The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-01-27
PHILIPPINE CUSTOMS.
Private Murphy Gives An
Interesting Description
of a Native Funeral.

Mr.. William Schierloh, of No. 20 Jewett
avenue, has received an interesting letter
from Private William J. Murphy OF Com
pany e, Twenty-eighth United States Vol
unteer Infantry, now stationed the
Philippine Islands. The communication is
dated from Bacoor, Isle of Luzon, and 1t
was gent on December Is. Private Muir
ply is Jersey City boy, member of q
number of young mems clubs organized
under Miss Cornelia Bradford's direction
in the Whittier House. The soldier mem
tions the pleasant times he had with his
chums while home, and anticipates still
more pleasure on his arrival in the city Of
his birth. He sends his hest wishes to
the ladies of the Whittier House.
You remember he says '.the pleas
ant lecture we heard on the Hawaiian
Islands given by Major 2. K. PangborG.
Well those islands are the most beautl-
full places one could think of. The post
Office and police department are fine.
1--WE are now living in bamboo huts and
having a fine time of It. Our regiment is
on what is called the south fire line, but
at present things are very quiet and no
trouble is anticipated.
'rThe natives are friendly people. These
is their favorite form of amusement and
on every Sunday this pastime occupies
most of their valuable time.
tBacoor, where we are, is about four
teen miles south of Manila. AS I am
writing this, there is a funeral passing the
door of my hut. A native is to be buried
in their peculiar style, which, Believe,
has seldom been described in the United
States. The gun-boats are also saluting
a man-of-war coming in the bay.
Regarding the obsequies of dead ma
| tives, there is much to relate. When a
| person of the colored race passes away a
| big bass drum is beaten. This is to chase
| Satan away, they say. The body/is then
| placed upon a stretcher of bamboo and
carted to their burying place. If the de-
ceased be of rich family band is hired
to parade behind the corpse. hoe is
used to dig, the grave, and the bones Of
some other poor tnigger are unearthed
during the grave digging process. These
| bones are simply thrown aside (like the
bones of the dead in HamletD, and these
make respectable pile near the scene OF
| inter1nent.
.sWhen about two feet of earth has been
excavated, water is reached. The body is
! simply wrapped in mating and lowered
| into the hole. If the body does not fit In
! the space provided for it, it is jamned in
| with the aid of the hoe. While this is
taking place the 'mourners' are laughing,
| smoking cigarettes and the band render
ing a selection that sounds like : A Hot
Time in the Old Town Tonight The wom-
an and children smoke the same as the
men, and pass cigarettes about while
burying, their dead.
"If the family does not pay rent for the
| grave after the body has been inferred a
short time, it is taken up and thrown
! upon the large bare pile. There is a large
| collection of skulls and bones here, in
space beside the vaults. These vaults are
used for the rich, but like the others, II
| there is no pay, out come the bones Tor a
| last resting place on the bone pile.
mo headstTNss are used to mark the
graves. and ysu can imagine the fine time
experienced in attempting to recover the
right bodies. But that makes little or no
| difference Any old body does. They
seem to feel satisfied providing they get
| some body
The writer concludes by wishing all ct
his friepds Merry Christmas and Hap
| NV NJauv Vear