The Saint Paul globe., 1898-09-12


the same age mention scores of petty
noblenien and hangers-On at the court
Generals, admiralS, men of rank and
influence, but not a word about Co.
lumhus; and nearly twenty years after
his death, at ValladOid, one of the
writer's Of Spanish history mentions
the admiral and confesses his ignor-
ance as to whether "he be living or
dead" The only official allusion to his
death in the records Of the city is a
brief entry on the 10th Of June, 1906,
noting the fact that ON May 20 "the
said admiral died"
The ignorance and laziness of Span
ish official life were never better illus
trated than by the uncertainty as to
when the body of Columbus was laid
In its various resting places. Of the
first interment there is no record, and
it Is only by tradition that historians
assert that he was first buried in the
vaults Of the Franciscan convent in
Valladolid. When his body was remov-
ed thence is equally uncertain. The
common statement makes the date 1913,
but In the will Of Diego Columbus,
made in 1909, there is evidence that be-
fore that time he had already removed
the remains of his father to the Car
thusian convent, Las Cuevas, at Sc
Vile. How long it repOsed there is as
uncertain as the date of it's removal
thither, for what historical mention
SAlSlS is COnIlCunS.
The records of the convent show
that in 1885 the body was given up for
transportation, but after this date
three orders of court were issued. the
last in 1541, commanding it to be taken
to America, according to the wish of
Columbus and his family, and the last
named date is supposed to be that of
the fnterment in the cathedral of Santo
Domingo. Where the body was be-
tween 1886, when it was given I'D by
the Carthusian monks, until 1541, when
the last order Of court was issued. is
unknown, nor was any record made
in SantO Domingo of the interment
there, and not until 1875, 1876 years later,
did some official connected with the
cathedral think it worth while to make
record that the interment had taken
place in vault in the cathedral on
the right side Of the altar, and that
bartholomew Columbus had been bur-
led on the left.
IN SANTO DOMINGO.
From 1541 to 1795 the bones of Co
lumbus rested undistrubed in SantO
tDomngo, but in that year, the close
Of the war with France found the east
ern end of HispanioIa a French pos
session, and the Spaniards determined
to remove the casket of Column
bus to Havana. The translation
great pomp, and the bones were in
tered in a vault in the grand cathe-
dral Of the capital of Cuba. The mys-
terry was not ended, however for early
In the present century the bishop and
people Of Santo Domingo made q
claim that. through mistake or decep-
ton, another caSket than that of Co
lCmbus had been removed. and that
the bones Of the discoverer were still
reposing In the vault at Santo Do
mingo. A long controversy ensued, nor
was the question put entirely at rest
when repairs were made to the Santo
Domingo cathedral In 1877, when the
vault, which according to the record
of 1876 had contained the casket, was
opened and found to be empty. The
removal in 1895 settled a fairy tale
which, nevertheless, passes current in
the school histories and elsewhere for
fact, the story Of the chains. Every
child In America is taught that Co.
Iumbus ordered his chains to be plac-
ed with him in his coffin, but when the
CONN was opened in 1875 no chains
We're found, nor any traces of iron OK
lde which might result from their de-
structfon.
The Spanish indispositton to do any
thing that can be avoided has prevent
ed due honor to the memory of the
| greatest man that ever was admitted
to the privileges of q Spanish subject.
The cathedral of Santo Domingo is Of
enormous size, and once rivaled In
| splendor that Of any church in the Old
| World. There are over forty chapels
whose affairs were once incrusted with
! gold and gems; there were monuments
by scores OF Spanish governors, SOL
diers, priests and mobiles, but there was
not even a slab to mark the resting
| place of Columbus. The church is now
| In decay. During French occupation
| 1T was stripped OF its wealth, and at
one time was used as q fort, there be-
ing still evidences of its injury by bonn
bardment and traces on its battlements
OF the guns that were mounted on It's
walls for the protection Of the city It's
| only historic Importance Is derived
| from the fact that 1t once contained
| the body of a man whose intermene
within its walls no one at the time
| took the trouble to record. The caths~
dral at Havana gives exteriorly little
! idea OF the splendor within. It Is one
| of the noblest as we'll as the richest
churches in the New World, combining
| Moorish taste with Spanish solidity OF
architecture, and has lavishness of
decoration barbaric In It's splendor. The
casket OF Columbus reposes in O. crypt
| Of the grand cathedral, but only a bust
| of poor workmanship, a plain slab IN
the wall and commonplace inscrip-
| tion mark the resting place Of the man
who gave to Spain a New World.
| Lawrence Is Dead.