Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-10-10
a SOLDIER OF AEMINIUS.
Poay Discovered IN German ''"'
Afttr Nineteen centuries.

Buried in Il pea, hog. that has p g
served him wonde, fully tor 49, years. : .
warrior of Arminius has been found
near the Teutoburgcc Forest III Ger
many. where Na.us and his ihre5
legions were surrounded and destroyed
almost II the last man in the nin'h
wear after Tie ! irth q: Christ.
n. vas discovered by :borsGS dig /
ring : trench in an ancient motr- /
suddenly ;h.y came up2n a fate look /
irg up at them .,wiuliH frtm the dark.
nalf-f,nid grave. one Glanc" - the
uartlv open mouth and the features.
set in lines - torment. Was enough i"r
them. They fed ard cfused 70 return
until they were accompanied by i1ti"
employers.
When these arrived at the spot ;he"
found a strange thing. That face, So
prefectly preserved that ii might nave
been the face Of Il man only recently
dead was Il Siihouette. Til" r 1T
LIQUID that had kept its every linea
ment for am0st two thousand years
had sucked all the juices from il. had
Softenel all the bones and tanned il
until il was not more than One-third nj
on inch thick The Same curious fact
was true of the rest of the body. 1t
was only plane surface. less than one
and a half inches thick in its ihick2st
part and almost as thin as a flat piece
of leathe. in others.
That was the only change that had
occurred III the ages that had elapsed
since the man had fallen in that great
fight in the aim foresls. when the his
tory OF the world WAS changed. This
h.f,-
himself on his sword. was dead ana
hidden IN the bog long before Rom"
heard the news ~ the mighty defeat
that made the Emperor Augustus cry
in despair. 'Narus. Varus. give me
back my legions." Through all the
generations that followed-when the
battlec Of the Cheruskans and the
Anemanni ragged around his grave:
when GcrmancuS brought new legions
from Rome and eNacted bloody venga-
ance: when he. in turn. was driven
back to his war galleyS on the Ems
Ihis unknown warrior lay hidden in his
tomb. and nature worked To save his
form for 4 world that was then un-
dreamed of. Christ preached His
gospel and was crucified. Rome grew
and waned. The stern priests of
verts to the new faith on the bloody
altars of their forest temple, and. in
turn. were driven northward. while the
cross forced its way toward the Elbe.
The Germans crossed the Alps ard
threatened Rome itself. The Frankish
Empire grew out of the wreck Of a
world. Treves. the most splendid city
of Europe. was built. Every vestige of
ArInnius and his hosts. Narus and his
leg:ons. vanished utterly. except this
one warrior. whose grave has held him
safe for us 10 see.
When he was found no time was lost
in notifying scientific authorities. Tn
til they reached the place. the grave
was untouched and guarded. Thanks
10 this precaution, everything that was
near the body has been saved intact
and now the men Of the twentieth cen
tury can see, lying in strange state in
the University of Eiel the warrior of
the first century, with his garments
and arms around him just as they We're
when he died. None of his white beard
eC priests. prOpheSying in their most
exalted moments. can have foreseen
that this fierce barbarian, who slew
bears and wolves and wild oxen with
clubs ana drank mead with the skulls
oi his slain enemies for drinking YES
sells. would find such u final sapu,chre
as that stately room in one of Europe'S
nobleSt buildings crowded with the
products of art and science from every
latitude and longitude.
The body bears out all that has been
told by the Roman writer's of the
enormous strength and fine appearance
Of those ''blue-cyed. gigantic bar
bariarS.' The mans face is handsome
still. His muscles are mighty.
DR.. GrOtriln. staff surgeon of the
German army. who took the body in
charge. says of it: The man was in
his best years. He was handsome
splendidly built. without a trace of un-
necessary fat or flesh. He would be
considered an athlete Of superior de-
velopment today. In muscular
strength and power of endurance and
achievement he was far ahead of the
best men in our naval artillery. and
they are picked men, selected as be-
ing the strongest in the service
The conditions under which he was
found arc such that a fairly accurate
idea can be formed as to how he died.
His end was brought on him by the
thrust Of one of the short Roman
swords. This is shown by the wound,
winch is defined clearly. lie did not
ne at once, for his fellow warriers,
or perhaps an ancient surgeon priest
or the women folk who always accom-
panied their lords in battle, had taken
on his clothing in an attempt to dress
MS wound. When he Succumbed they
bore him 10 the grave. hastily dug in
the peat bog. He was lying on his left
Side when found. His head rested on
ms outstetched left arm. The right
arm was oent upward. The knees,
too We're slightly bent, evidently in
the position assumed by him in his
death throe?. over his body loving
hands had spread his mantle. AT his
sect. WRAPPED in his neither garments.
@et" deposited his leather sandals. his
ptlt ana ankle straps. All these ar
ucleS the peat has preserved. II is a
history telling exactly how these an
'lent Germans We're dressed and how
they looked in battle.
Nature worked curiously to keep hin
lof the modern world. Plants sen,
their roots down into the body an6
consumed the softer parts. thus nre