The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-16
TODAY in HISTORY
Birth Of Emperor TIberIus.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. te, 1910.

The reign OF the Roman Emperor IL
berius. who was born more than nine
teen centuries ago, on November 10. IS
C., ". was ono to which an ineffaceable
disrepute attaches Itself. despite the at
tempts OF historians TO disguise certain
historical facts By pointing to certain
other facts which seem 10 establish con
trary theories In an age when cruelty
and immortality stalked unremarked in
high places, he became abhorred, osten-
siby for being cruel and immoral.
His political prosecutions and persecu-
tons were regarded more rclentfully than
those Of other equally offending wearers
Of the imperial purple. That his .provln.
cial government was strong, wise and
more prosperous than he found IL. and
that he showed himself magnanimous TO,
ward a flagrantly unfalthfu) wite. ana
that 10 the end. he was admired By
the soldiers whom he had led TO vic
tory in The wars with the harbarians,
are evidences that this deeply hated en-
that mingled yarn Of good and ill'' out
OF which most human characters are
spun. Nevertheless, the name Of Tiherius
Caesar, from whose fifteenth year OF pow
er the scriptures date the commencement
Of the mission OF John the Baptist, re-
lains Its stigma
Tiberius was the son Of one of Ju-
lius Caesars officers. who complacently
ceded his wife TO Emperor Augustus: who
thus became stcpfathsr to Tihcrius. Not.
however. until the. latter reached the
age Of 40 did he come in sight Of the
worldly hope men set their hearts upon
for Augustus, lacking sons OF his own.
had settled on his daughters two sons
as joint heirs to tho empire. Tiherius
spent most OF the period between % B.
c. and 10 A. y. in military activities.
AS legionary tribune In the Spanish pc
nnsula he successfully crushed the re-
bellious Ibsrian tribes, 1t is recorded
that "he always, considered the safety
OF his soldiers above his own
In 20 r. c. he led an army into Ar
menia to establish King Tigranes on the
throne of that country as a Roman vas
alpine Gaul aided his brother Drusus,
who was also one of Augustus's able
generals. in controlling the wild tribes
on the banks Of the Rhine the Rhone
and adjacent rivers, and as a hollow
reward for these services was forced.
by his imperial stepfa ther. to marry the
la,ters widow and only child the truly
infamous Julia. divorcing his wife. Agrip-
pima,
This was .frightful blow TO Tiberius.
talk Of Rome. Unable to endure tho sit
nation nc fed, in B. C.. TO Rhodes. re-
turning eight years later, when Julias
father had himself turned against her
and banished her 10 Pandalana Though
Tiberius never saw her again. il is only
fair TO say that he ntercedcd with her
mcnt. and 10 alleviate the miscries of
her position. In 4. j., he was for
mally adopted as heir by the emperor.
whose two srandsons had died. Ten
wears later. a stern and soured man OF
o6. he asconded the throne In succession
to Augustus. and in combination with
many reforms and a careful combination
of the admired policy of Augustus, man
aged 10 commit and rountcuancc Just
such crimes in just such a way as 10
render his memory odious To Romans.
wonderful system OF espionage re
sultnS In endless executions for trea-
son, was among these. There were al
most endless murders. too-the at least
suspected poisoning in The far cast OF
his nephew and potential rival Gcrmaui-
Gus the execution (desired though il
was) OF his once deeply trusted general.
Sajanus, and OF Sajanus's fricnds-tbese
arc but few of the tragic events among
which darklY moved the aged mclan-
choly. tigerhcartcd emperor. whose own
death. on March lG 81 A. D., at 49,
was not natural ono
He had faipting Mt, and 10 all ap-
pearances. died. but his successor Caius
tCalisula) was startled in the midst OF
ms reception as emperor TO hear that
the supposed corpse had revived and
called for food. In general terror he
ordered that quantity OF bedclothes
Snould be thrown upon the gaSping IT,
berius, and that he should he left alone
That he was finally disposed OF by poi
son Is sinister suggestion OF some of
his biographcrs.
On November l6. 1872 occurred the ia
nous battle Of lutzcn: Fort Washing