Morris tribune., 1884-12-10
The Stone of the Sepulcher.

Seldom have I been so interested IN
an antiquity as l was in the door OF
this royal cemetery. To the left OF
this hole was groove, IN Wnlcn
monster block of granite, shaped IKE
q milestone, fitted quite snugly. one
man from below could roll this stone
over the portal, if he was initiated; out
100 could not move it if they knew not
the art. A low, dark passage, scarce
" large enough to admit man, led to
this ancient but ingenious door, and
was the only avenue by which it could
be opened prior to the excavations OF
our own times. The mouth OF this Sc
cret passage was neatly closed with
trap door, placed on the very brink OF
pit. Only those thoroughly acquaint-
ed with the place could ever have de-
tected the methods of entrance. EVIL
IDENTITY grave ghouls were feared IN
those DAYS, and here as much now rs
in your own land.
Now can understand how the stone
was ..rolled away" from the door OF
the Lords sepuloher! Now l can un,
derstand why ''that other disciple
stopped down and looked into the
tomb.
We entered the hole with lighted
candles, and prowled around to our
hearts content in the magnificent
apartments of rock beyond. The CHS
ef marks on the wall were as fresh as
if 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 cham
bers, with numerous apses hewn out
for the reception of one, two or three
bodies. OF course the sarcophagi and
most of the doors have long since
Welded to the onslaughts of time and
Christian vandals. One sarcophagus
is still exhibited at the Louvre, be-
lieve.
Mr.. Floyd told me of 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
the dead of night, alone. without light
A wager of one pound was the result,
and one supposedly brave man agreed
to come that night and stick his knife
into log of wood that was deposited
| in an inner chamber for this purpose.
Night came. The party accompanied
the man to grove near by with Ian
terms, examined his knife, and then
| waited while he made the descent.
Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes passed,
but the man did not return. The 9th
ers then became alarmed and went in
| search for him. They found him in
! thu annointed van1t lVinp over the log
| in question-dead!
An investigation developed the fact
that the knife was still sticking in the
log, but had passed through one of the
mans coat tails. 1t was pitch dark, and
doubtless the man had become fright
ened almost to distraction as he crept
to the log. In this excited condition 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 life departed
out of him from sheer terror.
Undoubtedly these subterranean cav
| tiles were once the tombs of great men;
but scholars differ as to the antiquity
they represent. Some throw them
back to the time of David, while others
maintain that they are not more an
Gent than the Herodian age. AS near
as can learn the majority of thinkers
| incline to the belief that the tombs
were constructed by Helena, the wild
owed Queen of Monobazus, King OF
Adiabane, during the time of the fam
inc predicted by Agabua in the days Of
| Claudius Caesar. Cor. Net
| Orleans Times Democrat,