The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-17

Busento from its course by building a
mighty dam In the empty river bed they
dug a great hole until they reached the
| rock and that underlies all the country.
Here they built a stone tomb IN which
they laid tee body of Aiaric.
The dead king was clad IN a complete
| armor inladd with gold and jewels. a
The tomb was filed with splendid weap-
| ons and insignia Of rank. in order that
the king might make his entry into the
next world as became his rank.
His favorte war horse was killed and
left upon the tomb.
Upon 1t was piled in magnificent dis
order the priceless plumber of the most
luxurious ana artistic civilization the
world has ever known. Golden crowns
sceptres necklets, cu.rasses shields, vases
amphore, and paterae were heaped on the
great Goth's tomb. His people were re-
gardess of gold when they wished to DO
honor TO their king. They poured thous-
ands and thousands OF Roman and Greek
golden coins upon me tomb. 1t was rain
OF gold such as the world has probably
never seen again.
When the work was done the Cloths
chained down TO the river bed,y the q, 900
slaves who had done the digging and car
rying. The dam was broken down and
the river flowed back into its old bed,
drowning the wreched slaves, This
awful slaughter was committed by the
Goths IN order that no one should be left
to betray the resting place OF their king.
The Goths niso killed ali the inhabi-
tants Of the city of Consentia, who had
Of course, been aware Of the burial. Then
they resumed their adventurous and wan
dertng career, having constructed the
most remarkable grave of which we have
any record.
got-s, who were thus laid 20 rest, is one of
goths, who was thus laidto rest Is one OF
the most splendid and picturesque bar
barians in history.
He was the first barbarian to capture
Rome. He fell upon the masters of the
world when they were weakened by cor
rupton and inconceivable luxury.
This Goths We're a Teutonic people of
great bravery, with many savage virtues
and comparatively democratic institutions
They originally came from Scandinavia,
and wandered southwark through Europe
Physically, they were splendid men, huge
hmbed and deep chested with blue eyes
and yellow hair. In a rough and tumble
fight one Goth could kill three Roman
soldiers
been hamm ering at the frontiers of che
Empire. The Visigoths there were two
great families. the Balthings and the
Amalings. Alar1c was a Bathing. AS
youth of twenty he had rendered val
liable service to the Empire. He was
cheated, as Rome cheated all OF her allies
then. He raised a rebellion about the
year 396 A. d.
At the head of the visigottls he marched
through Macedonia and Thessaly, and en-
tered Greece through the famous pass of
Thermopylae. The successor Of Leonadis
and his three hundred Spartans opposed
Alaric. The guards of the pass fed with
out striking blow. Alaric and his army
passed through Phocaea and Boeotfa
burning villages and carrying away the
population as slaves.
They were soon encamped before the
walls of Athens. The Athenians, who
were addicted to commerce and literature
rather than war. did not fight, They
offered an enormous ransom and invited
the Goths to a banquet. Alaric accepted
the money and the banquet. Then he
plundered Corinth, Argos, Sparta, Megara
and other cities Of Greece.
Arcadius, the Emperor Of the East,
bought off Alaric by making him Govern
or of Eastern Hlyr1cum, which meant
nearly all the European portion of the
Eastern Empire. He used this command
chiefly to obtain arms and armor for his
own men and to teach them Roman mil
Itary science.
In the year 400 he entered Italy while
Sticfo, the Vandal, the great general of
the Roman Empire Honorius. was in
Taul. He ravaged undisturbed unl.l Still
cho returned suddenly and defeated him.
The wife of Alaric was taken prisoner
Claudin in a fire poem tells how she was
preparing to decorate herself with the
spoils of the Roman matronS when this
unpleasant event occurred.
He returned in tremendous force
rreaoherous treatment of Gothic soldiers
n the pay OF the Roman Empire gave
lim a pretext.
Alaric first besieged Rome in 400 A D. |
The Emperor Honorius, who was a fool |
Ind a coward. fed TO Ravenna- He ord |
sred the Romans not to surrender. Alarc |
proceeded to starve them.
The Romans sent messages 70 Alaric /
o point out that they were many thous-
lnds more than the Goths.
The thicker the hay" he cried, "the /
more easily it is mown."
He then dictated his terms: "AH your
gold. all your silver, the best OF the move
Ibles within your walls, all your slaves
# foreign BIRTH
What then, will you leave us?" asked
he disnrayed ambassadors.
Your lives" was the stern reply.
A second embassy was at once sent to
veg for milder terms Alaric at last con-
ented to receive 5000 pounds Of gold.
0000 pounds Of silver, 1000 silken robes.
900 pieces Of scarlet cloth. and 1900
'ounds of pepper. The people stripped
ne roofs OF the temples and melted down
he statutes OF the gods and emperors
0 obtain the gold and silver that was
wanted. and al last Alaric drew off MS
men. His army had been swelled by the
accession OF nearly forty thousand lib
rated slaves, and he now commanded
ver one hundred thosuand warriors
1t may seem strange that with so great
n army he did not at once make himself
master Of Italy. But mis- arm was sail
tayed by lingering reverence for the
majesty OF Rome His ambition was not /
0 be her enemy. but Ike Stillcho. to be
great leader OF her armies. the dictator
Z her policy. Therefore he demanded
rom the court Of Ravenna the post OF
faster General OF the Italian provinces
nd an independent command IN Dalma-
ia, Venetia and Noricum. The modera-
ion OF his demand was attributed by he
minister's OF Honorius 70 cowardice- The
Dol emperor dismissed tie barb2rism en-
assv with a iasul.Lrz rAfrsal