The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-09-10
THE STONE OF TnR sEPELCHER.

Seldom have I been so iGtsrested
in an antiquity as I was in the door
of thin roya! Cemetery. To the left
of this hole was q grove. in which o
monster block of granite, shaped
like milestone, fitted quite snugly.
One man from below would roll this
stone over the portal, il be was mi
tiated: but 100 could nat move it il
they knew not the art. A low, dark
pas. age, scarcely large enough to
admit man, led to this ancient but
ingenious door, and was the only
avenue by which it could bs
opened prior to the excavations OF
our own times. The mouth CT TINS
secret passage was neatly CLOSED
with q trap door, placed on the very
brink OF n pit. Only those thorough y
acquainted with the place could ever
have detected the methods OF ca
trance. Evidently grave ghouls
were feared in those daysJ and here
as much now as in your own land.
Now | can understand how the
stone was ''rolled awsy" from the
door OF the Lords sepulchet! Now l
can understand why "that other
desciple" stopped down and locked
into the tomb.
We entered the hole with lighted
candles, and prowlec around ouI
hearts content in the magnifc nj
apartments of rock beyond. rhe
chisel ranks on the we'll were al
fresh as if they had been made yes
terdsy, save where some tourists
yea,ning after cheap Immortality
have used candle flames to smoke
tGeir names upon the tom. Their
appeared 10 be f ur laTgs chambers
with numerous apses hewn out 70
the reception Of one, two or threr
bOdie,. OF course the sqcophag
an mos Of tbs doors have loni
since yielded TO the onelsugbts o
time and Christian vandaIs. Ga
saIc0phagus ia still exhibited at tn
Louvre, [ helieve.
Mr.. Lloyd told me of touehiDI
| tragedy which occurred som'
tweaty yeas ago in these tomts. I
party got to joking as to the amour
of courage Il would require 10 Wis.
the tomGs as the dead Of night
lone, withquta light. A wsger .
81 was the result, and one sup
o :sedly brave man agreed to com
. that night and stick hts knife into
log Of wood that was deposited 70
( that purpose Ia an inner chambe!
Night came. The party accom-
panied the man to a grove near b.
with lanterns, examined his knife
ard waited while he descended
: Ten, Gfte=n, twenty minutes passed
,, but the man did not return. Tn
, others then became alarmed all
went in search for him, They foun
hin in the appointed vault lyin
OVER the log in q0estion-deRdl
An Investigation developed th
fact that the knife was still sites
ing III the log. but had passe
through one Of the mans coat tails
1t was pitch dark, and doubtles
the man had become frightened a.
most to distr action az he crept t
the log. In this excited condition
is supposed that he stuck the XII il
through his garment. Then, whel
he arose, and was suddenly pulle
back, it is hardly s wonder that llf
departed out of him from shee
terror.
Undoubtedly these subterranea
cavities were once the tnmbs {
great men; nut scholars differ as t
the antiquity they represent. Som
throw them back TO the time {
David, while others maintain tina
they are not more ancient than Tia
Herodian sge. AS near as ! ca
learn, the majority or toiukers'in
cline ID the belief that the tomb
were constructed b. Helena, tn
widowed Queen of Monobazu
King of Auiabsne, during the tim
Of the famine predicted by Aeapu
in the Gays OF Claudius Cesar
jerusalem Cor. New Orleans Lines
Democrat.