Morning journal and courier., 1884-06-16
Bill Nye's Notes
Of Spartacus' Address to Gladiator
ssLadies and Gentlemen"

Of SpArtAcuS' Address TO
ssLadies and Gentlemen
From stenogEaphie Notes by Bill Nye.l
It had been day of triumph in Capua.
Lentulus, returning with victorious eagles by
way of the river division of the c., NJ. d st
P. railway, had amused the populace with
the sports of the amphitheater, to an extent
hitherto unknown even in that luxurious
city. A large number of people from the
rural districts had taken advantage of half
rates on the railroad and had been in town
watching the conflict in the arena, listening
to the infrm, decrepit ring joke and viewing
the bogus sacred elephant.
The shouts of revelry had died away. The
last loiterer had retired from the free lunch
counter, and the lights in the palace of the
victor extinguished. The restless hyena In
the Roman menagerie had sunk to rest, and
the Numidian lion at the stock yards had
taken out his false teeth for the night. The
moon piercing the-tissue of heecy clouds,
tipped the dark waters of the Tiber with a
wavy, tremulous light. The dark-broWed
Roman soldier moved on his homeward way,
the sidewalk Tipping up occasionally and hit
ting him in the small of the back.
No sound was heard save the low sob OF
some retiring wave as it told its story to the
smooth pebbles on the beach, or the unre-
lentinp boot-iack struck the high board fence
In the back yard, just missing the Roman tom
cat in its mad flight, and then all was still as
the breast when the spirit has departed.
Anon the half stifed Roman snore would steal
in upon it's deathly stiffness and then die
avay like a hot biscuit in the hands of the
hired man.
In the greenroom of the amphitheater a
little band of gladiators were assembled
Tho foam of conflict yet fingered on their lips
the scowl of battle yet hung upon their brows
and the large knobs on their protles Indicated
that it had been busy day with them IN the
arena.
There was an embarrassing silence of about
five minutes when Spartacus, gently laying
his chew of tobacco on the bannlster, stepped
forth and addressed them:
s'Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen: Ye
call me chief, and ye do well to call him
chief who for twelve long years mas met IN
the arena every shape of man or beast that
the broad empire of Roma could furnish
and vet has never squealed. I do not say
this epo:istically, but simply to show that
am the star thumper of the entire outfit.
ssIf there be one among you who can say
that ever in public fight, or private oraWl,
nv actions did belle my words let him stand
forth and say it, and I will spread him around
over the arena till the coroner will have to
soak him out of the ground with oenzlne.
If there be three in all your company dare
face me on the bloody sands, let them come,
and 1 will construct upon their physlognomy
such cupolas and cornices and dormer-W1n-
dovs and Corinthian capitals, and entabla-
lures, that their own masters would pass them
by in the broad light of high noon unrecog-
nized.
"And yet was no. always thus-a hired
butcher-the savage chief of still more savage
men. My ancestors came from Sparta, Wis
consin, and settled among the vineclad hills
and citron groves of Syracuse. My early life
ran as quiet as the clear brook by which
sported. Aside from the gentle patter of my
angel mothers slipper on the hustle of my
overalls, everything moved along with the
still and rhythmic flow of goose grease My
We stole the Roman muskmelon, and put
split sticks on the tail of the Roman dog, and
life was picnic, and hallelujah.
"When, at noon, led the sheep beneath
the shade and played Little Sallie Waters on
my shepherds aute, there was another Spartan
youth, the son of neighbor, to join me In
the pastime; We led our hocks to the same
pasture and together picked the large red
ants out of our doughnuts.
"One evening" after the sheep had been
driven into the corral, and we were all seated
beneath the 'Bammygilead' tree that shaded
our cottage, my grandsire an old man. was
telling of Marathon and Leuctra and DR..
Mary Walker and other great men, and how
a little band of Spartans at Milwaukee had
stood off the police, and how they He'd away
into the mountains and there successfully
held an annual railroad pass. Held it for
year! I did not know then what war was,
but my cheeks burned 1 knew not why,
and thought what glorious thing it would
be to leave the reservation and go upon the
warpath- But my mother kissed my throo-
bing temples and babe me go and soak my
head and think no more of those old tales and
savage wars. That very night the Romans
landed on our coasts They pillaged the
whole country, burned the agency buildings,
demolished the rancho, rode off the stock,
tore down the smoke-house, and ran their
war horses over the cucumber vines"