The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-23
DEAD FOLK DOWN IN CHILL
EVEN THE TOME HAS ITS LUDI-
 CROUS SIDE
South America "Lss'. Talk on
 Gravea"
Special Correspondence Of the Journal and Courier.)


 Special Correspondence Of the Journal
 and Courier.)
 Conception. ChiIi. Dec. 3. 1903.
 A sound of music attracted me to the window this morning. and what do you think I saw? A mahogany-hued peon carrying on his outstretched hands a board about five feet long, and on the board dead child attired in red call ico frock. The small corpse was that of a girl, apparently about five years old. The legs were covered with white cot ton hose, "a world too wide for the shrunk shank;'' jaunty wreath of pa- per roses crowned the smoothly braided jet-blaek hair; the cheeks were horribly daubed with vermillion to simulate the hue of health, and the wide-open eyes seemed staring into infinity; the plank idently the mother and grandmother of the deceased, who walked with an air of conscious importance. as becomes those who have furnished an ''angelita" Qittle angeD to swell the heavenly host. Behind the women marched two men, playing with might and main, one on a fiddle, the other on a guitar, each intent on tune of his own, regardless of the others performance, while the rear was brought up by a laughing, chattering crowd of men, women and children, most of whom gave indisputable evil dence of unwise generosity on some- body's part in the way of chica. They were on the way to the cemetery to in- ter the little angel" over which they had been dancing and drinking for three days past-and which may have been loaned two or three times in the meanwhile to friends who were not so fortunate as to have a corpse in the family Among the more degraded class of Chilians it is a general practice to make death an excuse for orgies as wild and ridiculous as those of an ultra Irish wake; and the body of child es- pecially is often kept for festive pur- poses until it becomes offensive to all who approach the house. In this queer country there is funny side even to funerals. A member of the United States navy astronomical expedition in Chili. made several years ago, tells the story of a common occurrence. He says: Returning late one night from dancing party, had the opportunity of witnessing festivities of quite a diff ferent character. Passing a small casa, my attention was attracted by loud shouting and singing within. A weman who stood near the door, seeing me pause, invited me in. What is go- ing on?" I asked. We are watching an angel of God" she replied. My cu- riosity being aroused by her answer, entered. The room was crowded with men and women of the lower classes, who were engaged in drinking and clap ping their hands to the music of two fe- >~naales, who sat on the floor, guitars in hand, singing drawing ditty, the bur- den of which was the happiness of somebody in heaven. But the most prominent object was kind of rude all tar, set round with lighted candles and ornamented with tinsel flowers. In the midst of these sat the life-size figure of an infant, dressed in tawdry finery,
 
 fusely painted red and white It is the image of some saint, said to myself and was turning away, when a second glance convinced me that there was something unusual about this figure The hair looked very natural, the eyes were strangely vacant and filmy, and even the finger-nails were perfectly formed. There seemed to he a great < deal too much of art for nature, yet toe much of nature for art. I approached to scrutinize it more closely, and was mortified to discover that it was a corpse. "What is that?" I asked of g by-stander. sAn angel. sir. he replied "A what "A dead child, sir q was afterwards informed that these watch. ings are very common throughout the rural districts. and that frequently they are continued with music and dancing and drunkenness, night after night, un til the corpse becomes too offensive fo endurance" Among the better classes of Chilians funerals are conducted or pretty much the same plan as in othe civilized countries, except that here tn, ladies never attend them. It is custo mary for all the friends and acquaint ances of the afflicted family to pa. them visits of coincidence within ter days after the obsequies. For montl the mourners are expected to sit in on corner of darkened parlor. The con doling callers approach them, one afte another, occupy the nearest chair fo five minutes or more while expressing their sympathy for the living and re gret for the dead; then make their boy and retire as succeeding arrivals nov up. A refreshment table is general, spread in an adjoining apartment, a which visitors may fortify themselve for this onerolis duty of friendship, O refresh themselves after it's perfor naance.
 Among. many odd incidents pertaininl to funerals, the following is still mucl talked of hereabouts. A few years az a Well-known citizen of Conception, wh had lived sans peur ct sans reproche, a Chilians go, quarreled with the middle aged mother of his half-dozen children She took French leave" one night, an nothing was heard of her afterwards Having remained in single blessednes year or two, without being able to as certain whether his runaway spouse wa living or dead, the gentleman took
 younger woman to wife, contrary to tn wishes of the church. Shortly after hi second marriage he became so sic 4La4 1. v,oc 1ac,o;rad of n