The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-22
Ogden, Nov. %.
OF HIGH DEGREE.
a Noted China1nan Buried With
Strange Ceremonies.

A Chinaman of high degree, Luong
Quong by name, died Thursday in Og-
den, and was buried yesterday 1t was
in many respects the most ostentatious
funeral ever held in the city The de-
ceased was about 81 years of age; was
for a time proprietor of the Union
restaurant, and was of high rank in
Chinese Masonry. Moreover, he had
lots of money and friends, white as
well as yellow, and so the services yes
terday surpassed anything in the way
of Chinese funerals ever seen in Og-
den. The mystic ceremonies in the joss
house were not for others than the
disciples of Confucius, but in the
vacant square back of the place of wor'
ship ritual work Of a highly imposing
degree was had. There We're three
long tables piled with eatables, two big
roast pigs and numerous ducks, chick
ems and SWeetmeatS, all cooked to please
evil spirits and appease them, but still
there is nothing to prevent the spirits
doing their eating, by proxy. About rs
Mongolians were. on hand at the fun
eral, all belonging to the Chinese lodge
of which Luong Quong was mem
Der.
When at length the funeral process
sion started it was accompanied by the
Ogden brass band, which discoursed
solemn music. Three Cinnamon acted
as mounted guards or marshals = the.
day, and here it was seen how great
was their friendship for the deceased.
They were not experienced riders, and
they bestrode the nags evidently in.
mortal terror of their lives, but they
kept to their saddles SO that their
friend might be properly inferred,
A T. Richey marched ahead, header
of about 40 Celestials, all more or less
arrayed in the trappings of their order.
Beside the hearse walked the pail bear
ers, three on each side, and one or
two in pink, two in white and two in
brown robes. Behind came three others
bearing streamers.
Then came a pink-robed priest lead
ing white horse, rugged out in white
and blue bunting. On the steed was
seated a great staring joss. He was
not visible to the eyes of all, but ne
was there-the Cinnamon could see
hm-at least the faithful could see
him as he sat there with his one eye
located in the middle of his forehead,
and which seemed TO, see everything.
The joss was in good humor; he had
been placated by offerings of all kinds,
and several times he drove back the
swarms OF evil spirits which were after
the soul of Luong Quong. Eatables
ana QTlflkdUlGS w ere ScaLlSTGu freely
about along the way. These, too, were
for the evil spirits to pick up.
Probably thousand curious specta-
tors thronged into the city cemetery.
They pressed SO close about the grave
that it caved in and was consequently
an abnormally large grave when it
had been cleaned out. Besides the Og4
den band there was another-a Chinese
band-which made sounds on various
IL, -; c~of6
| it was music.
| At the grave the undertaken wanted
to lower the casket before the cere-
monies began, but this was forbidden.
The priest-the one who had led the
white horse, knelt at the head of the
grave and began a long d0lcful chant
that lasted about Is minutes. The man
would now and then bend forward,
! hing the earth almost with his
forehead, but all the while he kept up
| the chant: 1850
Hu ling, long Ku nu
Ru Ru Up Ku Ku
Hing ling, Hing ling ling.
There was lots more, but those three
! lines are a sample.
| officer Fender took part by trying
| to keep the crowd at bay. but he sue
! ceeded only in keeping q, space clear
around the priest. He could hardly
! have done this, but there was q coun-
! ter attraction a little way from the
grave where all the dead mans clothes
and combustible effects were heaped
and burned along with many prayers
! (Chinese prayers are often made of
paper. All the while joss sticks burned
at the grave side and after the chant,
as during it food and liquor was scat
! tered about by the priest.
| A second priest took a lighted torch
and traced a mystic circle of smoke
about the coffin, which was then low
cred. According to white man, but
one supposedly well versed in Chinese
mythology, it was at this point the
real tussle began.
When touched by fire then mortal
things may be seized by spirits. The
soul of Luong Quong was now COM
mon property TO any band of spirits
! that might catch it. But the work of
the dead mans friends had been well
done. They had kept the other spirits
| otherwise engaged. Some were eating
or drinking or had been stupefied with
drugs, others were fighting over the
! clothes just burned some were kept at
bay by the joss so that the soul of
! Luong Quong had q fair start and
clear field when it got out and sprinted
| for the fioWery kingdom.
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