Caesar's Assassination

     We started plotting months ago. We never never met openly. Occasionally we met at someones house but mostly we met in small groups and relayed messages privately. My name is Publius Servilius Casca Longus and I am part of a plot to assassinate Gaius Julius Caesar alongside Marcus Junius Brutus and my brother Gaius Servillius Casca. We are the liberators of Rome. There are more than 60 people, both senators and peasants, in our conspiracy.We are led by Gaius Cassius, Decimus and Marcus Junius Brutus.      I fear that Julius Caesar may turn my beloved Rome into a dictatorship over which he will rule. He already possesses all the power of our military. While this isn't necessarily bad because he is a brilliant strategist and an excellent inspiration to the troops as well as a great warrior, but I feel he has too much power. He has also added new senators to tilt the scales of most votes in his favor.
     After several months of meeting in small groups we met one last time all together to compare ideas. We felt the time to strike was coming and we needed to act before Caesar could gain more power. We debated whether to attack him in the Field of Mars during the elections and shove him off the bridge while others waited below to kill him. Then we thought about ambushing him at the Sacred Way his way to the theatre. Then when a meeting was called for the senators on the Ides of March(15th of March) in the Hall of Pompey we knew this was the opportune time to make our move.

     Today is the Ides of March, 44 B.C. and we will be joining together for a senatorial meeting in the Hall of Pompey. Rumor has it that Caesar has been warned of this plot many times and he has taken it into consideration. He was considering staying away because of these warnings and because of ill health. Decimus Brutus, one he believes is a close friend, managed to convince him to join on this tragic day. He sat in his place and we gathered around him as if giving support to a petition he had been handed. Tillius Cimber moved as though to whisper a secret and as Caesar made a motion to wait until later Tillius grabbed his tunic and as Caesar cried "Why, this is violence!" my brother Gaius Servillius Casca stabbed him below the throat and Caesar immediately reacted by smashing his stylus into my brother's arm who cried out and fell away. Then the attack commenced in full. As Caesar saw Marcus Brutus coming toward him he mumbled "Kai su, teknon?"(you too, my child? in Greek) and pulled his toga over his head to hide his eyes from the shame before collapsing out of his chair. Later we were told that the only strike of the twenty-three wounds had been fatal. I had not actually stabbed Caesar in the scuffle but i had seen much. I now served a very important purpose assigned by Brutus. I was instructed to tell the people of Rome that no one, aside from Julius Caesar, would be harmed.