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

a startling throe from its niche, or grim skeleton
in its dark corner chucklng at the ravages of the
destroyer Who was the prince here? Who
was the great man, or the proud man, or the rich
mani The niusty grinning, ghastIy skeleton in
the corner seemed to chuckle at the thought and
say TO himself 'Was it you, there on the right,
you ugly, noseess, sighiless, disgusting thing p
Was it you that rode in your fine carriage about
year ago, and thought yourself so great when
you ordered your coachman to drive over the
beggar if he did not get out Of the way! Don't
you see he is as handsome as you are now, and
as great a man; you can't cut him down now, old
fellow
And you, there on the left. What nice figure
you are with your feshless shanks and your
worm-eaten lips! Itwas you that betrayed youth
and beauty and innocence, and brought yourself
here at last to keep company with such fellows as
am. Why, there is not living thing now, save
the maggots, that wouldn't turn away in disgust
from you. And you, sir, on the Opposite side,
how proud you were when last saw you; an
officer of state great man in power, who could
crush all below you, and make the happy wife a
widowed mourner, and bring her little babes to
starvation; it was you that nad innocent men
seized and cast in prison. What can you do
now! The meanest wretch that mocks you in
this vault of death is as good as you, as strong,
as great as tall, as broad, as pretty piece of
mortality, and great deal nearer heaven. Oh,
you are nice set of fellows, all mixing together
without ceremony! Where are your rules OF
etiquette; YOUR fashionable ranks, and your pie
beian ranks; your thousands of admiring friends,
your throngs of jewelled visiters? Ha ha! This
is jolly place, alter all; we are all jolly set of
republicans, and old Death is our PRESIDENT
Turning away from this strange exhibition of
deaths doings, followed the old monk into the
vaults allotted to the women. Here tine specta-
Gle was still more shocking and impressive. The
bodies were not placed in an upright position
like those Of the men, but were laid out at full
length in glass cases, the walls on both sides be.
ing covered.
The young, the gay, the beautiful, were all
here, laid lowly in the relentless embrace ofdeath.
decked out in siIken dresses, laces, and jewelry,
as in mockery of the past. Each corpse had its
sad history. | saw young bride who was strck-
en- down in few brief months after her marriage.
She was dressed in her bridal costume; the bon
net and veil still on, the white gloves drawn over
her skeleton fingers; few withered flowers laid
upon her breast by the mourning one she had left
behind. Through the thin veil could be seen
banched, grinning, bony face; sunken sockets,
marked around with the dark lines of decay; and
her long harr was drawn in luxurant masses over
her withered bosom. Another held in her arms
skeleton babe. Some were habted in walking
dresses others IN all the finery of ballroom cos
tune, with gay silks, slippers, silk stockings, and
tawdy lace. 1t was ghastly sight to look under
the bonnets, and gaze upon the sunken ashy
features, decked around with artificial flowers,
and trace in those withered liueaments no linger-
ing line OF beauty, no fickerng ray Of the imEnor
tai spirit, but dreary history Of mortal agony,
decay, and corruption. Yet here the husband
comes to hold communion with the beloved soul
A., fb,ofp llarin tn lnol
upon those blanChed features, that were once ami
mate with life and affection; to kiss the cold lips,
and feel no returning warmth. And here, too,
the father, brother, sister, and wife come to gaze
npon the dead; aud here the mother comes TO
weep over the withered corpse other babe. Once
year, as learnt from the old monk, the relatives
of the deceased come TO pray for the salvation Of
their souls, and deck their bodies with flowers.
From the conversation of the monk, learnt
that these catacombs are supported BY contribu.
tions from the relatives of The deceased, who pay
annually certain sum for the preservation ofthe
bodies. Each new conner is placed in Temporal
ry niche, and afterwards removed to permanent
place, where he is permitted to remain as long as
the contributions continue; but when the GUS
tomary fees are not forthcoming, the ccrpses are
thrown aside on Shelf where they lie til the rea-
tives think proper to have them set up again.
Whole shelves are Fl led with skulls and bodies
of the dead, put out of the way to make room for
others of more profitable charat ter.
"It light be supposed that the air of the cata-
combs is in some degree affected by the fresh
bodes but this is not the case There is no often
sve odor; and the visitor would scarcely know,
if he did not see them, that he was surrounded
by the dead. could perceive no difference in the
atmosphere of these vaults from that ofany other
subterranean places, except slight smell ofmould
not altogether disagreeable The fresh air is ad-
mitted from the top, and it is to its extreme dry
ness thatt preservation Of the bodies may be
attributable"