The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-07-12


a probable lunaticSwho filled his short
reign with comic opera ahsurdities and
with unspeakabie horrors. His rea'
name was Caius Caesar Augustus eGr
manicus. His habit OF wearing cali
gae,' or military boots. led the sol.
diers among whom he spent his boy
hood to nick name him "Caligula.'
julius Caesar had made Rome ruler
Of the world. His nephew, Augustus
had tcen its first emperor. Augustus
was succeeded by Tiberius. miser
and tyrant. After the murder of tt
berius in 81 A. d. young Caligula
(great grandson of Augustus) became
emperor. He is generally believed tc
have caused Tiberius' death in order
to clear his own way to the throne.
THE beginning OF Coliqula's reign
was all that could be desired. He gave
promise of being an ideal emperor. He
lightened the peoples burdens. forgave
political enemies, set prisoners free
and governed the country so wisely
and mercifully that, when at last hs
fell dangerously i'll, all Rome went
into mourning.
Unluckily he recovered from the i'll
ness. But he came back to health
wholly different man. The sickness
is supposed to have crazed him.
That is the kindest judgment pcssi
BILE. The gentle, liberal emperor had
changed into demon, His first ster
was to begin wholesale slaughter oil
his former friends When there were
no criminals to throw to the wild
beasts in the arena he ordered dozens
Of innocent spectators hurled to the
lions He had a set Of torture imple
ments placed in his dining hall so that
he might enjoy watching prisoners tor
tured to death while he ate.
During a single year be wasted all OF
Tiberius' carefully hoardsd fortune
more than $4,000, 00O--and then over
taxed the people to gain new money
for extravagaaces One of his favor
tie methods of getting wealth was to
force his rich courtiers to gamble with
him for'enormous sums. They dared
not win, for fear of death. When
Caligula had won all their cash and
jewels and estates he made them stake
their lives on throw of the dice
When they lost their relatives were
Obliged to ransom them at whatever
amount Caligula might name.
He protested to be a direct de
scendant OF the gods, and he once at
tempted to fight duel with the myth
cal deity, Jupiter, by throwing stones
at the sky during thunderstorm, Ont
nobleman was executed for being bet
ter dressed than the emperor; anothe,
for being better looking.
Caligula had a horse he loved. HI
kept it in an ivory stall and fed it o.
gilded oats from a manger of marbl
and gold. In an outburst OF insanit.
he even bestowed on this horse tn
ran kof high priest" and "concul."
Seeking military glory, Caligula ono
hurried an army into Germany. Til
ing OF this campaign before battl
had been fought, he decided to invad
Britain. So he embarked his troops TO
that island. But scarcely were the
aboard the ships when he ordere
them all on land again. Then, draw
ing up his army in line OF battle o
the beach, he commanded his soldier
to fill their helmets with shells an
pebbles. They did'so, and he returne
to Rome, announcing that he'had cor
quered the ocean He also dressed
number Of his Gaelic subjects in Gel
man costumes. then had them public
ly executed prisoners OF war cal
tured in Germany"
The imperial mailman ruled tn
world as might violent maniac take
from an asylum and given life-an'
death control Of everything. But hi
crimes and follies were too great I'd
even the callous Romans. An Office
whom CaIigulaN had grossly insulte
formed conspiracy against him. -
On January "a, Al A. DIN tn
twenty,ninth year OF his age and tn
| fourth year OF his vile reign--the col
spirators forced an entrance into hi
nalace and sleW him