The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1870-03-03

A Touching Relic of Pompeif.

In digging out the rufus Of Pompeii, every
turn Of the spade brings up some relic of the
life, some witness of imperial luxury. For
far the greater part, the relics have a merely
curious interest they belong to archaeology
and fad appropriate resting places in histori-
cal museums.
But there are some exceptions Here, fol-
Instance, the excavator drops, an unlimited
guest upon banquet; there he Unexpectedly
obtrudes himself into tomb. In one place
he finds miser covering on his heap; anoth-
err shows him the bones Of dancing girls, and
broken instruments of music lying on the
ma, Bile floor In the midst of the painted
chambers. baths, halls, columns, fountains,
among the splendid evidences of material
wealth, he sometimes stumbles on . simple
incident, a touching human story such as
strikes the imagination, and suggests mourn
full interest of the great disaster, as the sud.
den sight. Of wounded soldier conjurcs up
the horrors Of battle. Such, to cur mind, is
the latest discovery of the excavator in this
melancholy field. It is a group of skeletons
in the act Of flight, accompanied by a dog
There are three human beings, one of them a
young girl, with gold rings and jewels still Oh
her fingers. The fugitives had bag of gold
and silver with them, snatched up, no doubt,
in haste and darkness. But the fiery food
was on their track. and vain their wealth,
their fight, the age of ore, the youth of the
other The burning lava rolled above them
ard beyond, and the faithful dog turned back
to share the fate Of his mistress, dying at her
feet. Seen by the light of such an incident,
how wildly that night of horror looms upon
the senses. Does not the imagination picture
the little group in their own house, BY the
side of their fountain, languidly chattering
over the days events and of the unusual heat !?
Does it not hear with them the troubled swell
Of the waters in the bay? see as they do,
how che night comes down in sudden strange
ness, how the sky opens overhead, and flames
break out, while scoria, sand, and molten
rocks come pouring down? What move
neuts, what emotion, what surprise The
scene grows darker every instant; the hollow
mouotony Of the bay is lifted into yels and
shrieks the air grows thick and hot with
flames, and at the mountains foot is e I'd the
roll of liquid lava Jewels, household gods
and gold and silver coins are snatched up on
the instant No time to say farewell; dark
ness in front and fire behind, the rush into
tie streets, choked with falling houses and
flying citizcns How find the way through
passages which have no longer outlet? Con
fusion, danger, darkness, .uproar everywhere !;
the shouts of parted friends; the agony OF
men struck down by falling columns; fear,
madness, and despair unchanged; here penu
ry, clutchiug gold it cannot keep; there glut-
tony feeding on its fnal meal, and phrenzy
striking in the dark to forestal death. Thro'
all, fancy hears the young girl'sscreams; the
FIRE is on her jeweled hand. No time for
thought, no pause-,he food rolls on, and
wisdom, beauty, age, and youth, with all the
stories Of their love, their hopes, their rank
; wealth and ereatpess-all the once aff1uen'
life. are gone forever. ,
When unearthcd after many years, the
| na1ociess group las no other Importance tc
mankind than as it may serve to "point 9
moral or adorn a tale" -R