The North-Carolina standard., 1845-11-12
"A NAN BUILT IN A WALL.
From Headleyss g Letters from ITALY. II
FLoRENeR.. Nav. Ia43

, - vs. SHecIeu the uuIe Town oil San Giovanni
tSt Johnl and after strolling over the cathedral
sent for the woman who keeps the key of the doc
that shuts over the withered form of a maa caset
IN side wall of the church OF San Lorenzo. Al
the sort OF trap door swung open, I-recolled il
horror, for there stood upright human skeleton
perfect in all its parts, staring upon me with hi
dead eye-sockets. No coffin enclosed it-no ma
son work surrounded it, but among the naked
Jagged s:ones it stood erect and molionltss. -
1 This church has been luilt centuries 400. and
II renamed untouched till within few years, when
IN making some repairs, the workmen had occa.
Eslon to pierce the wall and struck upon this skel
Teton. They carefully uncovered it, without dis.
tuIbihg IFS position or loosening single stone.
Why and wherefore, cannot tell but the nriesis
have suffered It to stand in the place and attitude
it was discovered, an object of supersttous dread
yet of universal interest A narrow door has
been made to swing over it, to protect il from in
Jury, and shield It from the eyes of those who
worship in the church. The frame indicates a
powerful man, and though it is but skeleton, the
whole attitude and aspect give one the impression
of death of agony The arms are folded across
the breast in forced designations the head is slight.
ly bowed. and the shoulders elevated, as in the eff
fort to breathe, while the very face-bereft OF
muscle as it is-seems full of suffering.
| An English physician was with me, and innur.
ed to skeletons as he was, his countenance chang
ed as he gazed upon it, and then his voice was low
and solemn, as if he himself had seen The living
burial. Said he "thot man died By su1ocation
and he was built alive in that wall"
In the first place. it is evident it was case of
murder, for there are no grave clothes, no coffin,
and no mason work around the body. The poor
Icivility of savage was not shown here in knock
ing off the points of the stones, to give even the
appearance of regularity to the enclosures He
was packed into the rough wall, and built over,
beginning at the feet
II is extremely difficult to tell any thing of the
manner of death, whether painful or pleasant by
any skeleton, for the face always has the appear
ance of suffering but there are certain indications
about this which show that the death was a pain
ful one, and caused doubtless BY suffocation. In
the first place, the arms are not crossed gently
and quietly, in the decent composure of DEATH but
far orer, as with painful effort, or oy force. In
The second place. the shoulders are elevated, as if
the last strong effort Of the man was for breath
In the third place, the bones Of the toes are cnp
ed over the edge Of the stone onowhich he stands,
as if contracted in agony when life parted "a
! "And," continued the doctor, with true profess
sional detail, " he died hard, for he was power
fnl man. He was full six feet high, with broad
chest and shoulders, and strong limbcd." knew
all this before; for I felt it. There was no mis-
taking the manner ofthat mans DEATH could
tell every step of the process. Doabaees1here
was originally some hanging or church furniture
TO this part of the church to conceal the dsplace-
ment OF the wall. In dark night the untortun-
ate man was cntrapped bound and brought into
this temple, where he first could be tortured to
death, and then the crime concealed 37 Men of
rank were engaged in it, for none other could
have got the control of a church, and none but
distinguished victim would have caused this great
prccaution in the murdcrers. By the dim light
of lamps, whose rays scarcely reached the lofty
ceiling, the stones were removed before the eyes
of the doomed man, and measurement after mea-
surement taken, to see if the aperture was suffi
cientIy large. bound and helpless victim he
lay on the cold pavement, with the high altar and
cross before him, but no priest to shrive him.
Sitting in pride the emotions that checked his
very sighs he strung every nerve for the slow
death he must meet
Al length the opening was declared large C.
nough, and he was lifted into it. The workman
began at the feet, and with his mortar and trowcl
built up with the same carelessnrss he would ex-
hibit in filling up any broken wall The success
fuI enemy stood leaning on his sword-a smile of
scorn and revenge on his features, and watched
the face Of the man he hated, but no longer fear
ed All, it was wild effort that undertook to
return glance for glance and scorn for scorn when
one was the conqured and the other the victorious
foel 1t was slow work fitting the pieces nicely,
so as to close up the aperture with precision. The
tinkling of the troweI on the edges of the stones,
as it broke off here and there particle to make
them match, was like the blow of hammer on
the excited nerves of the half buried wretch.
AT length the solid wall rose over his chest, re-
pressing IFS efforts to Lift with the breath, then
stifed groan for the first time escaped the suffer-
er's lips, and shudder ran through his frame that
threatened to shake the solid mass which enclosed
it to pieces. Y,t up went the mason work till It
Eeachcdz the mouth, and the rough fragment was
iammed into the teeth and fastened there with the
moltar-and still rosc till nothing but the pale
white forehead was visible in the opening. With
care and precision the last stone was fitted in the
narrow opening--the trowel passed smoothly over
it--a stfed groan, as if from the rock, broke the
stiffness, one strong shiver, and all was over. The
agony had passed-revenge WAS satisfied, and,a
secret locked up for the great revelation day.
Years rolled by one after another the murder
ers dropped into the grave, and the memory of the
missing man passed from the earth. Years will
still roll by, till this strong frame shall step out
from his narrow enclosure upon the pavement
living man. q 4s
Absorbed in the reflections such sight natur-
ally sawakens, rode on for long time uncon-
cious of the scenery around me. and Of the MUIR
mur of the Arno on its way through the valley
But other objects at length crowded off the shad-
ow that was on the spirit; the day wore away,
aud at last, after ascending long and weary
mountain, Florence with its glorious dome, and
the whole vale of the Arno, rich as garden, lay
below us. Passing smiling peasants and vine GOV.
tko,,