Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-04-30

dral, its records, books, and the state
archives.
My first care was to ascertain
whether the condition of the sane
tuarium 100 years ago, when the Span
iards searched for the grave OF Column
bus. was such as 10 permit an error on
their part. To ascertain such posi-
4 bility | studied numerous historical
documents, descriptions. and archi-
tectural plans concerning the eathe-
dral, and found that originally two
burial vaults had been built at the
right of the high altar and in one of
them Columbus remains had been de-
posted. There is, however. no record
showing that his last resting place was
marked in any way by name or date.
When the cathedral was first built
The sanctuarium had two platforms.
the upper rising one step over the
other. In later years the lower plat
form was abolished, and its space was
raised to the Level of the upper one.
Then the entire distance was covered
with new layer of bricks and under
that the entrance to the vaults and
these themselves were completely
buried. The changes having been made
toward the end OF the seventeeth CEN
tury, It is highly improbable that the
Spaniards. at the end of the eighteenth
century, knew that they took place.
AS already stated, the bodies of Co.
lumbus' sons were buried in the eathe-
dral as well as that of the admiral.
Did the Spaniards of 1895 consider
this fact? Probably not; probably
they had never heard of il, for the cas-
ket taken to Havana from an un-
marked grave bore no Inscriptions
whatever
Is it likely that the body OF the most
celebrated man of his times be buried
in a coffin absolutely unreeognizable"
The vault discovered eighteen years
ago is situated next to that emptied by
the Spaniards in 1895, and separated
from il by a thin wall of stones. | am
satisfied that it is the older of the two;
its position nearest to the outer wall of
LuG NuuINH, wv. SCtluS " lliiCdlt iAut
It was the first of the kind erected.
The records above quoted show that
Columbus was the first OF the Colon
family buried in the cathedral.
| found great similarity between the
lettering on the Columbus casket and
the first half of the sixteenth century.
The caligraphy as we'll as the form of
abbreviation CORE spends with that
found in documents relating TO Fer
nando Cortez, Cabeza de Vaca. and
others. Especially remarkable is the
letter +, which on the Columbus cas-
ket and in the document referred 70
takes the form of an X
The bullet found in the Columbus
casket has the appearance of one fired
from an old-time musket. We nave no
records that Columbus was wounded
during his travels in the service of
their Spanish majesties, but l discov-
cred in letter TO the king and queen,
dated November 1902, the following
passage:
MY old wound has opened again.
and for nine days all hope TO keep life
within me was despaired of"
There are people living today who
have carried a bullet in their body for
twenty-five years and more. Why
should not Columbus have been like
wise afflicted? The leadeE ball came
to the surface only when his frame fell
to pieces.
Whose bones. then, sleep in the Ha
vana cathedral? We know that three
of the Colon family were buried in the
Santo Domingo Columbus,
Diego, and Luis. Luis tomb | have
seen. 1t is situated to the left of the
high altar, and contains leaden cas-
ket filled with bones and dust. An in
scription on the casket reads. III Al
mirante Don Luis Colon, Duque de
Jamaica, Marques de Verague'' THE
Admiral Don Luis Colon, Duke of ia
maica, Marquis OF Veragua).
Assuming that the inscription on the
Columbus casket tells the truth-and
there is no reason for doubling this
we must conclude that the Spaniards,
100 years ago, carried off the remains
of Diego, believing them to be those Of
his great father Undoubtedly they
have Colon in the Havana cathedral,
but not the Colon who discovered a new
world.
Rudolf Cronau.
INTENDED TO SAVE WORK.