The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1872-01-17
The Last Dnr. Of E,ompeIL.

OF the inhabitants of Pompeii, says writer,
thousands, doubtless, persisted, though many more
were saved. Hand in hand large crowds groped
their way through the almost impossible streets,
and escaped to the open country. At the chef
gate there stood sentinel, who sternly kept his
post, and died in his harness. Planted in his
sentry box, be covered his mouth with his tunic,
and held on against the choking and sulphurous
shower The ashes fell and fell, filing the streets
beyond possibility of being passed. and buried the
soldier, holding his weapon in one hand and veil
ing his mouth with the other. He was found
there-a standing skeleton grasping a rusty
sword Sad discoveries are being continually
rlade The week previous to our visit two skele-
tons had been uncovered in a street. They were
young-a lad of twenty, perhaps, and girl of SIX
teen-and were locked in each Others embrace.
In their flight they had fallen together, and death
had welded them. There was mother, with
her three children hand in hand, who vainlY tried
to escape the destroyer The mother singly
might have done so, but she would not leave her
children. Plenty offooi for thought is furnished
by the fact that more than six hundred skeletons
have been exhumed. Many of these tell their
own tale. OF the family Of Diomed seventeen
were stihed in a well-stocked wine cellar. In
their agony Of fear the fugtives we're huddled to-
gether in a corner. One swooing girl fell for
ward on a bed of ashes that had drifted in She
left the impress of her bosom in tile drift, like a
seal in softened wax. The tel-tale cast shows
her breasts to have been beautiful as Hebe's
A woman was unearthed in street hard by
who had fallen cIutching bag of gold. 1t was
in connection with this body that one of the most
interesting Of FiorelIis discoveries came about
The hardened ashes became mold of all the vic
tins. In this case the o1rids did not break
Into the cavity plaster Of paris was poured. The
result was perfect cast of the woman. After
eighteen centuries here was counterpart Of the
poor creature as she died, gripping her bag Of
ninety pieces of gold, two silver vases some Jew
els and keys. HuHying along the street. she
had tripped and fallen on her right side Her
arm is raised and twisted. Her hand, beautifully
formed, is clutehed in despair, the nails entering
the skin. Head-dress, face, tissue of garments
and rings on her fingers are reproduced exactly.
Succeeding in this, FiorelH has since made casts
of more than forty victims They are to be seen
at his house in the suburbs. There are brawny
gladiatOrs little children, porters who staggered
aud fell under their loads, and men of business
who fingered too long at their desks. In nearly
all an expression Of suffering is manifest. One
young girl, however in the flush of health, her
form modelled free from rigidness appears to have
died without struggle. One of her hands is
half open, as if holding her veil. There are the
sleeves to her wrists, the needle-work on her san
ials the rents in her clothing the barred shoulder
and half naked bosom as she lay in her last swoon
She had covered her mouth with her tunc to
keep out the choking ashes, and she fell in run