The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-11-04
4ones Of Columbus

i 3ones OF Columbus
An old dispute Is recalled by The an
nouncement from Santo Domingo tina,
the homes Of Christopher Columbus.
now rcposlng I'm tho Cathedral Of san
To Domingo. probably will be sent IL
San Francisco for the Panama -Pacl-
&c exposition. Tho dispute began 37i
years after the death Of Columbus
The dlsputants were the republic of
Santa Domingo and the Spanish city
of Havana dc Cuba, and the question.
was which had the authentic remains
Of christopher Columbus, Havana ur
Santo Domingo? Al present there are
two remains Of Christopher Column
bus" I'm existence.
Both cities have long searched for
evidence 10 corroborate their Claims.
With Spain. it was an affair Of official
importance and was made the subject
of report by the Academy of His
tory to the king. This report was in
support of Hayanas claims.
The facts Of the case seem to be as
follows:
Columbus, overlooked by the cour-
Of Spain. died in want at Nalladolid
on May 20. 1906, saving, Into Thy
Hands, . Lord / commend my spirit"
The only record Of his death was in
an official document issued twenty.
seven DAYS after his death. one phro So
of which was that The said admiral
is dead"
At first his body was put i'm q vault
IF a church of Franciscan Fathers.
Then, at some tine between his death
End the month Of NAY, 1909, his re-
mains were transferred to the Carthu-
sian monastery of ST. Maria de las
Cuevas. in Seville. whore the bones of
his son Diego. the second admiral.
were also laid EXhumcd in 1912, his
body was then removed To Hispaniola
which Columbus had STIPULATED as his
last resting place. Later, the collins
Of his brother Bartholomew ana his
son, Weieo were also moved to His
paniolo, or Santo DOMINGO.
All three were inferred in the ca.
thedral of Santo Domingo. which had
but recently been built The tact that
Columbus remains were in the cathe-
dral was mentioned In t5tg. in an Of
fetal document by the archbishop OF
Santo Domingo. saying that "the tomb
OF the great Admiral Christopher CO.
lumbus. i'm which his bones lie. WIS
greatly venerated and respected in our
Holy Church, in the main sanctuary"
Ii was not until 1883 that any one
took the trouble of making a search
for the exact location of Columbus
homes. This WIS l.. T.. Moreu de Saint
Merv. French writer. lie was in
formed that "the remains Of Christie
pher Columbus was enclosed i'm Il
leadon COFFIN. surrounded with case
Of stone which is buried on the Cos
pei side Of the sanctuary, and that
those Of Don Bartholome W. his broth
or. are inferred in the same manner
on the Eristle side Of the sanctuary"
Some one hal erred somewhere. The
century before II had h6cn the general
Understanding thar'it had been Don
Luis who Law on the Gospel side.
\ long time before this Investigation
the tomb of Columbus had been lost
sight of altogether. For the interior
Of the sanctuary had been rcilled and
the tomo, being built out from tho
wall and only a few inches above the
round had been completely covered. !
Two months before Saint Merry ap.
peared the tomb was discovered in the |
course IF repairing "A wall
In 1895 the island was ceded TO the /
French and the Spanish lieutenant /
General applied for permission to re. I
move Columbus remains to Havana /
le cuba until the King of Spain 1
should decide ON a permanent resting |
lace Cor the bones. Permission was
Accordingly and with much .
ceremony the remains from the tomb .
N the Gospel side Of the cathedral /,
were removed. put aboard ship and |
sent to Havana.
In AIM. 1877. during the absence of
ishop Cocch'a of Santo Domingo, the
rev. Francis Y. Pillini. rector OF the
"A thedrcl. wanted to reopen the door
IN the Epistle side that had been
vailed up. while stones were being
there was leaden case dis
'overed. and also a piece q! sheet lead
4 a., 4