The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-10-17

a magnificent water-pagcant was car
RED ont on the bosom of the lake at
fabulous expense.
We were sitting in semi-g gloom, for
the garden was only dimlv lighted, and
| was browsing over my cigar when
my ears opened receptivcly as Corttcc
remarked quietly:
"Yes-that was in the year %, while
Rome was being rebuilt after the fire,
which, by the way, Nero had no more
TO do with than you, my dear count.
Also. while the land and water festici-
ties We're at their height, terrible
catastrophe occurrcd-the sinking or
capSlZIng of great floating island
on which was built the royal booth,
where scores of Roman paJriclans were
drowned with all their Jewels and great
quantities Of gold and silver table orna.
ments-dishes, goblets, flagons and the
like. Nero himself escaped death only
by miracle =
The count ; astonishmcnt was almost
too much for his politencss.
Pardon me, he remarked sauvclv,
'your facts are in the main accurate
enough. YET | am amazed that for
eigncr--au American-should be 50 min
utcly Informed. That remark, now, of
yours about Nero being guiltlcss of the
charge of burning of Rome; our his
torians would be glad to have that point
settled one way or the other. | have
always inclined to discrcdit the charge
myself, but few or no trustworthy ac-
counts have come down to us from eve
witnesses. -
Corticess face was in shadow, but I
recognized his peculiar lttlc chucklc
when about To spring some surprise
born of his ancient knowledge.
Well, - he drawlcd, 81 can give You
my personal recollections, Tor i hap
pened TO be therc!'
Poor old Maro-hc was about sixty
wears of ace-removed his hat and
wiped the perspiration from his fore
head, nj the same time moving back
his char a. though he were i'm the com.
pany Of a madman. Cortice OWNED
his thought and laughed aloud rs he
flicked the ash from his long, black
cigar.
''Don 4 he alarmed. siguor," he said
quietly. 81 m perfectly sane. and so is
my friend here Then turning to me,
he said: "Tell him the truth, Dare -
Thus appealed TO, in few concise
sentences / made the count acquainted
with Cortice's strange story, adducing
for proof the several practical instances
in which he had shown that has pow
crs were based as hc claimed, on actual
remembrance.
OF course, Count Mario was too we'll
read 10 he uufam liar with The litera-
jItre of the Oriental faith in TcuicarDl-
ton, but what staggered him was the
fact of has sitting faecto-facc and list,
enIng 10 a man who had, rs he ex-
pressed n, "comc back,
".lt Is marvellous. stupcndous' he
exclaimed, "and-pardon me-aImost
beyond belief. Yet, why not2H
"Oh. You re nor the first Doubling
! Thomas ! We met. laughed Corticc.
"Listcn; let me tell YOU something.
Chorll my statements, if fhey seem ia
conflict with your own historical lnowI.
edge, In thc year 66, after the great
esi corflagration which the world had
| probably then seen, Nero SGT 10 work
10 rebuild his capital on Il scale of nm.
/ parallclcd magnificrnce and mmfi-
cnncc. At the same timc nc instituted
: vast public spcctacles. gladiatorial
! games. and prodigaI distributions Of
grain and money. Partly because the
new sect Of Christians had been charged
! with being IncendIarlcs. partly 10 pro.
vide human victims for 1hc arena, and
! partly 10 divert attention from his
own excuses. he slew them by thou.
sands, jnventjng new and uuhcard of
iortuTes. In the gardens Of The Villa
! Valentau. on thc shores OF Lake Bol-
sena, he caused them TO he burnt as
| living torches. hoisicd on poles and
swaihed in tar. In fact. these blazing
human forms served 10 lignt tho gar.
debs during one of his orgies
! Among the many magnificent de.