Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-27
SLAUGHTER OF THE aALILEANs.
Pontius PLATE Armed His Soldiers With
Clubs in Derision

Pontius PLATE Armed His Soldiers With
Clubs in Derision.
1t was Pilates custom to come to his
official residence-a kind of palace for
public Misunderstanding all feasts, and
he was there that day, but he was In
very ugly frame of mind. Such men as
Ben Nassur, aided by zealots from other
places, were arousing their followers
more and more from hour to hour, until
at last an angry multitude swarmed
around the gates of Pilates house, ours
ing him in the name of the law and of
the temple. They clamored for the resti-
tuition of the treasures taken from the
priests the cessation of the aqueducf-
work. which the fall of the tower so plain
ly declared to be wicked, and they flu
riously demanded the removal of the
Temple guards.
The Roman governor had not the least
idea of granting any of these demands
and he determined to teach the angry
Galileans a lesson. He sent to his campA
for a large number of soldiers They
were not to come in armor, but in ordina-
ry clothing, and were to be armed only
with clubs Strong men can do great
deal of damage with heavy cudgels,s but
Pilates idea was to express in this way
his soldieriy contempt for Jewish mob
His men were ordered to surround 1t and
to walt for such commands as he might
give them.
Cyrils fear of the rabbis and priests
grew stronger as he drew near the tenn
pie. There was no other place on earth,
he believed, where a sacrifice to God
could be offered as solemnly as upon the
brazen gold ornamented altar of burnt
offering, which he and his father were
soon to see.
Louder and louder grew the sounds of
the tumult in the open space before the
governors palace, but Cyril and his
longer hear
were now in the outer court of the tenn
pie. They advanced toward the steps
leading up to the gorgeously gilded por-
tails of the inner court. Here they were
met by Levite to whom Ezra at once
handed the feecy Offering which he had
brought and had so far carried In his
arms During several minutes, however,
there had been strange sounds beyond
the gate of the outer court, and they were
fast growing louder Ezra and his son
would have paused to listen. but the
I.evite led the way into the inner court,
and they followed. In a moment more
Cyril could see the smoking altar. the
splendidly arrayed priests. the chanting
Levites, the swinging censers, and all the
grand appliances of the temple worship.
Everything was splendid beyond his
imaginings; but he could not look at 1t
for more than Il moment. Behind him.
surging through the gate into the outer
court, filling that space, and then pouring
Ou lllO the ltIitI COuIt, Caiic u biOutihSs
shrieking, maddened multitude.
Pilates clubmen had been doing their
brutal work only too well. and. II his
soldiers carried clubs only. other enemies
of the Gallleans (and they were many
had seized this opportunity, for steel
blades were flashing among the pursuers
An angry mob were now pitilessly smit-
ing down the Jews who had protested so
zealously for the temple and the law.
They did not pause at the gate Of the
inner court, but, in a moment more, there
were slain Galileans lying among the
bodies of the animals prepared for sacri-
flee, and the revenge of PLATE upon those
who had upbraided him was becoming
terrible. The priests and other temple
officers were fleeing. THE Sword
makers Son. by w. o. Stoddard, in July
St Nicholas