The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-01-03

q great number Of other beasts, I'M
GLIDING tiger. an elephant and n
hippopotamus. But he was In no haz
ard, you may he quite sure of that.
These dumb victims were brought
forth In cages or in nets, or bound
with ropes and chains SO that they
were absolutely helpless.
Random Butchery.
Later he assembled his customary
seat and from that point viewed the
remainder of the spectacle with US.
Nothing more was done this day that
resembled child's play, but great num-
bers of men were killed in the gladi-
atorial contests and duels. Late in the
afternoon two groups of gladiators
showed reluctance about engaging In
mortal combat, whereupon Commodus
gave orders that they should all be
bound with single long chain and
then drawn together in circle there
to struggle indiscriminately until their
huddled formation became heaped-up
mass of dead and dying.
"Of the populace many had not even
entered the arena and many others
managed to steal out for, as Romans,
they were ashamed of what was being
perpetrated by this lunatics command,
and likewise they were afraid for
themselves, not knowing when he
might turn and vent his blood lust
upon the crowd A report had been
circulated that in the midst of the
show he meant to demonstrate his
skill as an archer with members of
the audience chosen indiscriminately
for his living targets.
'The people were all the more ready
TO believe this since there was abroad
story-which l, for one, knew to be
true-that few weeks before he sent
his bodyguards about the city to gath
er up all men who from disease or
wounds had lost their feet. These
poor cripples were conveyed to the
palace. There the tails of fish-skins
were fastened over their leg-stumps
above the knee joints, to make them
resemble fabulous monsters, and they
were told that they were to be given
stones with which to defend them
selves against the attacks of their
lord and master, this heaven-born Her.
cules. But the stones were soft
sponges, incapable Of infiicting injury,
even TO a child, and then as they
sprawled upon the earth our royal buff
foon Drained them with blows of his
great club.
When Smiles Meant Death.
$50, very naturally, fear was gen.
eral among the citizens at large. But
lawmaking body, could not steal away.
Being conspicuous, our absence would
have been marked and that would have
been fatal to any absentee. For the
crime of lacking in respect to Com
modus. he would have been hunted
down and slaughtered. no matter how
high his estate or how great his popu-
larity among the people.
"But familiarity with constant dan
ger at the hands of the emperor at
iCbSth tlcuC US ihhlL {" CCCSCu
to tremble at ais frown; we began to
chuckle at his stupid make believes. I
remember as though it were yesterday
a thing that happened one afternoon
He had entered the arena and there
had killed male ostrich. Cutting off
its head he advanced to where we
were sitting. In his left hand he held
the severed head of the bird, in his
right he brandished aloft his dripping
sword. He spoke not a word. There
was no need for him to peak. There
was menace enough in his evil grin,
in the wag of his head, in the simmer
of the naked uplifted blade.
"No doubt some of us would have
persisted on the spot for laughing at
him-fOr this time 1t was mirth over
valor which overcame us-had not an
expedient occurred to me. AT the mo-
ment of his approach | had the wit to
pluck a laurel leaf from the wreath
which / wore upon my brow and to
thrust 1t into my mouth. at the same
lll1lC luAlNdliuS W JlloSG SSdl0u near
me in the front row that they should
do likewise so that. by the constant
motion of our jaws as we chewed on
the spr1gs. we might conceal from
the tyrant the fact that we all were
laughing incontrollabIy. am sure
this saved us from death.
But violent death had become so
commonplace thing even among the
patricians. that some ] am sure would
have laughed just the same. knowing
that their lives would pay the forfeit
for ii should the besOtted imbecile de-
tect what they were about.
''There had to be an end to 1t all.
Fortunately for those of us who sur
vived his cruelties. the end came while
he still was young man, before all
that was noble. all that was aristo-
cratic in Rome had been sacrificed to
his follies and his love of bloodshed.
Electus, his court chamberlain. Lac
tus the commander of the Imperial
troops. and Marcia, his mistress, be-
ing displeased by his colossal miscon-
duct and filled with fear by the re-
proacheS which he uttered against
them when they dared to check him In
any of his whims, formed plot to de-
stroy this monster. At night. on the
last day of the year, when people were
busy with merrymaking, the other two
conspirators persuaded Marcia to adj
minister poison to him in some cooked
beef. The wine he had consumed and
his always immoderate use of the
baths kept him from succumbing at
once. and instead he vomited. This
caused him to suspect the attempt, and
he became violent and uttered threats.
Then they sent Narcissus, a wrestler.