Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-03-22
PRETTY COLON CEMETERIO.
HAvANA's CITY OF THE DEAD.
A Mere Abiding Place For Some Bodies
Custom of Renting Graves -Gnue-
some Bone PIT Horrible Spectacle-
Gorgeous Cuban Funerals.

Then. too, ii is said, the wise ply
sician says a prayer or two. but this
is matter of question. as the whole
transaction is too brief to merit even
a d-Have-Mercy-on His-Soul.
So far as we know, and we witness
ed seven funerals at Colon Cemetery
in the short space of about an hour,a
priest or clergyman is an unknown
quantity at Cuban interments. There
was not a priest in sight at any of
these seven, but, perhaps, he comes
at every eighth burial, Ii is under
stood here that an officiating clergy
man is an expensive luxury. Judging
from what we have seen, this must
be true.
In the central part OF Colon Gene
terry there is located handsome NOR
tuary chapel, but few are they either
living or deal who enter therein.
The key is only placed in the door
to open it on stated occasions when
fabulous sums are paid for this priv
lege. To be buried from this chapel
in Colon Cemetery means an expcndi-
ture of hundreds, yea perhaps thous-
ands of dollars, and il is, therefore,
seldom opened. We do not find this
statement anywhere in official print,
Uut VIC ndNC ODtaAnCA tnO
from the best Cuban authority.
To size the matter up, in Havana a
decent Christian burial is a luxury,
and a tramp that is buried in Potter's
Field in America is accorded a more
civilized funeral there than the aver
age Cuban aristocrat. But, perhaps
the handsome monuments, elegant
tombs and richly chisiled marble
slabs that cover the graves are after
all a mute testimony of the esteem
and affection in which the dead are
held here. Certainly Colon Cemetery
is filled with these beautiful memorial
shafts. Most of the graves arc cover
ed with wreaths and handsome de-
signs in porcelain flowers. a notable
grave is that of General Garcia, who
died in Washington in 1899. A hand
some marble shaft, appropriately i'm
scribed, marks the spot. Not far from
the entrance is the Students Monu-
ment, erected by public subscription
in memory of the young Cuban medi-
cos who were martyred to the vindic-
tiveness of the Spanish Volunteers,
the story of whom was told in a pre-
vious letter. Figures symbolical of
Jutsice, History, Truth and Innocence
embellish the shaft. The firemen's
monument is also an object of interest
and immortalizes thirty brave volun-
teer firemen who lost their lives in a
fire that occurred here in 1890 in a
warehouse where, unknown to the
firemen, gunpowder had been stored.
The shaft is 70 feet high, is OF
Carrara marble and its estimated cost
is $40, coo.
The tomb OF General Maxine
Gomez, Cuba's 'Grand Old Man."
who was commander-in-c of the
Cuban Army, and who died at San
tiago in 1905, is also noIed by tour
lists. A handsome monument voted
by the Congress here marks the spot,
but we were told the monument had
not been paid for. Near the chapel
where masses are said for the repose
of the soul of the dead, when the
amount of money required for open
ing the chapel is forthcoming, is a
spot of peculiar interest to Americans.
Here the victims of the Maine were
buried until their removal to Airing
ton Cemetery, Washington. The plot
of ground was given the United States
by the Cuban government and the
funeral of the Maine victims was the
largest and most imposing ever held
here.
Many of the graves bear the initials
s'E. p. ID. - or ''E. G. E. At first
we thought these were the initials
of the deceased, but their frequent
recurrence convinced us that so many
families could scarcely bear the same
name. Upon inquiry we ascertained
that .sE. p. d. signifies En pas
descana-'He rests in peace, - and
s.E. G. e. means En- gracia esta-
'He is in grace. Many tombs bear
the photograph of the deceased, a
place having been carved in the mar
BILE for the insertion of the picture.
child's grave attracted our attention.
Here was little play house with
the toys of the baby-a tiny ball,
doll, some tinsel ornaments like those
we hang on our Christmas trees at
home and, of all sights the most har-
rowing, photograph of the dead child
in its casket. How the feelings of
the little ones mother must be har-
rowed when she visits this grave, but
perhaps mothers do not even go to the
cemetery as they never attend funer-
ais, and certainly we saw no women,
save tourists, there at the time of our
prolonged visit to the city of the
The growth of flowers and shrub
berry in Colon Cemetery is luxuriant,
and everywhere blooming plants and
gaily colored blossoms greet the eye,
a striking contrast to the tall white
shafts and low fiat slabs that crowd
thickly side by side, for Colon is the
only cemetery here and graves are
piled with bodies several deep.
There was once another cemetery
in Havana. 1t was established in
1904 by Bishop Espada and named
for him. 1t was designed after the
style of the ancient Roman colum-
baria, and was called SO from its like
ness to a dove-cote. Built in a solid
vail were inches for bodies, arranged
tier upon tier 1t is said there were
II, 900 of these compartments for dead
bodies. These fombs were perpetual
or were rented for a term of years as
are those in Colon Cemetery. The
Espada was abandoned in 1878 when
Colon was completed and the bodies
were transferred TO the new cemetery.
The Espada is located almost in the
central part of Havana near the
leper hospital. Although discarded
a portion of the cement wall in which
are the outlines of the tiers of dove
cote tombs still stands, forcible re-
minder in the midst of Hayana's gay
ETY. and social life that the end of all
things is death and that sooner OF
later the Grim Reaper must come TO
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