"The Kansas City Times" (Missouri) Friday, November 15, 1895 LOADED THE COFFIN FULL. Peculiar Customs Observed About the Corpse of Chen Yen Ten. The son of the cousin of Chen Yen Ten, the Chinese who died Wednesday morning from too great indulgence in opium, arrived in the city yesterday from Chicago and at once took charge of his dead relative's remains. The body lies at Leo J. Stewart's morgue, 1216 Walnut street, where the authorities sent it. When the Chicago relative came to the morgue yesterday afternoon with a crowd of local friends of the departed, Undertaker Stewart turned the place over to them. In a rear room, where the body was lying, dressed in the deceased's Chinese Sunday best, the almond-eyed crowd assembled and began work. Joss lights were first burned. Then a bar of soap was cut in three pieces, and two candles were stuck in each piece. The candles were lighted and incense burned. Four torches were then lit and placed at Chen Yen Ten's feet. His Chicago relative meantime was bowing and salaaming over the dead body in a solemn manner, at the same time keeping up a peculiar chant. He placed an American half dollar in Chen's mouth and numerous Chinese coins in the coffin about his body. Dozens of pieces of a peculiar kind of paper, perforated with hundreds of holes, were placed in tin buckets and burned. Twenty more pieces of gilt paper, two feet in length, were also burnt over all that was mortal of Chen. Lastly, a new brick, with Chinese words written on it, was placed in the coffin at the feet of the corpse, and several dozen paper slips, each about two inches long, were placed in the hands and over the body. The brick is for the purpose of identifying the ashes when the body is to be exhumed four years hence and shipped to China. The funeral will occur at 2 p.m. today from the morgue. Chinatown was full of preparation last evening for the final obsequies, which promises to be on a grand scale. ================================================= (I have no connection with this person but I'd appreciate knowing if you found this posting helpful.) =================================================