The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-03-26
MRS. WARD INSECTS THE
CAPITALS CEMETERIES. :.
Relics of tho Plague-Ways of Politics In
Some So-Called Republics-At q Central
American Theatre-The Prompter Plays
Leading Roles.

coffee plantations; street-caf track II being
laid along the middle and on one side broad
walk Of stone slabs extends to the gate Of the
principal pantheon. Immediately in front Of
he entrance Is an unkempt flower garden.
banked on either hand by the tomb of one
time rulers of Costa Rica, Fernandez and
Timenez That of the last-named President
y a queer, octagonal. box-couch affair, with a
secumbent figure of himself atop, looking as II
he had crawled out in his night clothes for q
breath Of fresh air, as people hereabouts have
he habit Of sleeping on their fiat roofs In
iewless summer nights. Like other Roman
Catholic burial places in the prosperous citieu
Of Spanish America, this campo santo is sur
rounded by high brick wills, In which are four
tiers OF narrow inches, their inner faces
covered with painted crucifixes, skulls, cross
bones, and inscriptions, while the space be-
tween Is crowded with low, cubical struc-
lures, similar to those built by the Mussul-
mans. Some Of the vaults are elaborate Spec
linens OF the Italian stuoco- workers art.
adorned with paper flowers and wreaths Of
black and white beads strung on wires, after
the hideous French fashion. Many Of them
show small affairs inside, with images, crosses,
and pictures of saints, and others are mere
shells Of sun -dried mud, strongly suggestive
Of bake ovens, containing tin lanterns with
burning candles.
the Enclosure, but not a blade of grass, and
the whole place looks wofully neglected, as
compared with the beautiful cemeteries of the
North, although these Of San Jose are under
the direct supervision of the wealthy Charita-
In a Protestant Cemetery.
Much more interesting to us is the nearby,
almost forgotten Protestant graveyard-the
only one Of its kind in Costa Rica.
The consecrated quarter acre is snugly
walled, and screwed to the wicket of It's iron
barred gate is a metal plate, green with mold
o|1h1
read the following inscription:
"This cemetery was granted by the govern
ment Of Costa Rica, in February, A. D. 1850,
at the request Of Senior Frederick Charter
field. Charge i'Affairs Of her Britannia ma.
jesty." Then follows the scriptural text in
Redeemer liveth." Though nearly half CEN
fury old, the little cemetery is not crowded,
not is it likely to be for centuries to come.
There are few headstones. as most Of the
grass grown, bramble covered graves are
those of wandering strangers; and though .
record of all interments is supposed to be
kept in the chapel, 1t is so obscure that fancy
the Angel Gabriel himself will have trouble
to identify them. How 1t makes ones heart
ache to visit these eternal camping
grounds Of exiles in foreign lands! Most of
those who lie here seem to have been young
men, fresh from college-mother's boys, who
left home full of high hopes and eager ambi-
tioKs, with no thought Of finding on the first
~Ird Death.
In the Roman Catholic Gods Acre.
Opposite the Protestant Cod S acre and close
% the savanna, Is the old Catholic Campo
lanto, which for more than forty years has
'een closed as forbidden ground. Here, for
wo centuries, bones were piled upon bones
Ind collins above coffins-so long that nearly
Ill the inscriptions on vaults and headstones
have been eaten away by "the insidious tooth
Of time. When the great cholera epidemic
iwept this country, many years ago, several
thousands Of its victims were buried here
heaptd unfortunately in great trenches,
that were dug among the already over-crowd-
ed graves Soon after the subsistence Of the
plague the new Catholic pantheon was opened,
but those, who had relatives Inferred in the
old one were not allowed TO remove them, for
ron gates were welded together, and have
never since been unlocked. Peering between
he bars, you see nothing but mass Of tan
gled vegetation, horribly suggestive in its
rankness, with here and there skull, or rib
Or marrow bone, whitening in the sun, which
was long ago evicted from its overcrowded
tomb to make room for some later tenant.
Listen a moment, and you are sure to hear
The scamper Of a lizard or the rustic of a
make, in the green depths of this dead sea.
From the sunny savanna close by, the pop
liar promenade of the city, come strains Of
music, light laughter, and song, while from
rear to year vegetation deepens above these
lorsaken dead.
Blood-curdling tales are told Of that fear
'ul time when the scourge walked abroad in
costa Rica, and his vctims-in many of
whom doubtless the breath of life yet lin
gered-were hurried by hundreds to the
trenches. They tell us that one Of the pits
became so heaped with bodies that the sex
ton was obliged to Jump upon the last laye,
and pound it down level with his 1natlet
Thud! Thud Thud! And as he did so more
than one faint moan was distinctly heard.
lnf 70 han fr,y .N-l- -
search 1t over. in the hope OF finding some
Who had been partially aroused from the deer
soma which Is so often feature Of the dread
disease, and so, thud! thud! thud! the work
went on, and the pit was covered. Another
Nme-so they tell us-the sections boot hee
happened to strike a body square In thu
stomach; when instantly the corpse doubled
up and began to swear in good round Spanish
Again he noticed in the ghastly heeD yer!
handsome diamond ring upon the finger OF I
woman. It seemed q pity to waste tha
valuable jewel. No time for ceremony, wheI
moments delay might mean death to him
self. So out came his jackknife, and on thu
finger, with the coveted ring; when, presto
the woman's eyes few open and shriel
curdled the blood In his veins. She va
assisted out of her untimely grave. and Il
living today in San Jose, to tell Of he
Hhairbreadth 'scape." And 1t 10 to be pre-
sumed that the thieving sexton was readil,
forgiven for his ill-meant services.
Central American Presidents.
Later In the day we visited the President
palace, which stands short block away from
the Plaza Central It il not much OF
''palace," q two-story, much-bestuccoe
building, fanked by solitary date palm; bu
we of country so much larger and richer
with White House not half as good. are no
criticising Presidential abodes. In front q
this sentinel parades, few uniforme
soldiers lounge, and buglers and drummer
perform their frequent duty. Guard mount
ing and inspection in the morning and par
AIDES in the afternoon occur daily in the stree
opposite the Presidents palace The mill
tary band always figures largely at these cere
monies, playing waltzes and opera boufr
music, and the adjacent plaza Is filled wit
s eager listeners. The present President, Dl
tglesias, as usual with Presidents in thi
BART of the world has succeeded In gettin
himself very much disliked. This Is chief
because he is candidate for e-election Chi
term expires In the coming spring., and til
Costa Rican constitution expressly provide
that President shall not serve two successiv
terms. So does the Mexican constitution, {
FL did, until Diaz he'd 1t changed. in order t
enjcy the loaves and fishes during the rel
II his natural life; this, too, after hayin
st-raised himself to promtnspc dliyin