The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-12
THE DUST OF COLUMBUS
1T WILL COME INTO OUR POSSESSION
WHEN WE TAKE HAVANA.
Columbus and Ponce de Leon Rest in
Spanish IsIands-FIOrida's First
Visitor Sleeps at San Juan.

Isabel Worrell Ball, in Washington Post.
History has told a pretty romance about
the crown Jewels of CASTLE and Leon being
sold to furnish Columbus with means. His
tory can lie, it seems, for within the last
fifteen years old papers and documents that
had been covered with dust of three or
more centuries have been brought to light
which show after all. Ferdinand furnished
at least half of the money for the mission,
and that the Castilan crown jewels had
found their way to the pawnbrokers long be-
fore Santagel, the treasurer of the eccle-
siastical revenues in Aragon. holding the
funds. Oddly enough, however, Isabella.
who is quoted being a model in every
particular, tied the matter up so that Fer
dinand never got any benefit from Column
buss discoveries all the wealth accrulng
therefrom being turned into the Golfers of
CASTLE This may, in a measure, account
for his GOODNESS toward Columbus. Isabella
was good at a bargain, and she seems to
have shut Ferdinand out in rather unwifely
fashion These old documents also show
that she had very tender side for Column
bus Ferdinand treated him cavalierly from
the first and after the death of Isabella,
Columbus, old and ailing, broken in spirit
weak in body, having wrecked his life in the
service of Spain, was spurned from the door
of Ferdinand as one would spurn dog.
This was done after the great discoverer
had been promised by solemn compact thar
he and his heirs should hold in perpetuity
all the lands he might discover, that ne
should be Nan admiral, and the title should
descend to his heirs. After granting MN
also a share of princely magnitude In all
revenues from the to-be discovered lands,
Ferdinand, the Spaniard, went square back
on his royal word, sworn to in solemn com
pact and Columbus died like tramp on the
10th day of May, 1906. .
Just how this discoverer of new world
all probability the Franciscans, to whose
ranks he belonged buried him with the
rites of their order. for 1t was in the Fran
ciscan Convent in Valladolid that his worm
out body found it's first resting place.
SAD DEATH OF COLUMBUS.
Christopher Columbus seems to have died
unnoticed and alone, except for the holy
fathers and his most intimate friends in a
bookish way did not know of his death for
year. Exactly twenty-seven days passed
before the city of Valladolid found out that
the greatest discoverer the world had ever
known had taken passage for the shoreless
country and in an official way the citys
record stated "and the said admiral is
dead" With the same indifference which
at Matanzas the nation of grandees of dons
noted the passing away of the man who had
enabled the red and yellow flag of Spain,
with it's lions and its castles, to wave so
that Spain could say, Upon my domlnions
the sun never sets.
1t is said that the chains which Column
bus wore back to Spain when Boabdilla
undertook to humiliate him, hung upon the
wall of the little room in which Columbus
died, and that they were buried with him,
at his request. This was an ancient custom,
saints and martyrs of medieval times be-
ing accompanied to the grave by the in
struments which had tortured them walls
of their own blood and other gruesome OBJ
jects. Ferdinand forgot him as completely
as though he had never lived, and no word
of regret ever came from his lips so far
as is known. A few months after the death
of Columbus, the King sent to Diego, the
son, some small belongings of the dead dis
cover. but no word accompanied them. AS
the months went by, however, Ferdinand
came to know the grand service that Column
bus had rendered the crowns of CASTLE and
Aragon, and was literally shamed into do
ing tardy honor to the dead admiral He
ordered the remains of Columbus TO be re-
moved from the Franciscan convent at Val
ladolid, to Seville. where, with much pomp
and ceremony, the King had the admiraTs
dust reinterred and it is said that he racked
his royal brain for a suitable epitaph and
the royal hand finally penned. the Spanish
phrase quoted before. In st. Mary of the
Grottoes shrine fit for even one of
was opened in 1926, for the body of his son
Diego to be placed beside him, he rested
undlSturDed.
BODY REMOVED TO SAN DOMINGO.
About ten years later the wife of Diego
Columbus concluded to agitate the matter
of having both bodies removed to San Do
mingo, where both had expressed desire to
be buried Charles V of Spain finally gave
his permission June 2, 1897, and the remains
of Columbus and Diego, his son, who had
been the Governor of Hispaniola. were
shipped across the ocean and placed in the
great chapel of the cathedral in Santo Do
mlngo, which, by the edict of Emperor
Cnarles' then became the private property
OF the heirs of Columbus. The Emperor
had TO issue three orders, each confirmine
the former. before the body was disinterred
and these are Of record. After that all is
legend and tradition. Historians of the dav
speak of the facg that COumbus's body
rested in the Santo Domingo cathedral but
there IS not scratch of official pen to
prove 1t. Nor was there ever a tablet or
monument to mark the place of his inter-
ment while his body rested there The reg
'ords of Seville show not a reference 70 the
fact that Columbuss body was removed
The Kings order said it might be moved
that is all.
Three centuries later Spain had 70 give
up her possession of Santo Domingo and
France stepped in. By this time Spain had
really great man. True. it was not owing
to Spanish blood. nor had he been spurred
on by Spanish enterprise, for he was a
GenOeSe, and of stabler material than the
naughty Dons But he had for 1astiie
and Leon found new world" and after
three centuries of cogitation Spain had con-
Guided that she was grateful. She did NOT
want to leave on alien soil the dust OF her
one great man, so by special treaty she
arranged for the removal of the remains If
Columbus to Havana. where. with magnifi-
cent ceremony. church and state vying with
each other TO do honor 70 the benefactor 81
both. and the public fumbling over itself ~