Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-12-20


With Spain it was an affair of official
Importance and was made the subject
of a report by the Academy of His
tory to the King. This report was in
support of Havana's claims.
The facts of the case seem to be as
follows:
Columbus. overlooked by the Court
of Spain. died in want at Valladelid
on May 20, 1906, saying, Into Thy
hands, o Lord, l commit my spirit"
The only record of his death was in
an official document issued q days
after his death, one phrase of which
was that THE said Admiral is dead"
At first his body was put in a vault
of a church of Franciscan Fathers.
Then, at some time between his death
and the month of May, 1909. his re-
mains We're transferred to the Carthu-
sian Monastery of ST. Maria de las
Cuevas, in Seville, where the bones
ef his son Diego the second Admiral,
were also laid Exhumed in 1912, his
body was then removed to Hispaniola,
which Columbus had stipulated as his
last resting place. Later the coftins
of his brother Bartholomew and his
son Diego Were also moved to Hispan-
lola, or Santo Domingo.
All three were Inferred in the Ca
thedral of Santo Domingo, which had
but recently been built. The fact that
Celumbus's remains were in the ca
thedral was mentioned in 1549, in an
official document by the Archbishop of
Santo Domingo, saying that the
A iyal tStn
pher Columbus. in which his bones lie,
was greatly yenerated and respected
in our Holy Church. in the main sane
tuary."
For the next two centuries little was
known about the tomb. In fact, for
at least one century there was nothing
to show where the tomb Of Columbus
was located. Later ii became general
ly known that the remains of Chris
topher Columbus. in leaden case,
were consigned to a vault within the
sanctuary of the cathedral to the
right of the altar platform. 1t was
also known that one of his family,
named Don Luis, lay on the other
side.
1t was not until 1855 that any one
took the trouble of making a search
for the exact location of Columbus S
bones. This vas L. E. Moreu de st.
Merry, French writer. He was in
formed that the remains of Christie
rher Columbus are inclosed in a lead
en- coffin, surrounded with a case of
stone. which is buried on the Gospel
side OF the sanctuary, and that those OF
Don Bartholomew. his brother. are in
tered in the same manner on the Epis-
lie side of the sanctuary" Some one
had erred somewhere. The century be-
fore it had been the general under
standing that it had been Don Luis
who lay on the Gospel side.
A long time before this investigation
the tomb of Columbus had been lost
sight of altogether. For the interior of
the sanctuary had been refilled. and
the tomb. being built out from the
wall and only few inches above the
ground, had been completely covered
Two months before Saint Merry ap-
peared the tomb was discovered in the
course Of repairing "a wall.
InlJ795 the island was cetied to the
French, and, the Spanish Lieutenant
General applied for permission to re-
move Coalmbus's remains to Havana
dc Cuba until the King of Spainsshould
decide on a permanent resting place
for the bones. Permission was granted.
Accordingly and with much ceremony
the remains from the tomb were re-
moved. put aboard ship and sent to
| Havana. 40
In April 1877, during the absence of
f-l,1 Iii
Rev. Francis X Billini, rector of the
cathedral, wanted to reopen the doc
on the epistle side that had been wall
ed up. While stones were being re-
moved there was leaden case discov
cred and also IL piece of sheet lead with
an inscription on it, which, after being
cleaned, read in Spanish The Admiral
Don Luis Colon, Duke of Veraguas
and Marquis Of" The rest was ef-
faced. When the Bishop returned the
case was opened in the presence of the
clergy and many foreign Consuls, and
it was decided that the bones were
those of Don Luis Colon, Christopher
Columbuss grandson.
They excavated further, unearthed
several graves, and at last struck an
otiiti lSlutil Vase, Will an SIlIPtiOil
on the top. 1t read in Spanish: Dis
coverer of America, First Admiral"
Believing this to be an important
find, the Bishop invited all the high
officials of the Dominican Republic to
be present when the leaden case was
opened.
Before the President of Santo Do
mingo his entire Cabinet, the clergy
and many of the foreign Consuls the
! case was opened. Inside were human
bones. On the under side of the lid
was an inscription reading: "Illustrious
and Renowned Man, Christopher Co
lumbus."
When the people of Havana heard
of this find they at once became indig-
nant and pronounced it a fraud. The
| remains of christopher Columbus were
in their cathedral they averred. They
dispatched historical students to inves-
tigate the matter. These investigators
| reported in favor of the tomb in the ca
| thedral of Havana. Colmeiro, a mem.
| Der of the Spanish Academy of History,
also reported the Santo Domingo case
as without authenticity. An official re-
| pert was made to the King of Spain.
Some Of the Cuban arguments were