The Northwestern standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-16

The Biography Of the Gladiator By Bill

k4 Il Nj
Spartacus, whose given name seems
to have been torn off in it's passag down
through the corridors of time, was
born in Thrace, and educated as a shep-
pard. While smearing the noses OF the
young lambs with tar one spring, in or
der to prevent the snu1les among them,
he thought that he would become a rob-
ber It occurred to him that his calling
was the only one he knew Of that
seemed to be open to the young man
without means.
He had hardly got started, however,
in the s'hold up'' industry, when he was
captured by the Romans, sold at cost
and trained as a gladiator in school at
Capus Here he succeeded in stirring
up a conspiracy and uniting two hundred
or more of the grammar department. of
the school in a general ructiOn, as it
was then termed.
The scheme was discovered and, only
7Oof the number escaped, headed by
Spartacus. These snatched cleaVers
from the butchers ,pickets from the Ro-
man fences and various other weapons,
and with them fought their way to the
foot hills, where they met wagon
train loaded with arms and supplies.
They secured the. necessary weapons
thereby to go into a general wal bust
ness, and established themselves In the
orator of Mount Vesuvius.
Spartacus was man of wonderful car
riage and great physical strength. It
had always been his theory that man
might as well die Of old age as to feed
himself to a Roman menagerie. He
maintained that he would rather die in
a general free fight, where he had a
chance, than to be hauled around over
the arena by one leg, behind a Numi-
dian lion.
So he took his little band and fought
his way to Vesuvius. There they had
a pleasant time camping out nights and
robbing the Romans daytimes. The
excitement of sleeping in crater add
ed a wonderful charm to their lives.
While others slept cold in Capna, Spar
tacus cuddled up to the crater and kept
comfortable.
For long time the little party had it
all there own way They shifted the
air Of freedom and lived on Roman
spring chicken on the half shell, and it
beat the arena business all hollow.
At last, however, an army of 5000
men was sent against them and Sparta
Gus awoke one morning to find himself
blocked up in his crater. For time
the outlook was not cheering. Sparta
Gus thought of telegraphing the war
for reinforcements, but
finally decided not to do SO.
Finally, with ladders made of wild
vines, the little garrison slipped out
through what had seemed an impassa-
BILE assure in the crater, got in the rear
of the army and demolished it com
pletely. That's the kind of man
Spartacus was. Fighting was his
forte.
Spartacus wasra good public speaker.
One of his addresses to the gladiatOrs
has been handed down to postelity
throug the medium Of the Fifth Read
era work that should be in every house
hold. In his speech he states that he was
not always thus. But since he is thus,
he believes that he has not yet been
successfully out thussed by any body.
He speaks Of his early life in the cit
ron groves Of Syrsllla and how quiet and
reserved he has been, never daring to
say gosh within a mile of the house;
but finally how the Romans landed on
his coast and killed off his family. Then
he desired to be a fighter. He had kill.
ed more lions than any other man in It
ally. He kept a big crew of Romans
busy, winter and SUNNI er, catching
fresh lions for him to stick. He had
killed large number Of men also. At
one matinee for ladies and children he
had killed a prominent man from the
north, and had done IL SO fiuently that
he was encored three times. The
stage manager then came forward and
asked that the audience would please
refrain from another encore, as he had
run out of men, but if the ladies and
children would kindly attend on the
following Saturday he hoped to be pre-
pared with good program. In fact, he
h t,n< hnn n frorn hi ar NH,
wrote him that they had purchased two
big lions and also had robust gladia-
tor up tree. He hoped that he could
get into town in day or two with both
attractions.
Spartacus finally stood at the head of
an army OF 10000 men, all starting
out from the little band Of 20 that cut
loose from Capur with borrowed cleav-
ers and axhandies. This war lasted
but two years, during which time Spar
tacus made Rome howl. Spartacus had
too much sense to attack Rome, but at
last his army was betrayed and disor-
ganized. With nothing but death or
capture before him he rode out between
the two contending armies, shot his
war horse to save expenses, and on foot
rushed into the thickest Of the fight.
This was positively his last appear
ance. He killed large number Of peo
pie. but at last he yielded to the great
pressure that was brought to bear upon
him and died.
Probably no man not actually engaged
in the practice Of medicine ever killed
so many people as Spartacus. He did