The San Francisco call., 1907-06-30

saw the tomb before the mortar was
veil dried. mention a monument or In
scription to Christopher Columbus or
that Diego was ever buried there.
Family Rights Lost
Dona Maria dying on the island IN
1549 Don Luis became the head or the
family and hurried to sell his great
birthright for a mess of pottage- A
d,ssolute tippIer. he surrendered all the
family rights granted christopher for
a pension of 1000 doubloOns and the
titles of duke of the Neraguas ana
MARQUIS of La Vega in Jamaica. Having
meantime married again, though two
former wives were living, he was I'M
prisoned for bigamy and then banished
for q decade to Oran, IN Arrlcas Where
he died in 1872
And now we reach the incredible. For
nearly 200 years the very existence OF
the great dead in Santo Domingo ca
thedral appears to have been ignored IL
not forgotten. None of the records.
from the earliest, bearing the date OF
1890. refer to the graves at all. and so
we reach the year 17S3-a year OF gen.
eral prosperity and Improvement on the
Island Repairs on the cathedral were
begun.
The presbytery was reconstructed.
fragment OF thick wall was pulled
down on the gospel side and near the
door opening to the stairway of tho
firing room. This excavation disclosed
a stone coffer or vault. cubtcal in form
and about 33 inches deep In IL was
found leaden box, somewhat damaged,
which in turn contained human bones.
but bore no inscription, as already en-
phasized.
After the priests mad examined the
box and verified the bones as having.
for the most part. been reduced 10
ashes, the wall was at once recon-
structed. 1t was then remembered that
a few years before. in delving around
the left side of the altar. a similar
stone Golfer containing leaden box
had been found. 1 have discovered
then existing tradition that the grave
OF Columbus was on the right or the
altar and that of his brother, Bartholo-
NEW. or son, Diego. was on the left
Thus the inference was drawn that the
box discovered on the right contained
the ashes of the great admiral.
Then came the treaty OF Bale In
1925. ceding Santo Domingo to France
Admiral Don Gabriel de Aristizabal.
commanding squadron, was DIS
patched to the island, and while there
was informed that the remains or Co
lumbus were in the cathedral Accord
ingly the vault on the gospel side OF
the presbytery was opened In 1t wero
found some leaden plates about foot
long, apparently sections of a box ands
fragments of human bones. Those
fragments with such dust as seemed
appropriate, were placed In a gilded
leaden casket and carried to Havana.
No mention is made of any inscription
on the plates or other mark of identt-
fication. Nor is anything spoken ora
search for or finding OF the remains of
Bartholomew or Diego Columbus or
even the grandson. Luis.
Present in the ediice when the vault
was formally opened were the perma-
nent president of the Ayuntamiento, the
archbishop, admiral de Aristizabal. the
commander of the garrison. together
with his lieutenant and chief OF en-
gineers, and other Spanish dignitaries.
whose names are not mentioned. 1T
does not appear that the agents Of the
contemporary duke OF Veraguas, titular
descendant of Columbus. or any DO
minicans. were present.
Relative to the excavations OF 1877.
and of my avowed conclusions, there
follows a portion of my letter dated at
the American legation, Santo Domingo,
June H. 1905:
Henry vignaud Esq. American En-
bassy, PariS-Dear Mr.. Vignaud: [
have been continuing my examination
OF the cathedral here and the remaining
archives. as well as my communications
tAc SuINlNlu5 cJcWltHcSSeS OF inc
1877 exhumation- I am satisfied that
there could have been no fraud and that
the bones taken to Havana in 1895 We're
not those of Christopher Columbus.
have often wondered why Luis Co.
lon. third admiral, did not avail himself
OF the permission given in rhe royal
cedula OF 1887 TO bury his mother IN 'he
cathedral preSbytery beside her hus-
band He did not, for the only burials
In the presbytery. as revealed by the
latest excavations, were of Christopher.
Diego and Luis himself-the latter, OF
course, after 1872.
The main defect In most OF the pa
pers hitherto published in the premises
Is that they were written without am
adequate knowledge or examination o.
the cathedral itself For example, Gu
bans and SpaniardS-even members of
the historical academy-have written
in good faith whole lot about the sur
they think must have been placed over
the bones when they were deposited in
the presbytery- As matter OF fact.
monument could not be placed on the
presbytery floor without removing the
great altar. and this was never done.
am also satisfied that the leaden
box found in 1877 contained not only
the authentic bones, but fragments OF
an older box-presumably the original
one in which they were brought from
Spain The box of 1871 is certainly of
the seventeenth century. Columbus
grave had not been opened from a date
several years prior to 1853 until 1877
Ine cement, which has been microsco-
plcally examined. proves this.
Your friend and colleague.