The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-02-26
A GallegO's Shelter
EorlgInall

EoriginaLl
A party Of American array officers
ordered TO Cuba when the United
States interviewed In Cuban affairs
were sitting In an open air cafe when
the funeral OF peasant went by. A
Cuban told the officers that the coffin
was hired and would doubtless be used
over and over again. the corpse being
buried without covering. whereupon
Portuguese remarked that a similar
custom prevailed in his native country.
He went on to explain that in Lisbon
the coffin is substantially made, cover
cd with red leather and studded with
profusion OF brass nails. The lid has
hinges so that il may be opened and
shut like trunk When a funeral pro-
cessIon reaches the grave az the Pra-
zeres cemetery the undertaker's men
lift the coffin lid, take out the corpse
and lower it. The empty coffin remains
where IL is till Gallego, native Of
GalIicia, in Spain, comes and takes II
away. With this preface the Portu-
guese told the following story:
One rainy afternoon the guard at the
gate of the Prazeres cemetery. who had
paid more attention to keeping from
getting wet than attending to his du.
ties. glanced up the road and saw a
suspicious box lying on the ground on
one side Of the road close under a
wall. The rain had driven every one
inside, and there was not a person In
sight Doubtless smugglers had been
carrying the box and, having been sur
prised or frightened, had dropped II
and run away.
Now, the guard was dapper little
fellow who was dying to enact some
piece Of bravery. so he drew his sword
and walked slowly up the road toward
the box. Every now and again he
would pause and look about him, as If
expecting TO sec some person or per-
sons emerge from hiding places to re-
sumo their burden. But nothing stirred
except the branches OF the trees with
the wind, and nothing was heard ex-
cept the patter Of the rain. The day
was dark, and since 1t was late in the
afternoon gloom was beginning to
settle over everything. There lay the
! box, oblong In shape. five or six feet
In length, two, possibly, ia breadth and
height. From his smuggling theory he
began TO have fears from the box L.
self It might be an internal machine,
! but he rather dreaded something SUI
| pernatural than mechanical.
He advanced another dozen yards.
bent forward and peered through the
deepening gloom at the object which
so profoundly interested him. He saw
that the box was oblong covered with
red leather and studded with brass
nails. 1t was coffin. But this did not
conflict with his theory. More than
one smuggler had carried dutiahle
goods into the cemetery in coffin and
hidden them there TIL he could get
them away. The officer advanced a
few steps, when he again halted, ter.
ror stricken. The lid OF the coffin was
opened from within, and a corpse look
ed out
Here was something no sword thrust
/ couiu lnlufe. the guard turned and
took to his heels never stopping till be
had reached the cemetery. There he
called to his comrades to 60 with him
to see corpse that for some reason.
having been abandoned instead OF TAX
en- In and decently buried, had opened
! its coffin.
/ The men, not realizing that powder
and ball are not ineffective in such
I cases, seized their carhlnes and march
ed out OF the gates their doughty com.
mander leading the way, But be had
no sooner come to view up the road
than he saw the corpse advancing with
his coffin on his shoulder. Turning,
his faee blanched, bis eyes starting
from their sockets in terror, be ran
straight through the ranks. Panic Is
easily communicated, and tho men.
seeing their commanders fiiglit and a
tall spectral looking creature coming
toward them bearing bis CONN. broke
and ran as fast as their legs would
carry them,
Rushing into the cemetery. they soon
4 collected The men employed there and