The Carrollton sun. (City of Carrollton, Parish of Jefferson, La.) 185?-1???, 1860-11-24
The cataeombs Of Palermo.


The Catacombs Of Palermo.
In late number of the Independent,
George Allen Butler thus describes one
of the strange sights at Palermo-the
sicilian city which has just come into
possession of the victorious legions OF
Garibaldii
.sIhe strangest of all strange sights |
at Palermo are the catacombs OF the |
Capuchins. We are all familiar with !
the Roman and Neapolitan catacombs'
under ground excavations remarkable
for their great extent, and tor their
associations with the history OF the early
Church. The Palermo cataconfbs have
a frightful popularity OF the ir4own. |
You descend from the little cfiurch,
lust outsidasthe walls, not deep suptef-
ranean passagessQ Int into succession
of vaults, we no greaser g1r,
depth than an on zar: hese
vaults are long q FoW corridors,
on either side Of ~ inches assssl ou.
out of the wall, arr 90 IN ione aa
gba stlv ranks. ara. iS{s served the es
of the deaa@nntaS ined out Of SIGHT,
but eachiaa h.. Eb appropriated to it
while HvS99@ 1Ise in long robe Or
w;ndinas eheet: kelow these nichess
! are yvooden coffinssswith windows at tk
/ sides ttysslaow the face of the occupa
tf f3veT l3s.nd. near the ceiling, are the
Il skeletons of children sitting, or men
i reclining: all perfectly preserved,
some with The skin still covering the the
I bones, Others having nothing left but
4 skull and shoulder and rib bones, with
j,the arms in front piously crossed.
Some peculiar quality Of the soil pre-
Vents the ordinary decompo alad
4 ,neraa buried nearly two hundred
sss,po. still survive in this skeleton tRjsii-
4 paany. Strange to cay, they are not
4 permitted to rest in peace. On the I'd
of November, in each year, the jonrS
i Ies ,,,orfs. or festival of the dead, takes
Mace: their relations flock to this dis
nal SPOT, the we'll l-known mummles are
taken out of their glazed collins, and
dressed in gala costume. They number
ne.tslxsss than six thousand in all, and 1
ii knfw of nothing more fearful than for
M = liyinr man to find himself, as did,
Z unexpectedly amongst this army OF dry
bones. n,,
The mosthorrible feature of the whole
: exhibition is, that nearly every face
wears in its fossil decay and ruin u
dreadfulIy ludicrous and comic express
t sion. The lack k-lustre eye sockets that
eaze down upon you have grim
, Vitality of their own, and through the
entire array it seems as If there was
dumb intelligence, mute correspond
ence and sympathy, in the sinister ano
S almost wicked way in which they
return the curious stare of the intruders
Yet you cannot help staring in spite
Of all this, and the eye wanders iron
one group to another, with u strange
and morbid fascination.
I Some are large limbed, tn ok skulied
complacent in their successful preser-
g vati6n; others, with worn and weary
> looks, as if tired of such stiff, calcare
G Gus companonship others, who seen
s. to have wiggled and twisted their JOINT
L. loose, and must stand perpetually still
or fall TO bits others, with their ruine'
e heads hung down, as if in contempla
ton of their ended earthly life; others
III Indifferent and idle, some lndIgnan,
J like the ghosts that Donte saw IN ne hei!
II with seowls and grim sorcastics-all 81
). lent sepulchral, almost Internal. On
J. such sight suffices for lifetime. a
N 1 write, i recall those counties spectre
ia shapes with a thrill of horror-th
IL monks and priests in scarlet and black
le the children in full holiday garb; tia
20 women, most hideous OF ALL ia cap
: and shawls and satlns.'