Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-04-30

THEY STILL LIE IN THE CATHE-
ORAL OF SANTO DOMINGO.
A MYSTERY SOLVEDAT LAST
Remains at Havana Are Those of the
Admirals Son-HistoricaI and Per-
sonal Investigations Made by Ru-
dolf Cronau, the Historian.

dof Cronau, the Historian.
/ Historian Rudolf Cronau writes from
7 Santo Domingo, Hayti, announcing his
/ discovery of new evidence. direct and
/ circumstantial, that the bones OF
Christopher Columbus are still resting
IN the cathedral Of the negro republics
capital. They were first unearthed in
/ 1877, and ever since historians and
patriotic SpaGialds have been st war.
asserting and denying the facts and
circumstances of this historical discov-
cry. Professor Cronau's recent inves-
LEGATION appears to settle the ca for
all time. Here follows his ESSAY.
The question opened up by the dis
coveries of Sept. 10, 1877, whether the
remains of Christopher Columbus rest
in the cathedral OF Havana or are still
IN their ancient burial place, the sane
tuarium of the Santo Domingo cathe-
dral, had never been investigated by an
impartial historian until | undertook
to examine into its merits. Hereto
fore the decision lay between Spanish
authorities, who had an interest in
maintaining that the casket and bones,
transferred with great state and
solemnity, to Havana toward the end
of the last century, were the genuine
relics, and the ecclesiastical and gov
ernmental Hayti officers whose state
ments were also not above suspicion.
Being anxious to give the true facts in
my forthcoming took, America; the
History of Her Discovery, went to the
island to see for myself Before en-
tering into a discussion of my investi-
cation, let me briefly recapitulate the
historical data appertaining TO the
case.
In May, 1906, Columbus was buried
at Valladolid, but soon afterward the
remains were tral sferred to the Car
thusian monastery of Las Cuevas, Sc
vile. Some time between the years
1541 and 1919, not in 1886, the admiral's
body was disinterred and taken over
The sea to HispaniOla, to be buried in
the Santo Domingo cathedral. This
was done upon the earnest solicitation
of Columbus daughter-inlaw, to whom
the discoverer had expressed MS last
wish to rest in the island, the scene If
his great deeds and greater Sufferings
The date of 1886, found in many books,
is incorrect, for | found, during my
stay in Santo Domingo, that the cathe-
dral of that city was not finished until
1Ed0 tho aneCinn T,f Howl 70 tho
French, i'll 1853. the relics, or what
passed for them. were eXhumed AMI
taken to Havana that they might be
buried in Spanish soil.
| have this authority for saying that
the transfer OF the body to Santo Do
mingo took place within the period Of
1541 1919. My Investigations on the
spot showed that in the latter year the
remains were known to lie in the
cathedral Some time later the En-
peror Charles V. ordered that the
sanctuarium of the Santo Domingo
cathedral be reserved as the hereditary
burial place of the Colon family, and
bus eldest son, Diego, who died in
1926. and of his second son, Luis, who
died in 1927, were also brought there
for interment, though both died in
Spain. I could discover nothing to
show when these bodies we're trans
ferred to Hayti. The transfer to Ha-
vana, that is the preliminary labors,
began Dec. 20, 1895. Perhaps it is just
as we'll that the Spaniards are not in a
position to celebrate the centennial of
this event a few weeks hence.
AS to the finding of the burial place
of Columbus Sept. 10, 1877, and the
subsequent doubt as to the genuine
ness of the relics reposing in the cathe-
dral of Havana, I have this authentic
report on the subject: Laborers en-
gagged in relaying the f1agstones of the
Santo Domingo cathedral discovered on
the date mentioned a small burial
vault next to the one whose contents
had been carried away by the Span
iards eighty-two years previous. Stop
ping work, they Informed the authori-
ties, who invited the resident foreign
consuls and the archbishop to be pres
ent at the opening Of the vault. 1t
was found to contain a leaden casket.
The lid contained the following in
scription in abbreviated form "Descu-
bridor de la America, Primer Amir
ante" (discoverer of America, the first
admiraD, and "I1ustre Y Escfarecido
Vron Don Christoval Colon" (the re-
nowned and excellent man, Don
Christoval Colon.
The side walls of the casket con-
tanned these initials:
G. G.. A,
which stands undoubtedly for Christie
val Colon Almirante.
Among the remains of bones and
garments were found a musket bali
and a little silver shield, originally
screwed on to the top Of the head piece.
This, too, had an abbreviated inscrip-
ton, reading as follows ultimate
parte de los restos del Primero Amir
ante Christoval Colon, descubridor"
(the last remains of the first admiral,
Christoval Colon, the discoverer). This
made it quite clear that the casket,
with its contents, is the original one
buried in the cathedral, but, as init
mated, the Spaniards would not accept
the truth of this simple fact.
Immediately upon my arrival at