The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-07
PORTUGUESE FUNERAL CUSTOMS.
Collins with Red Leather and Brass Nails
That Have Many Tenants.

-N'AA'
That Have Many Tenants.
THE burial customs of the Spanish az seen in
Cuba are in some respects much like those Of
Portugal" said q former resident OF Portugal.
The poor there. like the poor in Spain, econo-
miZe on funeral expenses by making one coffin
serve for u number of funerals in succession.
In Lisbon ut least the coffin is usually n very
substantial piece of work. covered with red
leather and freely studded with brass nails.
Its lid is attached with hinges, so that the cof-
fin opens and shuts like n large trunk. OF
course the selling price Of an article like this
would be beyond the means of any poor family,
but the rent for one day is comparatively small.
When a funeral procession reaches the
grave in the great Prazeres Cemetery. lust out
side OF Lisbon. the undcrtaker's men, instead
OF lowering the coffin, open its lid take out the
corpse and lower il into its last resting place.
The empty coffin is left there until a Gallcgo
takes II back to its owner after the mourners
have retired. These Gallcgos. by the way.
natives of Galicia in Spain, do all the work OF
porters in Lisbon. II you ask a native Portu-
RueSe servant to carry u parcel or a vaiisc
through the streets, he will answer you In n
tone Of offended dignity: You chamar UNI
GdlegO' II will go and call a Gallego'l. for no
native Portuguese would be seen carrying q
load Of any kind in public.
These Gallegos have no objection to carry
ing n load. even when the load is a recently
vacated coffin. That is the kind of work they
come To Lisbon for. so that in their old age
they may go across the frontier to Galicia
and live on their savings. And one little i'll
cident that happened while / was in Lisbon
showed how little impression superstitions re-
garding death make on the GalIcgo mind. Tho
city of Lisbon collected toll on goods brought
within its limits. and there were guards at the
"a 80 - A.. IA -
was struggled in. One very rainy afternoon
the guard at the Prazeres gate| glanced
along the road that leads to the ceme-
terry and saw a suspicious-lookin package
lying on the ground close under the wall on one
side. There was not Il living being in sight.
The guard thought he had detected u plot. He
Thought that that package, whatcverit might be.
had been left there under the wall 10y snug
glers. who were no doubt sheltered somewhere
in its neighborhood and watching their oppor-
tunlty 10, rush 1t through the gate as soon as
the rain held up a little. So the active anu III
t,elligent officer got his. little sword ready to
H thS S6 az q m0m ne Ys So n4t aIHnG anh rsg gaEd OF
PRISE and apprehend the smugglers. or. at
least, their goods.
suspicious object, he made out through the rain
that the case on the ground was of u red color
discovery startled him a little, but the next mo
hlent he was utterly demoralized at seeing the
lid OF ne coffin ny open aud a disheySlled head
thrust Itself out, its eyes staring wildly. With
out waiting 10 draw his sword or challenge tho
apparitlon. tho guard faced about and retreated
~ u run, When he reached the gate he called
his comrades to come and see the abandoned
corpse, thai, had burst open it's coffin on tho
waysidQ. The force seized their carbines and
Iaraded under shelter OF the archway, but what
they saw was only u very bedraggled Gallego
tramping toward them, carrying AN empty cof-
On examination the GalleGo deposed that,
being oyeFtakep by the rain on Ms way from
coffin 70 keep dry and wait for fairer, weather,
but when he, heard footsteps .stealthlly APP
WAS coming to play . trick and, lock him UP,
hhe ends out Snd stared i He G %Ts no corpse; but az
coffin, the, senores guards might look for them
selves and see that y was empty.
ness, for, what may he called playing with
the dead H. Portugal. They seem 70 take a pc;
exposing them TO public view, happened TO
10 present Il the solemn requiem OF a Cardinal
EatriPrch Of Lisbon. when the corpse, dressed
posture TO face tho crowd in the nave of tn o
cathedral. and thought, AZ the time that the
was s]tEoIlIng along one Of the main thorough
chatter q a lot Of little boys and Ht Girls
attracted my attention TO a side, street,
d dms Shtddd awm t6 AL SIDE aa,eel Stre affes sf b %Gts
walk, evidently Interested in something that
Was hetRg carried along by three or four OF
that the centre OF interest was a very small
brass-studded coffin. The lid was. open, and 1
could see the little tOwcr-decked and bediz-
ened corpse inside Of it.
Another time | mistook the corpse OF a
child on It's way to tho grave for a waXen image
Of the Madonna being carried in procession.
II, was a little dead girl beautifully dressed In
white satin and wearing u white veil aud white
flowers. The little body had been made 10 sit
M IN u chair which four boys were carrying on
their shoulders. The bearers and the other
children in the procession wore white ribbons
aud white flowers. all emblematie of Innocence
and happy confidence that the soul Of their
/ ltlla friand Mag In narEdiaa