Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 December 1883 — A Senile Wake at Los Angeles. [ARTICLE]

A Senile Wake at Los Angeles.

In 1838 there was a memorable funeral of a woman over a hundred years old. Fourteen old women watched with her body, in the ancient fashion, with only a stone beneath the head. The youngest of these watchers was eighty-five. One of them, T omasa Camera by name, was herself over a hundred years old. Tomasa was infirm of foot, so they propped her with pillows in a little cart, and drew her to the house that she might not miss the occasion. All night long, the fourteen squatted or sat on rawhides spread on the floor, and sang, and prayed, and smoked; as fine a wake as was ever seen. They smoked cigarette®, which they rolled on the spot, out of cornhusks slit fine for the purpose, there being at that day in Los Angeles no paper tit for cigarettes. Outside this bodyguard of aged women knelt a circle of friends and relatives, also chanting, praying and smoking. In this outer circle, any one might come ami go at pleasure; but into the inner ring of the watching none must come, and none must go out of it till the night was spent.—“H. J/.," in the Century.