Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-03-21
PRETTY COLON CtMETERIO.
HAvANA's CITY OF The DEAD
A Mere Abiding Place For Some Bodies
Custom Of Renting Graves Grue-
some Bone PIT Horrible Spectacle 80
Gorgeous CubaH Funerals.
NO MoURNERS AND NO WOMEN
ATTEND.

CUBAN iunefal Is StEnl luaA MOulO
make circus man green with envy.
Indeed IL is pretty much of a circus
parade 10 the tourist who stands
aghast at the sight of the first funeral
cortege il is his privilege TO see. TIC
be sure there is no brass band and
no steam calliope which go TO make
up the average circus parade in q
small town, but there is tall wagon
in the lead. several stories high.
gaily bedeeked with hangings OF
orange and black, with here and there
touch of purple satin streamers, on
which notices are emblazoned in gold
letters, and there are two men sitting
on the box in red livery with conti-
mental hats, black stockings, silver
shoe-buckles and touch of yellow
that makes them appear as though they
might be a relic of the Continental
Army, or n cross between Waldorf
Astoria bellboy and porter on the
b. u o. at Camden Station, Baltimore.
But these are not all. Four men
similarly attired in gorgeous livery,
the color of which suggests war, duels,
bull fights or football togs, rather
than funeral garb, walk either side
of this three-stbry affair that is
after all hearse, and the number of
horses that draw this vehicle in
which reposes the corpse decides what
class this funeral .'rates@ in naval
parlance.
Funerals in Cuba are distinguished
by being classified, first, second and
third. The first day we were in Ha-
vana IL was our privilege to see a
Cuban funeral procession. After view
ing the band wagon (beg pardon, the
hearse) with its gorgeous trappings
and livery men in gay attire and
plumage, and after counting seventy
five carriages, we decided that the
mayor of the town must indeed be
dead and the object of all this solici-
tude. To be sure some carriages had
moody in them except the driver Call
carriages here arc pony victorias) and
many carriages had only one man.
There was not a woman in the funeral
cortege and certainly no mourners, and
the men were smoking or reading the
newspapers, or both. They might
have been going TO II cock6ght or TO
see the great game Jai Alai, SO indif-
ferent did they appear, but we were
told that is the custom of the country.
Nobody weeps who goes to funerals
here. II is the land of sunshine, not
of shadow: of laughter, not of tears,
and thus no funeral is n bowling sue
cess in Cuba.
We had almost decided that the fu-
neral we had just seen was that of
some dignitary, and If one is to be
buried in such gorgeousness, after
all it is not so bad TO die in Cuba.
But alas We were told that all this
was only indicative of second
class funeral and that first
calss" would have six horses draw
ing the--what we would call in ouI
country hearse. and there would he
more liveried footmenwith calw-ha
mer coats, knee breeches and silver
shoe buckles. A first class funeral
must be an expensive thing, or else
people of the first class seldom die
here, as it has not been our privilege
to see a funeral of this grade in sew.
eral weeks. The horses at Cuban fu.
nerals are also gaily bedecked with
orange and sable--the Maryland col
ors. and Marylander recognizes al
once a striking reminder of his be.
loved State in the funeral trapping:
in this distinctly foreign country
where the last sad rites" are decided
ly un-American.
Perhaps nothing more pathetic is
seen by tourist in Cuba than a fu
neral of the poorer class. There is ns
hearse, but the coffin is borne By mer
or boys, four or six of whom carry
the casket either on their shoulders O
by means of wide red girdles placed
underneath the coffin. If il be a child
funeral young boys bear the body t,
Colon Cemetery, the one and only
burial place of the Havanese. Thes'
body bearers walk long distances
oftentimes, as the cemetery is som,
few miles from the city of Havana
| 1t is known to be a fact that boy
bearing a body to the cemetery have
set the coffin down by the roadside
while they stopped to rest or to pla,
a game of marbles. The funeral o
child is peculiarly pathetic, espec
| tally if ii be child of poor parent
age. The father of the dead bah,
usually walks along with the boz
who carry the coffin, and he is th'
only mouner. A queer custom il
| that of closing the tiny white coffiI
with the infants robe hanging out
side over the foot of the little casket
Sometimes there will be a wide fril
of embroidery under which pink o
blue may be seen, and at first glanc,
| the unfamiliar sight strikes the visito
who believes the coffin has a curtain
attachment, which, after all, is only
a part of the dead baby's dress.
often the collins bearing the poore
class are rented for the occasion, anC
the body is removed from it's resting
lplace at the grave and placed in thI
ground without a box, the grav'
being frequently rented. The renta
of a temporary grave for period o
five years costs $40 for a single body
but if three bodies are TO repose il
this transient resting place for TIN
same period of time the price is 80
Should the surviving family fail t.
pay the grave rental, at the expira
tion OF the time the body is exhumeS
and the bones thrown into bone pit
known as the ''Osario.
This bone pit is a uncanny spectacle
1t is located in the southwest corne
of Colon cemetery and is said TO b.
rs feet square and 90 feet deep. Int
this walled receptacle .are thrown in
discriminatory the bones of humal
skeletons whose grave rental is no
paid for, and here they are left t
bleach until that time when tn
trumpet shall sound and the dea'
shall be raised" when there viii b
a horrible rattling Of dry bones il
Colon. the permanent resting place 70