People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-12-30

luOoO uColI dDlc SpOU Ill Ullc ClUJ duu
nov The property Of his church. We
took the steep track to the left up the
mountain. began to blow and drag
TO the rear. He said we might ride
at my expense. | said certainly. He
whistled. Out came two burroS in a
Jitfy. pitled the little fellows,
but selected the stOutest and threw
myself astride. Up the mountain we
ratified. The owner did the driving
and walked. Soon we were at the
gate of the cemetery, panteOn. 1t is
rectangular, nearly twice as large as
WellingtOn's school yard, walled with
heavy stone walls, twenty-five feet
high, These walls are eight to ten
feet thick aud contain boxes for the
dead, looking like boxes 10 our post.
office. These are four feet square and
10 tiers, six high. The late lamented
are Shelyed here by their friends on
terms as follows: Five dollars per
years for five years in advance. when
twenty-five more dollars are demanded
for the next five years.
II The loved one is then forgotten,
or the money can not be had, out
comes the coffin. The contents 20 in
the long cavern below. II only bones
they are stacked in the end of the cav
ern, but if the dry mountain air pre-
serves the BODY it is set against the
wall To grin. We went down at tue
center OF this tunnel 500 feet long, the
width and shape of the inside Of
railway car, except IL was near fifteen
feet high. Over fifty mummleS leaned
up against the wall looking hideOIS
enough to keep weakened creature
awake for a fortnight. Bro. Cart
wright began picking button from
one Of their coats as keepsake for
me. | said | was exceedingly fond of
relics, but drew the line on any but
tons found 10 this hOrrid cavern.
Nearly $50 feet of this long room is
now filed to The roof With human
bones. The poor are buried in the
ground, which is constantly being dug
up again, preparing graves for others.
Last year 1000 were b1ried here. |
admire our beautiful cemeteries where
poor and rich alike may honor their
dead with burial in resting place per.
petual.
The hour this busy missionary could
spare NE was now gone. We rode
down the mountain side near his mis-
sion home, and he directed the donkey
driver to take me to the prison. This
was the first time | have been taken.
| made signs That he should wait and
carry me back, for / never could have
found the way around those crooked,
narrow streets. Once or twice /
Spre3d my arms and could just about
touch each wall of the street. Many
places | know were not ten feet wide.
We are at the prison. 1t is larger
than our court house yard, with the
house built three stories high all
around it, and an open court in the
center of the large area. OF all the
twenty-five clerks, keepers and war
den, not one knew a sentence of En-
gllsh. | made my wants known and
was rushed round through five or six
rooms TO where a great door met US
looking like the lodge room door of
the hall Of tue Red Men. expected
to peep into what l supposed was a
cell. Not so. The door swung open
and was almost pushed in. My al
Lendant, whom took to be the sheriff
nr warden, did not accompany me, and
here l was in cell with three Mex
leans. | shuddered, but could not
have raised an objection. The door
then opened on the opposite side OF
this little dark room aud l was really
showed into the open court, where the
inside guard, with handsome, sweet,
young face smiled at me, and several
hundred fierce criminals greeted me
with a grin far more nerve destroying
than those harmless ones in the cata-
combs All hour before. was just as
near scared as | have been since | was
a kid. Facing nearly one thousand
abandoned men, murderers and
thieves, with only the frail young man
at my side. He said Tourist" and
not one word more. The men were
generally eating dinner, which fact
may be the reason the man who looked
so lonely is spared to write this.
backed up to the door and said / had
seen the show and wanted out. My
clever young friend smiled so sweetly
and walked right out among the men
toward the stairway leading to the
floor above. The shops, where baskets
and many articles were being made,
occupied the upper floors.
The guide took me on the top, where
we looked over the walls thirty tC
forty feet below. I breathed the
tmountain air 1000 feet above sea
level, aud regained my composure
We came through the laughing crowd
who seemed to understand my situa'
tion. / waived Spanish adieu Il
the crowd, handed the guide goot
sized coin and was very, very glad u
see the doors open toward freedom
My donkey partner put me on tht
other burro and now. that had beer
away twenty minutes, spoken just ont
word that hit the mark, "tourist.
and | presume all this because OF m
shrunken appearance. We hustled
round the streets, so like those o
Jerico, back to the street car, which
was waiting. Again the four mule
pslloped of and we were soon TO tn
station. thankful for the experience
Of the day. WILLIS X. FOLKS.
R. E. Stafford, editor OF the Okla
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