The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-03-20
SKULLS AND SKELETONS.

SKULLS AND SKELETONS.
In the oappuooini 1Goaastsry ss 1ons-
Among the 0ouss Of 1000 MONKS.
"And then dived to the caves Of death and
drew from wither'd bones, and skulls. and
heap'd up dust, conclusions most forbidden"
When I was in Rome I did as mighty
few Romans do-went to church about
eight times day. They were, in fact,
the only places where one could keep
cool. Rome is hot enough in August to
pass for suburb of Tophet, even though
the good Leo lives there; the stone pave
ments become SO heated that the pedes-
trian thinks he is q movable chop in
process of boiling, on the gridiron, while
the brass angels on the top of Saint An
gelo and Saint Peters are gradually
melting into oblivion, I am told, for the
want of an umbrella or Japanes, fan.
1t was on such an afternoon that I
took refuge temporarily beneath q
group of trees that stand Just opposite
the Barbeini Palace, seating myself
among quantity -attired group of fruit
hucksters with whom I soon opened up
a trade to the extent of q pocketful of
apricots and figs and few oranges.
Such an extensive commercial trans
action threw the honorable body of
merchants into the most intense ex-
element until was compelled to seek
relief by escaping. In the rear of the
little market place stood a queer look
ing church, with such wondrous arch
itectural design that it WAS impossible
to even locate the front door. There
would certainly find rest and GOODNESS,
and that quiet peace that only snug
seat in q church pew can give. At
the head of a fight of stone steps q
huge oaken door, studded with rust
eaten nails, barred the pilgrims pro-
gress-knobless, BELLIES, clapper-less.
l had to resort to my trusty cane with
which I vigorously thumped the closed
portal. A chain ratified, q bolt was
drawn, a key turned slowly, the door
sprung open and stoop- shouldered
specimen Of antiquity, of monkish mien
and costume, with shaven head and
barred feet, peered through the aperture.
l babe him good day in my best Italian
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES style, but the
only response that came was the beck
oning of the long, skinny finger. I will
lingly followed, as much mesmerized by
the finger as actuated by curiosity.
Through corridor after corridor, lined
with portraits of hundreds of holy faith
ers of the past centuries who stared
ominously at me as my Alpine boots
echoed along the stone floor; through
gloomy passages and old doors, throug oh
chapels and rooms we passed, but no
church interior was revealed. On the
contrary, he led the way down flight
of stairs, where another huge kew
opened another door which closed
upon me with startling echo. /
was in cellar, illuminated only by a
few streaks of light that it forced its
way through the narrow, dust covered
window at the top. A rapid glance
around Mortified me. A nightmare of
the most elaborate kind seemed to have
taken possession of my mind, all the
shocks and goblins, Of my childhood
faded into nothingness. The ghost
that inhabited the garnet in our old
farm house ever since the hired man
was found dead was an angel in COM
parison with the sight beheld. Right
in front of me, so close that I could al
most touch the horrible creature, stood
a grizzly, grinning, grotesque skeleton,
its uneven Uranium ornamented with
little tufts of dried and withered hair,
the orbless eyes looking through and
through; its lines of moldy teeth stand
ing out in hideous prominence; it's bony
fingers clutching q string of beads and
bunch of flowers as withered as itself.
Then it dawned upon me that had &C.
cidentally strayed into the famous Cap
Puccini underground cemetery. It was
the most extensive gallery of skull-ture
l had ever seen. Skulls to the right of
me, skulls to the left of me, skulls around
me grinned and scowled. From grace
full arches and bedecked affairs from
cobwebbed walls and massive columns,
hundreds upon hundreds of pale, yellow,
skulls faced me-some with distended
mouths and awry features, as if their
last struggle had been paroxysm of
pain; some gazing with unutterable hor-
ror on their feshless companions; some
smiling diabolically as if they gloated
over the fact that the world would have
to follow them On the floor were piled
cord after cord of neatly arranged bones,
surmounted by pedestals of skulls
propped up by the more distinguished
monks, clad in brown cowls and moth
eaten cassecks. From the ceiling were
suspended clocks and chandeliers and
hanging baskets made of connecting
bones; the walls were covered
with curious ornaments more repul-
sive than picturesque-center pieces of
leg bones bordered with radiating ribs
and spinal joints; arches and pillars
covered with twisted vertebrm; bas-re-
lefs of knee caps and ankles represent
ing historical and Legendary figures,
No less than 5000 good old monks have
contributed their anatomy to build up
this bony framework" as Hawthorne,
called it, and one cannot blame the in
quisitive if irreverent New Highlander
who wondered how they would find
themselves and pull each together when
the last trumpet sounds!
After time tho living monk reap
pear~. I was glad to see him. was
lonesome without him. Picking up a
dusty old thigh bone that had apparent
ly seen good many years of service,
but now seemed to be of no practical
use to any one, I asked for it as an ad-
dition to my museum, But the dread
ful look of horror that met my propo-
sal induced me to replace it instanter.
" as somewhat stingy operation on
his part-as if he couldn't spare pound
or two of monk from such a stock.
suppose if Adam had happened in and
inquired for rib to replace the one he
lent Eve, he too, would have been re-
fused!
The Cappuccini Monastery is not the
only place, however, where "the un-
aeshed skeleton" may be seen. All the
saints of renown are on view somewhere