The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-04

Some Peculiarities of Burials Witnessed
in the Southwest,

in the Southwest.
TN the hotel at Sante Fe last sum-
mer the noise of a brass band playing
the tune Marching Through Georgia.
with great vigor, called me to the win
dow said New York tourist who re-
Gently returned from New Mexico and
California. 1T was a Mexican funeral
procession that ! saw, advancing to-
ward the plaza. The mourners "ollowed
the hearse on foot. and in advance
marched the local Mexican band. AS it
reached the plaza the band changed its
tune to 'There'll Be a Hot Time IN the
Old Town Tonight and to this mel
ody the procession moved across the
public square on its way to Campo
Santo. The expression of all the mourn
erS was grave and deCorous, and seine
of the people on !the plaza uncovered
their heads as the, procession passed.
This marching to music was the time
honored Mexican way of showing re-
spect to the dead. New Mex ran
friend explained to me that the mus-
cal repertory of the band being limited
to three or four pieces, it was necessary
to make the same tunes do duty at
funeral, a merrymaking or a political
meeting.
"On passing the ancient Indian viii
lage of lsleta on my way by train down
the Rio Grande, man described to me
the funeral of an Indian chief that he
witnessed there. The body. laid out
in state in the open air before the
church, was wrapped from head to foot
in gay-colored ribbons, and was watch
ed by band of warriors attired in the
ancient war dress of their tribe. with
feathers. beads and antique weapons
| Three musicians of the tribe, with tenn
toms, sat on the ground. beating time
| to dolorous chanting which they kept
n lilo In aud 49, ct,
| the refrain. All the people of the town
were dressed in holiday attire in prepa-
| ration for the procession and burial,
| which, though conducted under the
| rites of the Roman Catholic church.
We're to have many features peculiar to
| the Indians, vestiges of the heather Gus
| toms of their ancestors. The ceremonies
concluded with a funeral feast for
| which bread, tortillas, mutton, native
| wine and aguardiente had been pro-
| vided in profuson.
IN the quaint New Mexican town CT
| Mesilia, with its great willow trees,
vineyards and broad irrigating canal
| winding along the main street, through
the plaza, I heard the church bell clang-
ing loudly one day at noon. 1t vas fer
the funeral of a young child and the
procession was Just entering the plaza
Four brown-skinned girls. hareheaded
and gowned in white, with flowers in
their hair. held each corner of a
board swung between them. On this
the body lay under white cloth strewn
| with flowers. Behind them walked six
, or seven women and half-grown chill
dren. The bell continued to clang until
the procession entered the church
where the simple burial service was tc
be performed. After that the body
would be taken to Sampo Santo. tbs
great white sandbank which was the
burial ground for the commoner sort OF
MeXicans-an uncertain spot for n tina
resting place. for the sands shifted witt
the wind. and the capricious Rio Grande
in one of its sudden changes of chan.
mel might wash away or cut through
at any time. The Mexicans make nc
mourning over the death of infants be.
lieving that they at once enter upon {
happy future existence as angelitos-
little angels. New York Sun.