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Chung Sack

Posted 2019-01-19 by Judy Wight Branson
Arizona Journal-Miner, Prescott, Arizona Territory
Tuesday, August 25, 1908, page 3, column 5

Punk And Pig To Help Chung To Happy Land

Although not as ostentatious as similar events following the deaths of
Chinese of high degree among their countrymen here, the funeral of
Chung Sack, Sunday afternoon at 4:30 o'clock, was still pageant in
effect. The rites strictly Oriental, occupied half an hour in front of
the Joss house before the procession started to the Citizen's cemetery.

The usual burning of incense and punks attended the chanting of the
funeral services, intelligible to few outside of the banqueted natives
of the land who considers mixture of rice and roast pig washed down
with a decoction of unadulterated tea the riches of delicacies.

Chung Sack was not of mandarin stock, so the ears of the curious
Occidents present at his funeral were not deafened by the clashing of
cymbals and the music of the Chinese band which kept the evil one,
according to Chinese traditions, from attending other funeral marches.

However, the dead was well supplied with the usual roast shoat, rice,
candles, tea and chop sticks, to nourish and high him on his long
journey. His clothing and personal belongings accompanied the eatables
on an express wagon behind the hearse to the cemetery, In the cemetery
the bedding and dry goods were converted into ashes and the eatables,
apparently contrary to custom, deposited on the coffin.

The latter is believed to be precautionary against the removal of the
delicacies from the grave in years past by outsiders, thus compelling
the spirit of the departed to travel to its heavenly home without food
or drink and in the dark.


Transcriber's note: Mr. Sack is buried in an unmarked grave at the
Citizens Cemetery in Prescott, Arizona.




Note: These obituaries are transcribed as published and are submitted by volunteers who have no connection to the families. They do not write the obituaries and have no further information other than what is posted within the obituaries. We do not do personal research. For this you would have to find a volunteer who does this or hire a professional researcher.

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