The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-31
TODAY IN HISTORY

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 81, 1910.

On August 81. A, D. ~, .Gaius, Caesar:
the first of the imperial madmen OF
Rome. was born. He Is usually known
In history as Caligula, nickname given
to him by the soldiers of his fathers
command, among whom he was great
favorite in his childhood. The name
was derived from "Caliga,' kind OF
foot covering worn by the common SOL
diers, and is sometimes translated Lit
tie Boots" Caligula was born at An
tlum, and was educated I'm the camp
was made augur In his stead, and on the
death Of Tiberius, when Callgula was
% years old. who. 1t was suspected, had
received foul play at his hands. II was
found that he had been appointed o.
heir along with the grandson OF IT,
Derius, but the senate and the people al
lowed Caligula supreme and sole au-
In the beginning Of his reign he ap-
peared hardly to fulfill the. threat OF
Tiherius. who had talked OF educating
Callgula Tor the destruction of the Ro-
man people"
There was a good side to the emperor,
which is shown in the just laws he en-
acted. and the ancient ones he restored.
But II later turned out that his osten-
tatious magnanimity was Itself disease,
an unwholesome affectation. founded on
In consequence OF this he turned his rule
Into the revels OF madman doing all
sorts OF ridiculous things: and was finally
assassinated when he was 80 years OF
age.
Caligula succeeded In spending In one
year the enormous wealth that had been
left by Tiberius. He banlshed or muir
dered his relatives. He filled Rome with
executions, confscating the, estates OF
his victims. He amused himself while
dining. by having victims tortured and
slain slain In his presence He uttered uttered ths the
but one neck. so that he might ,decapi-
tate Rome at blow!" To vie with
Xerxes he made a bridge Of ships over
10 Na,r lAyx, IDola p,,E 11l o,,,1
celebrated the exploit by a costly ban
quet IN the middle OF the bridge, and by
collecting on II a great number OF peo-
pie and causing them to be
palace, fed at a marble manger with
silded oats. was a member of the college
of priests and afterwards raised TO the
consulship. AS a climax to all his alb
surdities he declared himself a god and
had temples erected and sacrifices Of
fered to himself.
He used TO complain aloud OF the state
OF the times because It was not rendered
remarkable by any public calamities. He
wished for some terrible slaughter of his
troops. famine. pesulence. con1agra-
who had borne the highest offices i'm the
government he suffered to run by his 1T
ter In their toeas for several miles to-
gether, and to attend him at supper.
sometimes at his feet with napkins,
others Of them. after he had privately
put them to death, he nevertheless con-
tinued to send for. as II Ihcy were still
alive, and after a few days pretended
that they had laid violent hands upon
themselves,
When flesh was only to be had at a
high price for feeding his wild beasts
he ordered that criminals should be
given them to be devoured. AS there
was no one to make war upon him he
decided to make an imaginary one upon
himself and assembled his army upon
the shore of the ocean and compelled
them to gather up the shells and fill
their helmets and folds Of their dress
calling them 1.-The spos of the ocean
due to the capitol and the Palatium." AS
a monument to his success he raised
lofty tower.
Caligula was crazy both in body and
mind. being subject, when a boy. to
the falling sickness. What most OF all
disordercd him was want OF sleep, for
he seldom had more than three or four
hours rest in a night: and even then
his sleep was not sound. He was slain
by Cassius Chaerea, one OF his body
guards. to whom he had been exception
ally cruel. on January "a. al y. d,
On August 81 the British took San Sc
bastian in the Penlnsular war (1Sl3). 1t
iS the birthday of John Houston. the