The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-06-23
Box CONTAINING THE IEKDHN
CASkET

Wllere he lied In 1896 SPEAKS OF the tomD or &
"the great Admiral, Don Cristoval Colon,
whose bones are much respected and ven-
Grated in our holy church in it's capilla
mayor" Neither of these eyewitnesses, In
Icidentally who saw the tomb before the
mortar was we'll dried. mention a monu-
ment or inscription to Christopher Goluni-
lbus or that Diego was ever buried there.
FAMILY RIGHTS LOST.
Dona Maria dying on tho island in 1913.
| Don Luis became the head OF the family
and hurried to sell his great birthright for
a mess of puttage. a dissolute tippler, he
surrendered all the family rights granted
Christopher for q pension OF two thousand
! douboons and the titles OF Duke of the
Veraguas and Marquis Of La Vega in Ja-
maica. Having meantime married again.
4 Though two former wives were living, he
was imprisoned for bigamy and then ban
| ished for decade to Oran, in Africa,
where he died In 1872.
And now we reach the incredible. For
nearly two hundred years the very exist
ence of the great dead in Santo Domingo
lCathcdral appears to have been ignored II
not forgotten. None of the records, from
the earliest, bearing the date of 1880. refer
to the graves at all, and so we reach the
Year l7s3-a year of general prosperity
and Improvement on the island. Repairs
on the cathedral were begun. The presby-
thick wall was pulled down on the gospel
side and near the door opening to the
stairway OF the firing room. This excava-
1 ton disclosed q stone Golfer or vault. cubi-s
|cal in form and about thirty-thre e inches
deep. In 1t was found a leaden box. sone-
what damaged. which in turn contained
human bones, but bore no inscription, a.
already emphasized.
After the priests had examined the box
Inpl t;.,J n Ia.
most part, been reduced to ashes, the wall
Twas at once reconstructed. 1t was then
1 remembered that a few years before. In
sldelvlng around the left side of the altar, a
lslmar stone Golfer containing a leaden
lbox had been found. have discovered
then existing tradition that the grave OF
/ Columbus was on the right OF the altar
and that OF his brother. bartholomew
or son. Diego. was on the left Thus The
Inference was drawn that the box dis
lowered on the right contained the ashes
-iof the great Admiral. jis
/ Then came the Treaty of Bale in 1895.
lcedlng Santo Domingo to lFrance. Admiral
Don Gabriel de Arts tizabal commanding q
Isquadron. was despatched to the island.
and while there was informed that the res
mains OF Columbus were in the cathedral.
Accordingly. the vault on the gospel side;
lof the presbytery was opened. In II were
found some leaden plates about a foot long,
apparently sections of box and frag-2
ments of human bones. Those fragments,
with such dust as seemed appropriate,
were placed in a gtlded leaden YEA sket and
carried to Havana, No mention is made OF
Iany inscription on the plates or other mark
OF identification. Nor is anything spoken
of a search for or finding OF the remains 81
Bartholomew or Diego Columbus or even
| the grandson Luis. gl
/ Present in the editice when the vault
" aH tha a rant
president of the Ayntamento, the Arch
bishop. Admiral de -Arstizabal. the COM
lmander of THE garrison. together with his \
lieutenant and chief of engineers, and
other Spanish disnitaries, whose names
|are not mentioned. tdoes not appear that
/ the agents of the contemporary Duke of
;lthe Verasuas, titular descendant of Cos
.llumbus. or any Domincans were present.
il Relative to the excavations of 1877, and
,loP my avpWed conclusions. there follows 4
ia portion of my letter dated at the 4AEneri-a
lean Legation. Santo Domingo, June II,
Il906:--
i Henry Nlgnaud. ESQ., American Ems
Dear ar, Viignaud;-1 have been con-
] tnuing my examination OF the cathe-
a as ws sTs IS sns ny ns ssmsaaS ws
the surviving eye witnesses OF the 1877
examination. ] am satisfied that there
S Sa f 9aKsn Is na Hsa sa me
q those of Christopher Columbus.
4 nave often wondered Why Luis p
i Colon. Third Admiral,i did not avail vi.
II himself or the permission given in tho
4 royal cedula OF 1897 To bury his NJ
il motherain the cathedral presbyteryihe-
4 side her husband He did not. for8the ~
!. only burials in the nresh terry, as res
4 vealed by the latest excavations, were
i of CHRISTOPHER Diego and Luis htm-i
i self--the latter, of course. fter 1919.
i The main defect In most of the pa
4 spers hitherto nublished in tho premises M
Il Is thar they We're written without any
i iadeauate knowledge or eXamtnat Ion OK ss
4 the cathedral itself, For example. Gu
Y hans and Spaniard s,--eNen mem hers OF VII
Il the Historical .Academyr have written
n in good faith a whole lot about the M
I SURPASSED monument or Inscription.
4 which they think must have heen placed s5
\ over the bones when they were de-
I posted in the resbyterS, AS a matter
i az fact, a monument could not be sS
4 placed an the 9resbytery floor without
removing the great altar, ans this was N
4 u am also satisfied that the leaden
4 hon found In 1877 contained mol only
i tina authentic homes. hut fragments OF ms
4 3nn Older hoNfTpresumahly thesi orsEllS
i one in which they were brought from
Spain. The bnx OF 1871 rs certainly at
i the seventeenth century. lsolumhusf
4 grave had not been opened fFulIh q date NJ
several years apri ors 10 lGs3 fllnf I'll lSt77.
\ aStIha cement, Mil haa bssl1 micro "
sGopically examined. proves tails,
Il Your friend and colleague,
Il y 4 S5s5,S IT. C. DAWSON sssl