Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-09-10
STONE OF THE SEPULCHRE
n Visit to the Ancient Tombs
of Damascus.
Underground Cavities that We're Once
the Tombs of the Great


Times Democrat says in letter from
the Holy Land Seldom have | been
so interested in an antiquity as | was
i'll the door of this royal cemetery, To
the left Of this hole was groove, in
which monster block of granite,
shaped like a milestone, fitted quite
snugly. One man from below could
roll this stone over the portal, if he
was initiated; but 100 could not move
it if they knew not the art. A low,
dark passage, scarcely large enough to
admit man, led to this ancient but
ingenious door, and was the only ave-
nue. by which it could be opened prior
IL the excavations of our own times.
The mouth Of this secret passage was
neatly closed with trap door, placed
on the very brink of pit. Only those
thoroughly acquainted with the place
could ever have detected the methods
Of entrance. Evidently grave ghouls
were feared in those days and here, as
mu;h rs now in your own land.
Now can understand how the
stone was rolled away" from the
dor of the orl5 sepulchcr' Now |
can understand why "that other disci-
lle" stooN, down and looked into the
tomb,
We entcrcd the hole with lighted
candles, and prowlel around to Our
hearts content in the magnificent
apartments Of rock beyond. The
chisel marks on the walls were as fresh
ms ii they had been made yesterday,
save where tourists, yearning after
cheap Immortality, have used candle
flames to smoke their names upon the
stone. There appeared to be four
large chambers, with numerous apScs
hoWn ont for the reception of one, two
or three bodies OF course the sar-
cophagi and most of the doors havc
long since yielded TO he onslaughts of
time and Christian vandals. One mar
blo smcolhagu5 is still exhibited at tho
Louvre, | believe,
Mr.. Floyd told me Of Il touching
tragedy which occurred some twenty
years ago in these tombs. A party
got to joking as to the amount Of
courage it would require to visit the
tombs at dead of night, alone, without
a light. A wager of one pound was
the result, and one supposedly brave
man agreed to come that night and
stick his knife into a log OF wood
which was deposited there for this
purpose. Night came. The party ac-
companied the man to grove near Ivy
with lanterns, examined his knife, and
then waited while he matle the d.
scent. Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes
passed, but the man did not return.
The others then became alarmed and
went in search for him. They found
him in the appointed vault, lying over
the log in question dead!
An investigation developed the fact
that the knife was still sticking in the
log, but mad passed through one of the
mans coat tails. 1t was pitchy dark,
and doubtless the man had become
frightened almost to distraction as he
crept to the log. In this excited con-
dition it is supposed that he stuck the
knife through his garment. Then,
when he arose, and was suddenly
pulled back, it is hardly wonder that
the life departed out of him from
sheer terror.
Undoubtedly these subterranean
cavities were once the tombs Of great
men; but scholars differ as to the an
tiquity which they represent. Some
throw them back to the time of David
while others maintain that they are
not more ancient than the llerodiar
age. AS nCir as can learn, the ma
jority of thinkers incline to the belle
that the tombs were constructed fol
Helena, the widowed Queen of Mono
ba2us, King of Adiabane, during thu
time Of the ineprcdicted by Agabu;
in the days Of Claudius Caesar,