Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-01-13
"A Touching Relic of pompeii.

In digging out the ruins 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 merely curious interest they
belong to archaeology, and find appropri-
ate resting places in historical museums
But there are some exceptions Here
for instance, the oxeasator drops, an unin
Vited guest upon banquet: there he un.
expectedly obtrudes himself into tomb.
In one place he finds miser covering on
his heap; another shows him bones of
dancing girls and broken instruments of
music lying on the marble floor. In the
midst OF the painted chambers baths.
halls, columns, fountains, among the
splendid evidences of material wealth, he
sometimes stunblos on a simple incident,
touching human story such as strikes
The Imagination and suggests mournful
interest of the great disaster, as the sud
den sight of a wounded soldier coniures
up the horrors of the battle. Such. to our
mind, is the latest discovery Of tne exeav
ator in this melancholy field It is a
group OF skeletons in the act of fight, ac
eonpanied by dog There are three
human beings, one of them a young girl
with gold rings aud jewels still on her
fingers. The tugltives had bag of gold
and silver with them. snatched up, no
doubt III haste and darkness. But the
fiery food was On their track, and vain
their wealth, their flight, the 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 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 sense. Does the imagination pic
ture 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 Weters in
the bay =? see as they do, how the sky
opens overhead, and flames break out
while scorle, sand and motion rocks come
pouring down? What. movements, what
emotion, what surprise The scene
5Ao"9 Nosi nSiF C'Sl iHetGhU tIi0 HOiloH
.monosony of the bay is lifted into yells
and shrieks the air grows thick and hot
with flames, and at the, mountains foot is
heard the roll Of the liquid lava Jewels,
household gods, gold and silver coins, are
atched up on tue instant. No time to
say farewell darkness in front and fire
b hind, they rush into the streets, choked
with falling houses and flying citizens.-
How find the way through passages which
have no longer outlet? Confusion. dan
ger. darkness, uproar, everywhere shouts
of parted friends, the agony of men struck
down by falling columns fear, madness
and despair unchanged here, penufy
clutching gold it cannot keep, there glut
tony feeding on it's final meal, and phren
~ striking in the dark to forestall death
Through al, fancy bears The young girls
screams the fire is on her jewelled hand
No time for thought, no pause, the fool
rolls on and wisdom, beauty, age aud
youth. with all the stories of their love,
their hopes, their rank, wealth and great
ness, all the once affiuent life, are gone
forever -.
When unearthed after many years, the
nameless groap has 10 other i'm ortance to
mankind shan as it-may serve. to point
moral or adorn tale