The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-03-30
LETTER FROM CUBA.
The Christobol Colon Cemetery and
the Manner of Burying the Dead-A
How the Poorer Class of People Live
Non Observance of the Sabbath

Non Observance of the Sabbath
Day.
BAT. /, 2ND ART'Y. L. S. TROOPS,
HAVANA, Cuba March %, so.
EDITOR GOLD LEAF:-Perhaps
short letter from the province of Ha-
vana may not be without interest to
your readers. l visited the Gene
terio Christobol Colon few days ago
and was so much impressed with
what | saw that l shall here say
something about it. This cemetery
is one of the oldest in the Western
Hemisphere and is also one of the
finest. 1t is certainly one OF the
greatest curiosities in the world
worth the cost in money necessary to
visit Cuba to see it.
There are some Of the prettiest
monuments in this cemetery | have
ever seen, the finest surprising any
thing of the kind l ever beheld. This
monument is about 100 feet high and
was erected in memory of the dead
tiremen of Havana. 1t was imported
from Italy and is said to have cost
over $4,000, 900. Oh, it is simply
grand to look at. There are numbers
of other very handsome monuments
but nothing to approach this.
The dead are all put away in vaults
these being about feet in depth.
These vaults are rented for so much
| year and the poor class of people
| who are not able to pay the rental
after the first year have to submit
to the bodies of their dead being taken
up and placed in dead house
| Quick lime is then put on them to
eat the flesh off the bones, after which
they are thrown in heap in the bone
yard-a CHASTITY sight. [ have been
told by several persons that there are
not less than 25O,O persons bones
in this place. 1t has a wall about 10
feet high and about 20 inches thick
surrounding it, the enclosure being
about Is feet square. The inside Of
the wall is about 25 feet deep.
The Cuban people bury their dead
| from sunrise to 9 a. m, and from 3
to sunset. The well-to-do put away
their dead very nicely, but the poor
class who are not able to buy a coffin
hire one to take the body to the Gene
| terry in and there it is taken out and
laid away in burial clothes, after which
the coffin is carried back to the un-
dertaker. You will see them going
| to the cemetery with the coffin on
their shoulders and after the body
has been disposed of they will again
take it back to the owner in the same
fashion. No ladies ever 90 to the
cemetery with a body. You will
always find only men in funeral
procession. 1t may be some lady
that is dead but that doesn't make
any difference.
l suppose the burials here will
average ten a day, and do not Won
der at it when the manner in which
they live is considered. You can 90
out on the streets at 10 or II o'clock
at night and you will find lots of peo
pie asleep on the ground, sometimes
one will have coffee sack under him,
another with his head on the door
step for a pillow and so on. The
Cuban police pass by and say moth
ing to them.
Sunday morning you will see the
common people going to work in their
garden instead of to church. In
plowipg they work two oxen together,
using old time wooden plows. Their
work tools are crude affairs and they
work at a great disadvantage Of
course. American customs and
American methods and means will do
much for these people and the devel-
opment Of the country.
All the buildings are one story.
The doors run from bottom Of build
ing to top, the windows also. The
doors and windows of the private
residences have iron bars across
them and look like prison rooms at
home. When the boys 60 to see their
best girl she sits at the window while
he stands on the outside and thus
they talk to each other. And if he
is permitted to 60 in the house he
only sees his lady love in the presence
Of her parents or some other member
of the family.
l would like to make a change with
you for some cool weather. 1t is
pretty hot down here-no... billiards
or snow storms.
GEORGE r. IvEY.