as soon as he is dead his remains are sa-
cred and must take up their final resting
place in no spot outside the Flowery
Kingdom. When a Chinaman dies in a
foreign land he does so with the full I'M
Outstanding that some time in the future
his brethren will carry him back to the
land whence he came In Chicago yes
terday work was commenced on the sa-
cred duty of exhuming the bones of a
number of Chinese who have been dead
six years or more. The names and dates
of death of the men whose remains are to
be carefully prepared for shipment to
China are
Lay Lum, 1879; Mon We. 1880; Ling Bing
Zee Hong Moi Tong, Quong Leng, Quong
My Shung. 1882; Kee MOy Ham, SwO Bark
nee Lee. lie Hing, 1888 Hing Wah, Tong
Ching Foo Lam. 1884 May Yon Sing, All
Chung Moi Foo Ching, Ton Chow, NY FOX,
1896; You Sam, Hon tip Woo Wah, 1887
Owing TO the rough weather this work,
which was to have been begun last Satur-
day, was put of until yesterday but
nothing Of much Importance was accom-
plished beyond securing the
necessary board of health permit.
sent with Sam Moy to Rosehill and
Gracelaud cemeteries, where the dead
men how rest, to see that the exhuning
process was done according to law. AS
soon as the weather permits the work
win be carried on in earnest and the
Chinese bones viii be prepared for their
final grave.
MUST BE BURIED IN THEIR NATIVE LAND.
The Chinese custom is to take up the
dead after they have been buried six
years or more and send them to their
friends in China, where once every year
a celebration in memory of them takes
place On that occasion the graves are
decorated with flowers and the dead re
ceiYe offerings of roasted chicken, which,
however, is afterward eaten by the living
with many wishes that the departed
could be there to enjoy it with them
Bodies have been eXhumed at San Fran
cisco, Portland and other places in Amer
lea and sent across the ocean, but the
ceremony has never been performed in
Chicago. The mortal remains of nearly
100 subjects of the emperor and son of the
Sun rest in Rosehill and Graceland ceme-
teries. Some of these have been under
the ground longer than the requisite pc
riod of six years, and their bones are TO
be disinterred, carefully sealed in tin
boxes and shipped to the land of their
nativity, where relations will receive and
care for them ever afterwards
TO BE EXHUMED BY THE CHINESE EN-
PEROR."
The work will be carried on under di
rection of an official from San Francisco
| known as the Chinese coroner. His name
! is Grin JOY Poo.
The. Chinese quarter is greatly inter
ested in the undertaking, chiefly because
| the custom has never been put into effect
| here, and the strange rites celebrated in
! connection herewith promise some diver
sion to the Chinese, whose monotonous
routine of d-ily existence on South Clark
| street makes little variety welcome
| The money for expenses is all collected
! the tin boxes and heavy wooden cases
have been made, the undertaken is here
everything is in readiness
To an American the ceremonies will be-
novel and interesting, Before a grave is
opened four lighted candles will bt
| placed, two at the head and two
at the foot, and kept burning unit
the bones of the dead have been taken
! out. The undertaken, standing at the
| head, will recite few lamentations and
| perform short religious service He will
be dressed in the robes of his office, which
are described as being gorgeous in golC
! trimmings and Embroidery. After the
! bones have been lifted from the gray,
! they will be dipped into kettle or lar o.
| boiling oil. made of aromatic herbs anC
roots, and then carefully wiped off witt
soft cotton cloths and dried 1t is claimed
! that the hot oil soaks into the skeleton.
and preserves them so that they will las
| thousands ofyears. DR.. Gee Wo Chan
! who is veracious man, said YESTERDAY
that the bones of some of his ancestor,
| have been kept in good condition 600
! years.
REMAINS CAREFULLY PACKED IN. TIN.
Further preparation consists of the
| wrapping Of each bone in a heavy piece
! of muslin and labelling it. The tin boz
| is made just large enough to hold the
! Skull and trunk of the body intact. Tn,
| smaller pieces case be packed inside and
| around these. If a single bone or silver
of bone is missing it must be accounted
! for in written certificate signed by the
| undertaken. Six or eight of these tin
| boxes will be placed in a wooden case fol
/ shipment Each box will bear a care
! giving the name of the man who one,
! wore flesh on them as well as the names
/ of the persons to whom it is con
! signed. When it is received by them, tn,
! bones will be taken out, examined to Sc,
/ that they are right, placed in a stone ial
made expressly for the purpose, anC
! buried.
! The money for expenses was collected
| by subscription among resident China
men. Part of the expense goes to paving
the undertaken, who receives $40 a body
for his services.
Phillips Digestible Cocoa