Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-12-19
A MUSEUM OF DEATH.
A PLACE THAT IS FULL OF SEN.
sATlONAL HORROR.

cataconbs of siciiy,s capitai-Plntoriai
Tragedies In the Ante Reom-skeie-
tons In fall view-The bead standing
In Niehes Lik. statues. /
The capital OF Sicily -Palermo-which
claims nearly quarter million people, In not,
upon the whole, q very interesting city, al
though what we in America call q very
"sinartH one. Ii Is slowly drawing the life
blood from Messina, on the other end of the
north coast 1t has the average number Of
churches, with their costly spiritual furni-
turc; II has handsome views from the hills
that nearly surround it: il has a museum
containing some OF the stone fragments Of am
cieat Greece and Rome; but by far its great
est and most unique curiosity Is its Museum
OF Death. IL is situated near one Of the
edges of the town, and 10 called the capu-
chin catacombs. | said that catacombs
were generally dull affairs but this IL a most
startling exception | do not believe there
is any one place In the world that Ia 10 full
Of sensational horror,
PICTORIAL TRAGEDIES
You enter plain hall hung with a multi
tude OF small paintings These are pictorial
tragedies. telling the form in which death
came 10 those within. One pictures q duel;
another the frightful stampede of a horse-
the victim crushed under his heels: another
the poor victims fall from a housetop;
another the fatal bite Of a serpent; still
another portrays a death In the shock OF bat
tie. Many are pictured dying quietly in
their beds: are floating away from
themselves into the regions OF eternal bliss
| used to wonder ut the Italian In America
who came to the stonecutter and wanted him
to engraye upon his little boys tombstone q
picture OF the load Of hay from which he fe.l
10 his death, but here was the same thing,
only IL was Sicilian hay, and done in oil in
stead Of marble.
But this was only the anteroom to the great
assembly room OF DEATH mild, innocent
looking barefooted monk led us into long
corridor. with strong shelves upon each side
arranged not unlike the berths of q
steamer, only there were five or six OF them
in tier Upon these shelves lay in full view
the skeletons os the departed--many OF them
clothed as IL they were still living Some Of
them had white kid gloves upon their hands;
one woman was dressed in pink satin, and
the poor grinning skull wore a white lace
cap. surrounded by a wreath Of pink arti-
fetal roses Two brothers embraced in
death; sometimes whole family were thus
reunited
Often there were suspended near the bodies
their photographs while living There never
could be given to mankind a palmer lesson
concerning the vanity Of all earthly objects.
The beauty of wumanhood smiled within q
few inches Of the shrunken bones that formed
its doleful wreckage Handsome and intel.
Ieetual man faces apologized for the poor,
idiotic looking remains that lay behind them.
A lovely girl Of ls and grand faced old
lady OF ~ were among the life and death
contrasts
THEIR OWN GRIM STATUES.
Many OF the dead stood upright In niches--
their own grim statues. Some bowed theil
blighted heads as ii In deep reflection, other
were kneelng il in prayer. Sometimes ,
group of cronies sat together. as if talking
over old times. None hut could easily b
found by inquiring friends. for each AM
every one bore a tablet containing the nam
and the date OF death Cardinals In thei
faded red robes were there; bishops by tn
score, lords and ladies b. the hundred, and
| king and queen we're not wanting 10 rnl
ever this silent and peaceful colony OF tn
grave.
Through not only one but many Of thes
awful corridors our bright faced monk led u
! for there are $500 guests in the solemn ho'
telry In the middle Of the floors were grea
! piles Of collins, heaped up like luggage at
railway station. Some of them were win
dowed with glass AMI showed plainly thei
ghastly occupants. others charitably scale
their contents from the eye This commt
nifty of the dead years not without its littl
ones; in many places lie the skeletons {
children dressed in dainty baby clothes
fact, there il no lesson in the great text boo
of mortality that this unique cemetery do
! not teach.
As | emerged once more into the blesss
air and saw live snnbenms dancing aroun
!, me it was with an effort that adiudged m,
J self stil' = the living. | felt for while Iii
!, an es, 81 skeleton, and after pounding al
, pinehing myself to be sure that | was a
= there walked away, thanking God that q
: soul and body are two different institution
;, : will Carleton's Sicily Letter in New Yol
"a Star.