People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-12-09

he was attending a public meeting, his
enemies raised row, started fight,
rushed in on Tiberious, and before his
friends could defend, knocked him down
and dubbed him to death in the streets.
His body was thrown into the river as
though he were a dog.
Thus Cornelia lost one of her jewels
The younger brother, as [ have said,
was named Caius. He was nine years
younger than Tiberious, and he kept
quiet for some time after the murder.
But finally he was elected by the peo-
pie to be one of their rulers. Then he
at once took up the same line of reform
work which had cost his brother so
dearly. Of course he must have known
he was running the same risk. NO
doubt he felt he would lose his life. But
to some men duty is so strong feeling
that they fear no loss SO much as the
loss of self-respect.
He met with great success. The peo-
pie loved him and trusted him. The
land-grabbers and usurers and money
kings feared him. He passed some good
laws. They had for their object the
better distribution Of wealth nd of po-
litical power. He wanted g plain,
common peopls to have share in the
products of their labor; and also to have
q share in governing the country. One
of his favorite ideas was the encouraging
of the poor people to buy land and own
their homes He was the promoter of
many public works which benefited all
the people. He toiled at his public du-
ties with the greatest zeal, giving all his
time to the service of those who had
elected him.
But the classes who had hated Tibe-
RUS, hated Caius. They determined on
his ruin. They tried in every way to
turn the people against him. They put
a movement on foot to do away with the
good laws he had passed. The aristo-
Gratis did not like to give up their special
privileges.
So they got together a band of men to
kill Caius. He knew his danger but
would not show any fear. His wife beg
ged him not to go out into the city, and
fell down in a swoon when he left her.
She never saw him again.
The band of murderers were on the
hunt for him, and the people deserted
him. They had been SO scared and de-
ceived by the aristocrats that they did
not lift finger in defense of the man
whose only crime was that he had taken
the side of the people against the law
breakers.
1t is said that this cruel desertion hurt
him more than the prospetect of death
itself, and that he prayed that "the peo-
pie of Rome, for their ingratitude and
base desertion Of him, might be slaves
forever"
Two of his personal friends died in his
defense. After this only one man "a
servant) remained with him in his flight.
He asked many of his friends to help
him out of the way of his enemies; he
begged them to get him a horse that he
might escape; but no one did SO. He
stood aIone-only his servant remaining
faithful. Then seeing that escape was
impossible, he ordered tho servant to kill
him. The heroic slave did so, and then
killed himself.
The head of Caius was cut off and
borne about the city on pike. His
body was thrown into the river.
Thus Cornelia lost her other jewel.
After it was all over, the people who
had SO basely deserted their leader felt
very mean about it. To show that they
really loved their leader who had died
for them, they raised marble monuments
in honor of the two brothers and made
the ground upon which they had been
slain sacred. AS each season rolled by
the people offered up to in memory
of their great work the filsV fruits Of the
harvests. Many came there to pray, for
the place was treated as if it were a
temple.
The death of Caius was a great blow
! to the cause of the common people,
They never in after times got so good a
leader, and they never did get their
rights under the law. The cause of re-
form went backward. The wealth of
the country all got into the hands of a
| few. Corruption followed. The liber,
ties of the people were completely
destroyed. The rule of military leaders
took the place of the rule of the people
as it had been. The common people had
no power. The higher class had it ALL
Had the friends OF Caius stood by him
like men it all might have have been
different. He might have saved his
country.
Cornelia, the mother of the n )ble men,
was still alive when her youngest boy
was killed. She bore her troubles
grandly. She did not give way to idle
grief. She moved away from Rome to
Misenum, and her life was full of dig
nifty and usefulness. She loved to have
her friends about her When her sons
were mentioned she would allude to the
places made sacred by their death and
say that ''they were monuments worthy
Of them"
So highly was this Roman lady hon
ored that kings were glad to be her
friends, and one of them, the King of
Egypt, asked her hand in marriage.