The Opelousas courier., 1895-07-20
Where Columbus Is Buried.

AS the city of San Domingo, the
capital of the Dominican Republic, is
approached from the sea, one is struck
by the quaintnes of an old, dilapidated
tower which rises up from Il formidable
looking stone wall along the beach.
On coming nearer and nearer while
entering the harbor, the wall loses
much of its awe-inspiring force; for
little by little, it becomes plainly
noticeable that both wall and tower are
only IL harmless mass of ruins. In
order to become thoroughly interest
ed in the place and its ruins, n must
go ashore and meet one of the old
inhabitants. aud hear some of his
blood-curdling yarns dating back to
tho times when pirates We're bold.
After he has told You all the stirring
stories that he has ever heard, or
discussed the relative merits of cock
fighting and bull fighting, and have
expressed Il hope that there would soon
be another revolution,-it will then be
comparatively easy to draw the onver
satlon toward the more generally ac-
cepted as authentic history, by REFER
ing, IN iii uncertain sort of manner, to
Columbus. g
Ones being SO delightfully."- ignorant
will please him immensely as he goes
on pointing ont and explaining how
tIIatas~~e4r notice making a
~GG1fDlete circnit of the city, was so
Gecessary iii the old huccaneering days
l when nearly every sea-captain,-
whether Of a man-of-war or merchant
maD,-lndnlged in a little piracy now
and then, merely as ii side line to his
regular business, III as a purely re-
tallatOry measure.
Descents upon sea coast towns were
very frequent then, aud that old partly
tnmb'ed down tower you noticed com
ing into the halbor, Is known as the
" Watch.' 1t was here the lookout for
pirates was kept, and is also the very
same tower in which Columbus was i'm
prisoned nearly four hundred years ago.
Directly in the opposite direction, at
the other end Of the city, You see La
Casa de Colon. or Columbus House,
which he occupied when he was Gov
ernor of the island. Half way between
the two is the theatre he had built and,
where, later, he was arrested while
attending il play.
Both these buildings are in ruins;
bnt there is another celebrated edifce,
however, that still seems capable of
defylng Time for many years to come.
1t is the old Cathedral in which Column
bus Is buried, and is the largest and
most magnificent one in the West
Indies. TO the right OF the grand altar,
between " sleeping lions, is Il tomb
from which the marble slab has been
removed. This is where Columbus was
buried originally.
When San Domingo passed from the
Spanish! possession, it was agreed that
the bones OF Columbus should be re-
moved to Havana, where it is generally
supposed they are now buried ; but the
people clung to his remains with a
reverence which we must hope palliat-
ed, IT 1t did not excuse, their deception,
for they stole his bones, removed them
to a cave under the Bishops own house,
and replaced them with other bones,
not so sacred. The trick worked very
well aud when they came to dig him
up, the bones and chains were found
intact and removed to the Cathedral at
Havana.
A long time atterwald the real bones
were replaced in the old Cathedral, but
in Il different place. They are now in
a large cell behind the altar, with but
a single door leading into it. This door
IS in immense iron-grate one with three
different locks to it. One key is kept
by the Bishop; II 10y the President of
the Republic, aud the third by the
Prime Minister.
1t is only on special occasions of
ceremony that this door is opened, as
all three OF these high officials have to
consent to it,.
Last winter While we lay off the city,
it was opened in honor of the Admiral
and officers Of the American squadron,
and We had d chance of examining
them very closely.
We do not claim to be able to tell in
every case, who it was that wore Il par
tlcular set Of bones; or that even in
this case our decision is final; but we
did decide that these bones looked as
as though they might have been
as any other PERSONS we
know of.
FRITZ LOUIS SANDoZ.