The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-08
THE LAST COMBAT.
A Thrilling Scene in the Coliseum mt
Rome.
From the Philadelphia Times.


From the Philadelphia Times.
Rome was threatened with invasion by
the Geths. and when Stilicho defeated the
Gothic chief Alaric. the people went wild
with excitement. and the whole city was
given up to rejoicing.
The conquerOr. clad in purple, and riding
a white horse, entered the city in triumph
accompanied by the Emperor Honorius,
and was greeted with loud acclamations.
Prayers of thanksgiving were offered up
in the churches, in place of the killing of
captives. and the sacrifices in the temples
of the gods, for the Christian emperor
endeavored to prevent the brutality and
cruelty of the old customs, but these had
taken so strong a hold upon the people
that even the emperor could not alto
gether suppress them.
The Romans We're in such q frenzy
of JOY that the Senate deemed 1t neces-
sary to give them some outlet for their
enthusiasm. and a grand spectacle was
prepared TO celebrate the defeat of the
Goths. This, of course, took place in the
Coliseum, and thither the people focked;
the lower orders filling the galleries as
signed them long before the dignitaries Of
Rome entered the building.
When the emperor arrived and was
seated upon his throne the people with
one accord shouted. Joy and victory to
the forever. master of air.
dered stone the glstening whiteness of
which made the whole. spectacle seem COW
cred with newly-fallen snow.
The heat of the sun was so great that
the awnings of silk and gold tissue were
unfurled and drawn over the immense
building, forming transparent roof, and
the sunlight, filtered through, cast violet
tints upon the snowy arena, and the white
togas of the Roman citizens.
The vast ampitheater was filled to over
flowing; the emperor gave the signal and
the sports began. First came the chariot
races and races on horseback and on foot.
Then the hunting of wild beasts, which
had been driven into the arena, or the ami
mails were allowed to fight among them
selves, tearing each other until the puri-
ty of the arena was covered with blood.
The space was quickly strewn again,
however, and then began spectacle that
delighted the savage taste of the people
a true gladiatorial combat. The combat
ants marched in and bowed before the
emperor with the usual salutation: Ave
Caesari Moritun tie salutant! C'Hail Gaze
sarl Those about to die salute thee!O
These men, who were all in the prime of
| life, had been trained to fight to the
death. They encountered each other with
/ various weapons; with net and trident,
/ lasso and sword or javelin, sometimes in
4 single combat and sometimes in general
| melee. Little mercy was shown to the
/ conquered. When he was wounded the
/ cry of his adversary was: Hoe habetr'
/ Gle has it!D and if the people turned
/ their thumbs down the fallen man was
doomed but If the thumbs We're turned
.
The combat was at its hight Two of
4 the gladiators We're fighting so bravely
and so skillfully, and We're 50 evenly
matched in strength and courage that the
/ ampitheater rung with applause. One
/ was armed with net and trident and the
other with sword. For a long, time II
! rious, but at last the net was so dexter
ously cast by the nets man that his adj
versary was flung to the ground entang-
led in its strong meshes ana completely al
| his ANTAGONISTS mercy.
| Hoo Habet!' was shouted by the VIC
tor, and the answering cry rung through
the vest building, Recipe ferrum" Gre
| ceiVe the steelro
| The netsman was just about to deal his
| fallen foe the death-blow when an uneX-
| pected interruption occurred, A man,
| clad in rough garb, bareheaded and bare
footed, rushed into the building, and
! springing into the arena, tried to separate
| the combatants, calling aloud upon the
emperor and the people of Rome not to
| disgrace their Chris tianity by the she'd
ding of blood, or to requite Gods good
! ness in such a manner.
The people, for the moment, were start
led and awed as though they had seen a
spirit and profound silence succeeded the
! loud Dlaudits of the spectators. But after
the first shock a reaction came. and they
were enraged at the interference, and
cries of "cut him down. "how dare
he interrupt our sport"' were heard on ali
The gladiator recovering from his
amazement again aimed his weapon al
his PROSTATE foe, but the old man, spring
ing forward, seized and hurled it far
across the arena
Furious at being baffied, the gladiator
turned upon his defenseless assailanr
striking him to the ground, and, crushed
and mangled. the old man lay dead beside
the fallen swordsman. A hush like death
fell upon the throng, for they had recog-
nized Alymachus, a holy man, one of the
hermits who were vowed to a life of purity
and prayer, and who were reverenced by
/ even the most thoughtless.
The people We're shocked, and a great
fear fell upon them. All the fire of their
enthusiasm died out; the sports were
ended; the combatants separated. and the
last gladiatorial fight had been held in
| the Coliseum. H M
Gen. Horace Porters latest mot is
that the first half of a mans life is
| spent in getting his name into the papers.
and the last half in struggling to keep ii