Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-09-02
A TOUCHING RELIC OF poMpE1I.

In digging out the ruins of Pompe every turn Of the
spade brings up relic of the ancient life, some wit
Of imperial luxury for far the greater part of the
relics have merely curious interests they belong to
chnology and find appropriate resting places in hstor
cal museums.
But there are some exceptions. Here for instance, the
excavator drops unlimited guest upon banquet ;
there he unexpectedly obtrudes himself into tomb. In
place he finds miser covering his heap another
shows him bones of dancing girls and broken
of music lying the marble floor, in the midst of the
painted chambers baths halls columns fountains Among
the splendid evidences Of material wealth he sometimes
stumbes simple incident touching human story sucL
strikes the imagination and suggests the mournfu inter-
est Of the great disaster the sudden sight of wounded
soldier conjures up the horrors Of field of battle
Such to mind Is the latest discovery Of the excava
tors in this melancholy field II is group Of skeletons
in the act Of fight, accompanied by dog There are
three human beings one of them young girl with gold
rings and jewels still on her fingers The fugitives had
bag Of gold and silver with them, snatched up doubt
in haste and darkness But the fiery food their
track and vain their wealth. their fighthe age Of one
the youth of the other The burning lava rolled above
them and beyond and the faithful dog turned back to
share the fortunes Of his mistress dying at her feet
Seen by the light Of such incident how wildly that
night Of horrors looms upon the senses Docs not the ina
gination picture the little group in their own house, by
the side of their evening fountain langudy chatering
the days events and the unusual hea Does 1t not
hear with them the troubled swell Of the waters in the
bay see as they do how the night down in sud.
den srangeness how the sky opens overhead and flames
break out while core, sand and molten rocks come pour
ing down. What movements, what emotions, what sur
prise The scene grows darker every instant the ho
low monosony Of the bay is lifted into yes shrieks the
air grows thick and hot with flames and at the noun
tains foot is heard the roll Of the liquid lava.
Jewels household gods, gold and silver coins,
snatched up on the instant No time to say farewell
Darkness in front and FIRE behind they rush into the
streets streets choked with falling houses and flying CT
items How find the way through passages which have
no longer outlets? Confusion danger darkness uproar
every where the shouts of parted friends the agony Of
men struck down by falling columns fear, madness, and
despair unclaimed Here penury clutching gold it cannot
keep there gutony feeding on its final meal and phren
~ striking in the dark to forestall DEATH Through all
fancy hears the young girls screams the FIRE is on her
jewelled hand No time for thought pause the food
rolls on, and wisdom beauty age, and youth, with all the
stories Of their love- their hopes their rank wealth. and
greatness, all the afiaent life gone forever
When unearthed after many years, the nameless group
has other Importance 10 mankind than it may
"serve 10 point moral adorn tale"