The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-02-04
ALETTER FROM HAVANA
The Tourists Are Now Arriving from All
Sections
HOW pAUpfRs ARE BURIED IN HAVANA
The Naked Bodies Are Thrown into
n Grave aud Prepared for
the sBone Pile-


lists are beginning to. arrive in every d.
rection. The Havana" the big Ward
liner. was filed to overfowing yesterday
when she came in and reports state that
berths are engaged for seven or more
weeks ahead. Strange faces in all direc-
tions are beginning TO be seen on the
streets and the many spectators who had
but few dimes TO invest when they cans
to Cuba and opened little shops to catch
the American trade are wearing brighter
has improved wonderfully under the year
of American administration and shows
signs in every direction OF the fruits OF
American occupancy. Along the prado.
where less than a year ago the Ameri an
troops were camped the neutral ground
has been raised several inches and fllsd
in with a covering OF gravel that makes
one OF the handsomest promenades i'm
aginable. The parks nave all bean Sahen
| In charge by the engineers department,
and although nature gave them adorn-
ments that make them welcome sight
TO the stranger, they have been materially
improved upon by the park departments
AT the head Of the Prado (the Puntal,
which faces the water. what was formerly
bleak and desolate spot, the refuge Tor
trash and debris. has been flied in with
sand and q wall erected at the waters
edge and workmsn are at present bsau-
| tifying the spot so that one OF the pref.
tiest parks in the city will soon appear 70
guide the footsteps OF the stranger within
our gates to cool spot on a summers
evening with a splendid view Of the water
and the defenses at the entrance to the
| harhor.
| went to the cemetery several Sundays
since and the sights that saw there were
revolving in the extreme An American
remarked to ME the other day that he was
surprised at the civilized condition he
found the Cubans I remarked | could
show him a few things that would ma
terially change his mind on the matter.
| took him to the cemetery with me and
he has since changed his opinion TO such
an extent that he can only mut,er bar
| barous." After we arrived there were
sixteen funerals that entered the gates.
That is. counting the pauper dead that
are brought out In wagons holding little
shelves where the bodies are piled on top
Of one another Unfortunately On en-
terirg the gate the funeral cortege halts
and the body is taken out into little
/ chapel, WutTe Unt priest DieSstt lnt NNipse
ami sprinkles holy water upon same This
same priest rates his righteousness to the
corpse TO the amount OF money he re-
ceives. II wealthy person dies and he
is handsomely rewarded, they receive al
nest a bath in the holy water. and the
ceremonies that are gore through with
would take pages to relate.
1t is OF the psuper dead that have most
to tell Funerals come high In Havana
and one has to stay alive II he wants to
keep out Of debt. Five hundred dollars Is
a sum that most OF the undertakers de-
nland for the poorest kind OF send OF,
Therefore the pauper dead is no doubt
much larger here than any place in tao
world. Several OF them came into the
cemetery that evening carried on the
shoulders Of a crowd OF negroes The
priest came out to the entrance for sec
end. dashed his bottle OF holy water owe
the coffin. said about six words in Span
ish and on trotted the proeessiou to the
grave The city wagon arrived then with
several dead bodies piled on shelf, and
the priest repeated the ceremony. IN
wagon then drove to the pauper burial
ground, which is on the outskirts OF tho
cemetery proper, where grave hal al
ready been dug some Ave feet deep. A
body was placed in mind there was NOT
a slgr OF any coffin, Just the naked bodies
A few handfuls OF lime sprinlSied oveT
same and another body put in One Is
put with their head one way and the other
i the reverse way. ! saw some old poor
soul OF woman with tbs feet OF some
little street Arab planted in her face
Five bodies In all are placed in each
grave and about dozen shovelfuls OF
earth thrcwn in and the ceremony Is ovtr
No mourners, no weeping hearts, simply
the ghouls that bury the dead 10 witnesl
tho last scenes After FIVE years has
elapsed and no one comes 70 claim tn,
body, the bones are dug up and the grave
are used over again. The bones are tarowr
across the fence adjoining that is known
TO most every American volunteer ina
was in Cuba with Lees corps as the 'bon'
pile" When the soldiers were here i
was one OF the most largely visited spots
In the city and many an amateur photog-
rapher in Uncle Sans uniform has
kodak picture OF that famous pile OF bones
II is the refuge OF centuries, but has late
" been covered up until nothing can nov
be seen but the green grass growing owe
IL. Some people estimate the depth o
the bones as deep as thirty feet
The yellow fever OF the past few weeks
that has been so violent seems 10 be about
diving out. There are only some seven
cases rerorted under treatment at Los
! AnimoS Hospital fhl pitatHe' eNhN'
Jones the Catholic priest Of ST. Angus
tines chapel. is progressing towards re
covery and all the other cases are doins
we'll. The military hospital on Prneip.
hill that has been managed with sucf
success for civilian employees and soldiers
will soon be turned over TO the Cubans tt
take care OF as a public hospital.
attended church at the Episcopal ehapel
last Sunday Confirmation was conferred
by the bishop OF Pennsylvania, who is II
Havana on visit. The little church
which Is now occupying the building bull
for the commlssary department, but whlcl
was found to be inadequate. was crowded
10 the doors by fashionable crowd o
Americans who all seemed 10 take deel
interest In the upbuiding of the church II
Havana. The bishop made very fayora
BILE impression. his sermon being the mos
interesting delivery ever heard IN HaYan'
lin English The Rev MIR. McGee, the
pastor OF the mission, VIII shortly leav'
on a vacation TO the States, as ne ha
Just lately recovered from an attack o
yellow fever.
Generals Wood. Lee and others, accom-
panied by a party OF ladies. left sunda.
for an extended trip over the island on
tour OF inspection They Will go dow
as far as Santiago, returning on gov
ernment transport in about two week
time