The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-04-20
STACKED SKELETONS.
A Descent Into the CataeOnbs Of Paris.
Fnigres Work Human Bones-Ghastly
spcecfacies.
[san FrancI.eo chronieI.. !

tSan Francisco Chronicle.
Yankees are no match from Frenchmsn
in practical cleverness. The Parisians
make even their bones pay. l mean their
own bones. When they are through with
them, and they have gone through the for
mality of few years burial, they are dug
up, put in the catscombs, and made show
of to visitors. The show is free, but visit
keeps thousands of strangers day longer
in Paris, and that is where the profit comes
in, and is wrung out of these clever people,
So the bones of the great-grand parents of
the present generation OF Freedmen, as
they lie there in great heaps under ground,
with the rats scuttling through them, are
thousands and thousands of dead men and
women in company with some 800 living
men and women of all tongues and coun-
tries. 1t was on Thursday---a visiting
day. The other visiting day is Satur-
day. The entrance to these tombs is at the
Boulevard dEnfer, or Boulevard of He'll if
you want the English of it. Preparatory to
the descent into the tombs each one of the
awaiting 800 bought candle.
The end of each candle was let into a square
bit of pasteboard, which protected ones
dress from the drippings. There were
200 candles too many, for one light to
every three visitors is sufficient But we
did not know this, and the French were not
going to tell us and spoil the sale of 200
candles. Having bought the candles
we, the 800, were IN bare yard,
partly inclosed by high board fences. We
waited at lesst two hours. Waiting is a
business in Paris. The native population is
brought up to wait, and will contentedly sit
in street-csr full hour ere it is time to
start, and knowing this, too-a thing which
no American can do. 1t rained little
after the French drilling fashion. There
was no shelter save umbrellas. two hun
dred umbrellas were raised. The 800
stood under them and longed to see the
bones below. The rain ceased. Still we
waited, candles in hand Some bright spirit
thought to light his or her candle. There
we stood with our 200 candles burning and
300 people waiting.
Still we waited. The candles burned,
flickered, hared and sputtered. Then some
more cautious and economic spirit thought
to blow his candle out All the rest blew
their candles out. Why burn the candles
in the full light of the day when the dark
catacombs were waiting for us below, full
of bones2 Another half-hour passed. Con-
versation went on in American, English,
French. Italian, German, Spanish and
Yankee. We waited and wondered, for no
one was seen about who seemed in authority
over the bones. Then a report was spread
among us that something or somebody was
coming to do something about it. At this
all again lit 4eir candles. But nothing
was done. The candles burned dejectedly.
Fifteen minutes afterward the economic
spirits commenced putting theirs out again.
As before, every oneelse then put theirs out.
The candles smoked and smelled vigorously.
Thus passed two hours and not bone.
Suddenly door at the upper end of the
yard was thrown open. The time had
come. The 300 again lit their candles and
crowded to the opened passageway. Here
we were strand through one at time.
This unexpected delay caused congestion
of the entrance of men, women and candles.
The nearer one got to the straining point
the worse became this congestion, so that
we were wedged into q solid mass of human
ity-lighted candles. Peoples arms became
caught and fastened in certain positions by
the pressure; so were their candles, which
blazed, burned and blackened whatsoever or
whomsoever they touched. The candle had
no option in the matter, nor did the person
burned by Emerging from this in single
file, some with scorched or creased coats and
dresses, we found ourselves in the passage
way leading to the hole. Then we went
down ninety-twO steep stone steps, and
traversed long passageway underground
without meeting any bones Thus we
tramped long way in single file
without seeing bone. On the rocky cell
ing was a continuous black mark. This fol-
lowed would lead to either entrance, and so
afford any laggard a sure guidance. I'm
derneath the mHd in places was greasy in
constituency, tarry in tenacity, and whitish
in color. 1t was the gypsum mud abound
ing in Paris. 1t Jumped on our shoes and
gradually overspread our garments, which
broke out in irregular white patches
At last the long-wished-for piles of dis
jointed skeletons came into view. They
were " faced up" with skulls and the larger
bones in front, as regularly as pile of
bricks. But behind all was osseous confusion.
Rib-bones aud skulls, tibias end ibulas,
backbone joints and breast bones, bits of
ohuAio Win ihOIoy LdiI dtbdCucu, icy DOncs
end arm bones piled together by the ton,
by the million, all of the dull, rusty color
which bones assume in damp places. Here
were skulls once covered by the bonnet
rouge. Here were aeshless jaws which had
howled at XVI, and roared the first Mar
seillaise, rib of aristocrat, leg of canaille,
arm of beauties, foot of fish woman, and ali
the interstices filled with the little feet and
finger bones of the thousands past and for
gotten Jeans and Jacques. Jeannettes, Jose
phines, Paulines, Blanches and Louises,
who lived, suffered, and sinned. and enjoyed
and died generations ago-all flung here, a
horrible Kaleidoscope mass of disjointed
skeletons, like the rusty wheels and springs
of 10000 old clocks piled in heap. These
heaps were dated 1892, 1906 and 1914, and
upward. The inscriptions over the various
piles were in some cases from Scripture, in
others from Rousseau and other writers.
The older the sepulture the more frequent
and voluminous the epitaphs. For the pres
ent, they seemed content with a line Per-
haps they deem that bones now carry their
their own sermon. A man ahead of me
busted himself with pulling out teeth of
every skull he could reach. He may have
been a dentist after new stock. We
passed vacant spaces between the heaps of
bones which yawned into horrible dark
ness, and were barred with chains TO pre-
vent live idiots from straying away from
them. A young German did his best to lose
himself in these forbidden spots he would