Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-12

THE wealth OF fact given to the world
by Christopher Columbus is exceeded
only by the plethora OF doubt which he
left TO posterity.
Some say that his father was an honest,
Industrious sheepcomber, others that this
paternal parent was an itinerant peddler,
vagrant, cheat and n Juggler. We
were taught in school that Christopher
was genius far ahead OF his time. whose
superhuman perspicuity penetrated the
secrets of physics and geography. But
his fellow-Italian, Cesare Lombroso, the
most famous anthropologist OF modern
times, branded him as a lunatic, who suf
fered from congenital paranoia, fixed ideas
and religious illusions. who showed pro-
nounced stigmata OF degeneration: a
''liar and boaster," who was "given 70
cruelty" a profound ignoramus," whose
Overwhelming conceit" caused him ito
draw comparisons between himself and
the Saviour" to announce himself as the
Lords representative under divine com.
mission TO discover David's treasure and
with those sinews of war recover the Holy
Sepulchre, then rebuild tho Temple at
Jerusalem. -
The deepest OF the many mysteries that
veil this remarkable man relate to the
final resting place of his bones. Once
when their proclamation was threatened,
they were hidden away so very carefully
that no one has since been able TO locate
them exactly. II was all on account OF
that bold rover OF the seas. Sir Francis
Drake. that they got mislaid. When he
came sweeping down upon Santo Domin-
go. in whose cathedral they lay, the arch
bishop OF that city ordered that all OF the
tombs be covered with earth. Those were
days Of ease and Incidence and no one
troubled himself about uncovering Co
lumbuss tomb until after the last one
who knew the secret OF its location had
sought his own final resting place.
So the remains OF the discoverer re-
mained forgotten until Spain ceded Santo
Domingo 70 France. Then the Duke OF
Veragua, a descendant OF Columbus. sent
to the cathedral for his iliustrious an
cestor's ashes. After considerable search
Ing about among musty tombs. a small
vault was opened and some pieces OF bone
and dust found inside were placed In a
case OF gold and lead. A High Mass was
said over them and they were trans
ferred to the Cathedral OF Havana that
they might still repose on Spanish soil.
No one doubted that these transplanted re-
mains were those OF Columbus until 1877,
when, in the course of repairs back at
their former resting place. the old santo
Domingo Cathedral. a vault was opened
in the space adjoining that from which
they had been taken by the Spaniards,
eighty-one years before.
The new archbishop. poiking his arm
into the dark. moldy hole and finding
there a well-preserved leaden case. sum
moned the President and Cabinet OF santo
Domingo. as well as all OF the other local
dignitaries ana foreign consuls. In their
presence he had the leaden casket re-
moved and inside were discovered dust.
human bones and a bullet OF lead. while
upon the casxet were found certain let
ters. interpreted as abbreviations ar
ranged TO denote that Christopher colum-
bus and no other lay within. So II was
Immediately announced that the remains
taken to Havana IN 1875 had not been
those CT Christopher. but OF Diego colum-
bus. and that the great admiral's bones
had. after all. remained In santo Domin-
go. in conformity with his deathbed re-
quest.
There immediately arose an internation-
Al hubbub. the spanisrds accusing the
archbishop and other disnitariss Of the
6&nto Domingo Cathedral Of being the
authors and ecoonplicss of . pious