The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-07-14

saiei lhdt the llvelfest interest has /
oeen awakened III my mind nee
ING the plan which YOU suEgcSt-that |
o. erecting Ia this city. through the
cooperation OF all the peoples Of
America. a hitting monument in which
may be placed for all time the ven
cradle ashes Of the illustrious Geno-l
csc. the dlscoverer Of America.
1 assure yoA that i Will study the !
plans which You have indicated to me
bearing upon this subject. and | am in
hopes that your very beautiful idea
may he brought - a realization. /
VIII give you advice in due time as II
Whatever the Government may deter
mime to do IN his affair"
From the conversations which
have had with men of importance
both IN the United States and in Santo
Domingo" said Mr.. Puliiam to A
Times man. Il am convinced that
widespread popular enthusiasm. both
IN this country and in Latin America.
VIII greet the plan for honoring the
man who gave to US of the Western
hemisphere h lands which are now
our homes. | believe that if the maxi
mum subscription were kept at g yer,
low figure. say SO cents. the money
needed would be raised in a surprts-
rngly short time. 1t seems a reproach
TO US citizens of the New World that
there is no memorial truly worthy Of
so commanding a world figure as
Columbus.
Bones In UnSeAled Ca,kct.
Ia the proposed Pan-American
memorial the bones Of Columbus
would ut last be at rest. for they are
not at rest III the Tnausoleum in the
cathedral in Santo Domingo. BY this
statement / mean that the bones are
being handled by the curious several
times a year. l myself have handled
the bones. The casket in which they
repose has not been sealed, the re-
suit being that visiting officials and
persons of prominence are allowed TO
touch the sacred remains Of the great
Admiral. Mr.. Knox. when Secretary
or State, and Mr.. Stimson. when Sec
rotary Of War, and their parties. were
among the American visitors who
were permitted to inspect and handle
the bones.
"Of course. there has been a con
trOversy as to whether Santo Domingo
or Spain has the bones of Columbus
But any disinterested man who will
take the trouble to study the Gues-
ton viii find that there cannot be a
shadow of doubt as to the remains in
! Santo Domingo being the true re
mains.
Briefly. the facts are these: In &C
cordance with the testamentary wish
Of Columbus, who died in 1906 il
Spain, his remain were inferred il
the cathedral in Santo Domingo abou
' the year 1887. The remains Of hi
. son. Diego. and his grandson. Luis
!. were also brought from Europe an
, inferred in the cathedral. The islam
: remained Spanish until 1895, when i
was ceded to France. The Spanisl
authorities insisted upon taking ava
the remains of Columbus, and in tina
. year they exhumed what they BELIEVES
4 were the remains. They took these t
Cuba and buried them in havana.
4 I'm January. 1899, after the Span
ish-American war, the S~paniards ono
4 more exhumed the remains in ques
ton, this time taking them to SpaiI
where they were given Sepulchre i
Seville. It is these remains which tn
Spaniards today claim are those 9
Columbus.
l. Finding of the Bones.
O "In 1877, however. while repair
% were being made to the cathedral i
Santo Domingto. a casket, whose e1
$ istence had been unknown, wa
IF found. The casket which the Spar
ia had taken had borne no ident
is flying marks. But this newly foun
: casket bore inscriptions both on tn
n outside and inside overs. which mad
ie it plain to every one that it containe
Re the remains of Columbus. while til
casket which had been taken by tn
of Spaniards doubtless contained TT
y bones Of Diego.
n The formal opening Of the cask.
le took place on Sept. 10, 1877, in tt
y presence of high officials of the d.
IS minical Government n Of the To-
'e eign Consuls. including the Anlerica
% and Spanish representatives. TT
e Spanish Consul. Don Jose Manuel
or Echeverri. was convinced that the II
u mains OF Columbus had only the
g been found, and he so reported to tt
"a King of Spain. For this he was r
" called in disgrace. as Spain wished
insist that the bones were then
81 Havana
"A AT the time Of the finding Of II
casket. in 1877. in handling the bon
! and dust some fragments fell upe
the floor Of the cathedral. n
1T fragments were taken by various pc
sons. The Italian Consul was one
those who picked up a pinch or IL
precious dust. which he sent to Il
- I ~