| Show AT THE MOMENT OF terrible uret or the bast at ogle in pompeii some years ago in a small street the workmen employed in the excavations at pompeii discovered an empty space of an unusual form in which were some skeletons says the new york news before disturbing them they called signer florelli who was fortunately at band A singularly happy thought struck him he had the empty space filled with liquid plaster of paris and repeated the process in the case of some other openings which presented a similar appearance As soon as the plaster was hardened the surrounding ashes were removed and displayed the perfect casts of four human bodies all four amro now in the museum there and a more singular and affecting sight ia perhaps not to be seen in the whole wide world the plaster waa hardened around the ashes so perfectly in shape of what may be termed the mold formed by the fallen ashes round the living bodies that the whole aspect ol 01 the dying frame is preserved even to the minutest details except that here and there the bones of the skeleton within are partially uncovered egyptian mummies are bare black and hideous and arranged in an artificial posture for their burial while in the exhumed Pompei ians we see human beings in the very act of dying one of them ia the body of a woman close to whom were found a large number of coins two silver vases some keya and some jewels which she was carrying with her when the falling ashes arrested her flight it is easy to trace her headdress head dress and the material of her clothing and on one of her fingers are two ilver rings hex hands were so clasped in agony that the nail had pierced the flesh with the exception of her legs the whole body is swollen and contracted it is plain that she strove violently in her dying struggle her attitude is that of the last agony and not that of death behind her lay another woman and a girl evidently of humble rank the elder of the two possibly the mother has an iron kingon one of her fingers the signs of a dying struggle are evident but the death seems to nave been easier man in ina case of the victim last described lose to her liea the fairl almost a child in age the details of her dress are preserved with a startling faithfulness one can see the material and stitching of lier frock the rerita in her long ale eveSt her dress over her head to ward off the tor ashes and falling headlong on her face had rested her head on on e of her arms and BO died apparently without a struggle the fourth body is that of r large and powerful man who had sat down to die with bis arms and legs straight and fixed his dress is completely preserved his trousers are close his sandals are laced to the feet with nails in their sole one fingor ia an iron ring his mouth ia open and egowa that ho had lost jojne of his teeth his nose and cheeks are strongly marked the eyes and hair have disappeared but the mustache mains the whole sight is tragic to the last degree after the lapse of eighteen centuries the terrible death seems TO be enacting itself before us with ail its aars sufferings Buffe rings |
