The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-10-14
THE INDIANA STATE SENTINEL THURSDAY OCTOBER

two hundred years. Twas so overwhelmed
with the rude handling, seeing the blood
gush from the mouth of the corpse with q
horrid gurgling sound. as they bent the
body almost double 10 let II pass into the
aperture, and one OF them letting go the
head to dash against the hard stones and
scatter the blood around, that forgot al
about the subterrsnean vaults that my
Imagination had been shaping, and sank
down upon the pavement, Cor moment,
p0werless to move or speak. Recovering
myself, shortly, saw the same proceedings
commence with another body, and
thought that it might be
one in the vault beneath to receive
and dispose of the one already put in, and
thaCE had not been tumbled down the
stairs as 1 at first imagined. 1 then az
preached the opening and looked down,
but instead of stairway, only beheld the
reflection of the stars above from the sur
tace of a putrid mass of corruption, and
found the supposed catacombs to be only a
vast cistern, into which, on that very night,
each year for centuries had been cast the
bodies of the poor. But becoming now
somewhat accustomed to the terrible scene
before me watched carefully the proceed
ings. The next body was also nude, like
the rest, and, indeed, this is always the case,
the authorities of the city not permitting
any clothing to be left on the body, as this
would cause the filling of the pit sooner.
The same cant-hooks were again applied,
| the same doubling up of the body, but, as
this one was more cold and stiff, other parts
of the body were msngled. The head was
| lowered or let fall, as before, and the other
man kneeling and reaching down, as one
| drawing water from deep well, swung the
body from one side to the other, until, with
a good swing to ono side, he let slip the
spring in bis hook, and the body plunged
headtoremost into the corrupt mass, about
twenty feet below. The peculiar sound that
echoed back from that pit, as the body de-
scended. was terrible beyond Gescrip-
a coffin lid might be compared to it, if 1.-THE the
gentle signing of the zephyr may be COM
pared to the dasning violence OF the tor
nedo; not that it was loud, but indescribably
awful, and though listened TO it often that
evening it lost none of its terrors. Each
plunge made me tremble and shudder.
This scene was repeated over and over again
during the whole night, with little varia-
ton. Sometimes a hundred and fifty
corpses are thus disposed Of before daylight.
/ only staid until midnight. During that
time some twenty or thirty bodies arrived.
OF course mourners rarely came to burial
| like this. The last leave of friends Is taken
at the house, when the body is Invested OF
clothing and the hands and feet tied ready
for the cant-hoOks of the depositors. But
on that night few persons followed
the bodies of their friends, even to the open
| vault, and one or two stood by to hear the
final plunge. A husband and wife came to-
gether, bearing the body of their dead child
| in basket between them. They laid their
little one down carefully upon the pave
ment and, without word, turned and left
the place. One was brought in an elegant
hearse; there was row of carriages follow
ing it, but all empty. noticed that it was
no ordinary case. The priest who stood at
the entrance of the Campo Santo sprinkled
no water nor said any words of peace when
it was passed in. 1t was the body
of suicide, denied a resting-place
in the consecrsted burying places, and
must, therefore, be consigned to this
potter's field. In the hands of the de-
| poSitOrs it shared the same attention as the
rest. Sickening at these sights turned to go,
when my attention was attracted by the
entrance of young woman, not apparently
over twelve or fourteen years of age. She
was all alone. She paused for moment
while another body was being disposed of
and then she ran up with quick steps to the
men, and unrolling from a rude cloth the
body of new born infant, she earnestly
begged that she might be permitted TO de-
post it herself. She knew the terrible place
to which it was to be consigned, but she
shrank at the thought OF the ruthless can't
hooks touching her darling, though
| it was but child of shame. They
gave way to her, and she tied
small cord around its little hand, and
let it gently down into the vault. 1t was
tenderly done, but no tear escaped her, and
when accomplished she FASTENED away with
apparently as great satisfaction as if she had
placed her sleeping infant in a cradle.
1 then Left the place, but on the way back
to the chief thoroughfares of the city, met
many more of the dead carts rafting along
at rapid pace. L saw them stop at places,
and the driver rudely demand if there was
not dead body there, and in a few mo-
ments add another corpse to his load.
According to the health regulations OF
Naples, no dead body can remain unburied
more than "a hours, and in times of plague
and peStilence they are hurried off as soon
as possible after death. A few days after
had visited the Campo Santo, was attacked
by the sppellation that was given to one
of the walters, at the hotel where / had my
apartments, by fellow servant, for he
called him "Cempo Santo." was curious
to know why he was called or if that was
his real name. He told me, in reply, that
during the cholera, a few years ago, he was
attacked with the prevailing disease,
and after few hours was thought
to be dead, or that he surely
! would be, by the time he was taken to the
| Campo. He was placed in an ambulance,
and taken there, but just as he was being
borne through the portone Of the Campo
Santo, he suddenly revived, and protested
| loudly against the cant-hooks being ep-
piled, though, being tied, he was powerless
to relieve himself. He was taken back to
the hospital, and soon recovered, but the
name of Campo Santo has chung to him ever
since.
been practiced at Naples for hundreds of
years, and it will doubtless be continued
until the vaults are filled, which may take
half hundred years more.
The Victoria Magazine is severe upon