The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-04-07
Curious Crowds Looked on.
Laughed. Jeered the Mourners
and Took Food and Embiems
From the Grave as Trophies.
FOE Y SUNDAY RrPrRLlc

WRITTEN For H SUNDAY RTPURLlc
Gam Lee. Kin Of Hop alley. and thereby
ruler of the Chinese OF 81. Louis, is buried.
Ills bones. Inferred last Sunday, with
rites that are sacred to chinese. rest ~
Wesleyan Cemetery in a grave that Was
'framplad by a thousand desecratins feet
almost before the ceremonies Of his burial
had ended.
In his coffin are ivory prayer tablets and
q folded fan. These were left intact
Al the head OF his grave We're placed a
generous quantity of food and a bundle
iof Joss sticks. that he might not hunger
during his stay in pursatory and that he
might not be without the means 10 placate
the great Joss. Bat tn, se We're seized and
carried away as trophies by the men and
women who tramrled upon the grave.
Thousands watched The formation and
progress of the funeral of Gam Lee. Shiv-
ering in the raw air of a sunless day, they
filled the grimy windows. TANNED the
fiimsy stoops. hardened the time-weakened
Pools, clambered over insecure piles Of
bricks. and choked Eighth street. Walnut
street, Market street and Hop Alley.
r. They pushed and swore and laughed and
etrIggled in d swarm whose restless sur
gings every now and then swallowed the
thirty policemen who fought to keep them
fir line.
In front of Gam Lees door. which was
nlaTHeC 10Y u HtaNE 1olu OF crepe, 10 men
and women stroye TO break through the
police Gordon and force their way into the
deathroom. They were pushed back, but
rolled resistlessly forward again.
Finally two women who seemed to be
known to the Chinese got permission from
one of the masters of ceremonies to view
the body. They rushed forward, and in
their wake followed a score of other wom-
en-young women and middle-aged women,
women in rags and women in silks; but not
one whose face bore a sign OF grief or of
any other emotion save that Of staring
= curiosity.
They crowded into the little room, filled
with the smoke of tobacco and punk, gazed
into the face OF the dead Chinaman. gazed
at the lighted candles. gazed at the burn
Ing joss sticks stuck into a platter of
earth. and crowded out, laughing and salts
fed-
The opening ceremonies took place on
EIGHTH street. at the head Of Hop alley.
There. shortly after noon. half a dozen
Cinnamon. wearing white blouses OF cotton
over their typical work-a-day clothes. set
Gcanopy. black-roofed and fringed with pa
per ropes OF red. white and blue. upon the
5cobblestones. Beneath this they placed a
rug.
Other Cinnamon came out into the street
sbearing a table. This they placed to the
south OF the canopy. and about It they
spread straw mating. A white cloth was
laid on the table. and then heaping dishes
OF favorite Chinese foods were set upon II.
The crowd jeered and laughed.
Pass the grub around" they cried. "Gam
Lee is dead; he can't eat. Give II to u.s."
. Two small Cinnamon. bearing huge brass
Eongs, stepped ont upon the sidewalk and
began to beat upon the gorgs with sticks.
The crowd laughed and jeered again. The
Cinnamon. too. laughed and beat the harder.
;! Back toward Walnut street there were
twenty-five carriages. One OF these was
called and the two tom-tom heaters, with
two other men, who blew shrill and tuneless
6fes, climbed into the carriage, placed long
pine sticks as ratings on each sile. and re-
stunned their weird d!rge.
Six Cinnamon row came out Of the alley,
bearing the black casket. which contained
the body Of Gam Lee. Behind them came
another Chinaman. holding an open UNI
brella over the head of the dead man. Back
of them all came a white horse, bare Of
back and led by a negro boy.
Z Out Of one OF the Chinese stores on Eighth
street 100 Cinnamon, each CARRIED peculiarly
sand each bearing a gayly-cclored flag or
banner or transparency. came pouring in