The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-18

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tomb, designated it as that of man.
| Thereupon he put his fingers over his
eyes and began to weep copiously, ending
up by falling fat again. by which We
| understood that Dolorer Somebody drop
| ped dead, that her husband was so heart
broken over her death that he dropped
dead. too. But at all odds, it happened
800 years ago.
The old sexton also took his keys and
scratched on the stone wall frequently the
cost of being buried in this or that place.
| Some ofthe inches in the wan cost as
high as $500. We gathered that a man
could be buried for three months for $50.
II his folks didn't put up the rest Of the
sum by that time, he was evicted. Fin
ally the little old man took US into dun
geon in the walls of the church. Here
he took hold Of several collins and rat
tied the bones within, and then pointed
] to square boxes. We took this to mean
| that for economy in space the bones were
| taken out Of the collins and placed in
! these square boxes. One was of glass
| and in it 1 saw the skull and larger bones
| OF some one, probably tourist, who 800
| years ago visited Spain and gazed on the
| skeleton of man who died coo years ago.
| In this recess saw also coffin before
which little oil lamp was burning. 1t
! has been burning there since 1857.
The most sacred shrine in Mexico is
| that Of Guadalupe. Just north Of the
main city Of Mexico from the fiat floor
| of the valley rises a rocky hill Upon this
! hill the Aztecs used to worship a creature
| called the Mother of Gods" When
Spain broke in, the Indians still revered
this hill. December 8, 1891 Juan Diego, a
native passing that way saw a beautiful
lady; she told Juan to go to the bishop
and get him to build her a temple there.
The bishop laughed at Juan Twice more
Juan saw the vision, twice more advised
the bishop, and was twice more met with
incredulity. 1t last Juan tried to avoid
the lady, but she intercepted him, and
after stamping her foot in feeling against
the bishops incredulity, bade Juan pick
the roses blooming there on the rock
and take them in his coarse woven blank
ct to the bishop. Astonished that roses
could grow in such a place, Juan wrap
ped them up and went to the bishop.
When he opened that blanket the roses
were gone, but upon it was a beautiful
painting of the Virgin Mary. The bishop
built this church, and as the miraculous
picture seemed a copy of a painting
known in Spain as the Guadalupe Virgin,
gave the church the name of Guadalupe.
and this is by far the greatest name in
Mexico today, as it has been for humid
reds Of years. Some Of the younger folk
may not have read this story. That is
why 1t is told here again.
When anybody reaches Mexico, and is
reminded Of the story with its minute
details, and the fact that the miraculous
picture on gunny-sack may be seen, that
famous specialists have examined it, and
cannot tell how it was painted, that it is
still intact and the rough cloth on which
it is painted still endures, he wants to
see it. That picture, be it miraculous or
not, has been by far the greatest single
thing in Mexico for ages. 1t made the
Indians Catholic. Hidalgo took copy
OF it and used it for a banner to fight
for independence. For four hundred years
the Indians have crawled, crept, walked
and ran to this picture. The day we went
out the electric cars supplanted the mule
cars The electric car over the old way
of penitents excited great wonder, al
though there are electric cars in other
portions Of the city. Everybody came out
of the houses, and while the older people
gazed wonder-flled at the trolley, the
boys, thousands of them, each had to run
his block at the side of the car. We
reached the magnificent church at the
foot Of the famous hill. On the way to
the door we passed women. well-dressed
and otherwise, crawling slowly on their
knees along the dirty pavement. Under
a verandah we saw groups Of pilgrims
huddled together asleep their sandals
worn thin. In the great church, gor-
geous beyond compare, the choir was
singing, and we crept up to within thirty
feet OF the famous picture, enclosed in a
glass case. and studied it, The light was
too dim and the distance too great to see
it minutely, although it was quite plain.
The great church was crowded with wor-
shippers. most of them crawling slowly for
ward on their knees. From the church
we went to the little chapel on the hill,
The first home of the picture and where
the Vision first appeared to Juan Diego
The chapel is pretty. but not large ar
grand A copy of the original picture IS
above the altar here. From this chapel
the whole beautiful valley Of Mexico can
be seen. Sheer below you lie houses
nestled under the scarped rock. Winding
down the stone steps You come upon the
high masts and sails Of a ship in stEne
Centuries ago some sailors, in dire dis
tress, prayed to the Virgin OF Guadalupe
that if she would stin the tempest they
would bring the masts of their ship to
Guadalupe and set them up They did,
and enclosed the masts in stone. Further
down the hill you come upon women sell
ing mud cakes. which ara bought by the
people to eat. for the ground is sacred
A little further on empty bottles of al
kinds are for sale. and you understand
why when you come upon the chapel
covering the spring. which sprang from
the rock where the Virgin stamped her
foot a big iron lattice overs this spring
now. through which are lowered water
jars and the water, brought up. is pour
ed into the bottles brought by pilgrims
Many drink it on the spot, some Of course
ont Of curiosity; others with great faith
in its sacred qualities.
Taking the great church. the chapel, the
spring. the stone ship and .the legends
which attach 10 every foot OF ground IN
this vicinity. and there IS little trouble in
believing this one OF the most interesting
spots on earth.
One thing az Gupa6alupe We missed
These are the splendid Jewels presented
for years BY individuals TO the shrine
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