The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-01-25
THE TOME OF coLyMRJs.
Accidental discovery OF the Grrs. iIavig..
,

The principal building in the city il
the cathedral, which faces ti1e greet
plaza or square containing fine statuc
OF Columbus. 1t is a large structure,
shaped like a cross, ard built in 1872.
The interior is imposing. On the rigrt
OF she high altar is a chapel, small and
dark. At IFS end. stretched out ON q
tomb, is the ghostly figure in white
marble of some old archbishop wao
lived long years ago at his feet be-
hind din lamp that atways. bu;.ns, is
low door which leads into g dark
vault lighted only by a snail and
heavily barred window. IN the center
of the vault is wooden box, aid in
that box Of glass and in that 4 CAS-
ket of lead which contains al that il
left of Columbus, the renowned navi-
gator
How this box was found, aftcr hav-
ing been unknown for over three cen
trries,- is g very curious story. Dnt
first let us see how it came to be in
Santo Domingo.
Columbus was sixty years CT age
when he returned to Spain from lis
last voyage, worn out, his sqi.it broE-
Ell by his many s;isappoirtmerts, ana
his great strength exhausted by tire
hardsh;rs Of his life. Focr. fr:endless,
and alone, he died at Valladolil. Spin,
MAY 20, 1893. and was buried in the
convent Of ST. Francis in that city. a
few years later his remains "ere re-
moved to Seville and in l14l were
taken to Gan.o Domingo, an placed in
the vaults Of the c2thcli:l; a. II TIE
same church were buried iater the re-
mains Of his brother. his sen ald his
grandson.
In 1895 Spain ~ e q. treaty By which
Santo Domingo was given - France;
but it was understood that ;'2ain was
to be allowed to Yerlove l3r most
precious possessions, and among these
she included the remains of Columbus.
| So, OIL December II. 1895, q Spanish
feet arrived Off SaDto Domingo city,
and its admiral SAID chat he had come
for the bones OF the great dis2overcr.
All the arrangements were m}de, and
everything was dcne with nuch show
and ceremony. for which the Spaniards
are famous. Tradition said that CO.
| lumbus rested il a vault on tie right
Of the h;rh altar. There q vault was
opened III the great wall, and III it
were found some slabs OF lead, which
had originally been co.fin, but which
had fallen to pieces There were no
uaarlss nor inscriptions TO tell That here
were The trua tomb and cas!let OF Co
lunbus i;uo tradition said That he
was buried in that spot hence these
must lie his bones. So they were put
in gilled box, ana this WAS placed in
another boz covered with black velvet
and, with much ceremony, this was
borne out to the inan-3f-war "San Lo-
reno" The feet sailed away, and
these remnants Of a coffin were placed
in the cathedra!at Havana
One day, nearly :. century after these
events, some repairs were being made
in the cathedral at :5anto Domingo
when, quite BY accident q vault was
uncovered which proved to belong to
Don Luis, the grandson Of Columbus,
and which was found to contain q
small box that nobody knew anything
about The vault was irme lately
sealed up. 4 few days later the seals
were broken, and it was opened in The
presence Of all the officers Of the church
and Of the state OF Santo Domingo, and
OF all the foreign consuls: and from it
was taken q small box made of lead
which was found to contain some hui
man bones and dust. q little slab OF sill
yer two screws and a bullet.
The metal was dull and furnished
with age. As one Ivy one the inscrip-
tons were made ont. it became certain
that it was the real c21!in of Columbus.
The inscriptions were all in Spanish.
But The silver plate was the most
curious Of all. Ii had been fixed on
the inside of the box, for the holes
were found in which the small screws
fitted They had rusecd away, and the
plat had fallen on the inside. The in
scription
"a pic dc los I'tos
del p.ner Alto On
Crist5val Colon Dr..
was engraved upon one side Of the
plate; and Cling ont the abbreviated
words makes the full text read:
Ultima paric dc los restos
&c, Primcro Amir HE Don
Cr5lovai Colon Dissertation.
These words mean; 20 he last part Of
the remains of the First admiral, Don
Christopher Columbus, Di:covcrer."
On the other SIDE OF the plate were
found Spanish words meaning: "1he
urn OF Christopher Columbus.
For long time the bullet was q
mystery that could not be accounted
for; but in one of his letters, written
in the last year of his life, Columbus
speaks OF his wound having raopcuea.
/ There is no record of his having been
shot, but it is believed now that he
was struck by bullet during some Of
the wars in which he was engaged be-
fore the discovery OF America.
The casl<et hes been examined and
criticised, but not the least item of
proof has ever been brought out to
show that it is not genuine.
So we are now almost certain that
the unmarked and broken slabs that
were taken to Havana belonged to
some one else probably to Diego, son
of Colum bus); and we are glad TO be-
licve that the bones Of Columbus rest.
after all these centuries, III the spot
where it is best that they should rest
in the great cathedral Of his own little