Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-03-26
Wonderful CataCombs.


Wonderful Catacombs.
One Of the foreign correspondents of the Ma
tiona Intelligencer, gives the following description
of the regions of the dead beneath convent in
Palermo:
Chief among the wonders ofPalermo are the
Catacombs of the Gapaehin Convent near the
Porta dOssuna. 1t is said to be place of great
antiquity: many of the bodies have been preserv-
ed in it for centuries and still retain much of their
original freshness. I had heard OF these cata-
combs in Paris, and my visit to Palermo was in
duced chiefly by the extraor iinary account given
of them. Entering the ancient and ruinous court
of the Convent, distant about mile from the city,
We were conducted by ghostly-looking monk
through some dark passages to the subterranean
apartments Of the dead. 1t was not my first visit
to place ofthis kind, but must confess the sight
was rather startling. 1t was like revel Of the
dead-a horrible, grnning, ghastly exhibition Of
skeleton forms, sightless eyes, and shining teeth,
Jaws distended, and bony hands outstretched,
heads without bodies, and bodies without heads
the young. the old, the brave, the once beautiful
aud gay, all mingled in the ghasty throng. We
walked through long subterranean passages, lined
with the dead on both sides: with a stealthy and
measured tread we stepped, for they seemed to
stare at the intrusion, and their skeleton fingers
vbraed as if yearning to grasp the living in their
embrace Long rows of upright inches are cut
into the walls on each side, in every niche skee-
ton form stands erect as in life, habted in robe
Of black the face, hands, and feet naked, wither
ed, and of an ashy hue, the grizzied boards still
hanging in tufts from the Jaws, and in the recent
cases the hair still clingng to the skull, but mat
ted and dry. To each corpse is attached label
upon which is written the name and the date of
decesse, and cross or the image ofthe Saviour
Soon recovering from the shock Of the first i'm
preston, was struck with the wonderful variety
OF and marked expression OF character in the ia
ces and forms around me. There were progress
sive dates Of death, extending from remote CEN
turies up to the present period, the inches being
so arranged as 10 admit of a regular order of de-
posite Many Of the bodies stood erect, as if just
lifted from the death-bed, the faces coorless, and
the horrible agonies Of dissolution stamped upon
the features the lower jaws hanging upon the
breast the teeth grinning and glistening between
the parched lips, and the black hue of sickness
about the mouth and around the sunken sockets
of the eyes; and in some the sightless orbs were
open and staring with wild glare of alright, as
ifpeering into the awfu mysteries OF the unknown
bourn from whence none return; while others
wore grotesque laugh Of derison still more ap
palling. with the muscles of the mouth drawn up,
the eyebrows lifted, the head Jilted knowingly OH
cne 81 l." the hair matted in horny tufts the bare
spots on the skulls, like the piebald wig of liar
euuin; the skeleton arms stretched, and the bony
fingers spread as if to clutch the relentless de-
strover, and wrestle with him to the last These
fancied were lively fellows, who were carried
off suddenly after amidnight carouse. Isat down
on box containing dead child. and looked up
at a row ofbodes opposite that attracted my no.
tice in particular degree. In the middle stood
frolicking fel ow, about two years dead, whose
sunken ewes appeared still to burn with the fire of
life and humor. His hands were lifted in de-
precatng manner over a congregation OF corrses
sitting on a shelf below. Some appeared to be
listening; some grinning at his humorous har"
angue; others, with their heads together, seem to
question the propriety OF his anecdotes; old gen.
tlemen, with knitted brows and lantern jaws; /;
ranges of bodies stood on each side of him as if
laug ching talking, praying dying, suffering, listen
ing, rejoicing, and ieasting at the banquet Of
death.
One little man, in dingy suit of black, sat n
corner; the end ofhs nose was eaten off by the
worms; his mouth was compressed, and had
pinched expression; his hands grasped eagerly
at something. thought that little man was
miser, whose death was caused by starvation.
Another figure, a large portly body stood in con-
spicuous part OF the vault; it was the corpse OF
fat old bishop, whose jaws were still rotund and
smooth with good living, and his sleek hair patted
down to his head as with the oil OF by gone roast
beefs and macaron soups, and jolly east of coun-
tenance, betokened system literally supplied
with the juices Of life, and conscience rendered
easy by attention to the creature comforts. That
man lived an easy life, and died of good feeding.
He was carefully labelled, and carried on his
wrists iewelled cross. There stood in another
part of the vault fiery orator, with open mouth
and distended arms. The head was thrown
back, the breast partially bare, few tufts Of black
hair fell from his piebald skull; his round staring
eyes were stretched open, and his brows arched
high on his wrinkled forehead; he looked toward
heaven for inspiration. fanced could hear the
flaming torrent, as it blazed and cracked and scin
tated from his thin ashy lips 1t was the glow
ing cloquence ofan ardent soul that LETT Its parting
impress upon the clay the form yet spoke, but
the sound was not there. Passing on from vault
to vault, We saw here and there dead baby
thrown upon shelf-its little innocent face sleep
i'm calmly among the moulderng skulls; leg or
an arm, or all old skull, from which the lower
jaw had fallen; now lively se,jumpng with