Short note of the destruction of Bet-Tur through the axle of the waggon. They used to plant trees on the birth of a child and afterwards used them at its wedding. These were once cut down by the Romans to make an axle for the carriage of the Emperor’s daughter, and the people rose in consequence against the Roman soldiers. This was taken as a sign of rebellion and the town was destroyed, the blood flowing for miles into the sea.
75 a. When Akibasaw Bar Coziba he declared him to be the Messiah. He had a large army of 80,000 and he had 200,000 from whom one finger was cut off. He was told by the sages not to mutilate the people any more and they advised him to recruit only such men who riding on horses could uproot trees. And they got 200,000 in this manner. He also said like Bar-Deroa “Do not help us O Lord and do not subdue us” and he sinned by so speaking. Adrianus besieged Bet-Tur for three years without being able to conquer it and he almost gave up. Eleazar Hamudai fasted daily, and prayed to God that the town might not be taken. A Kuthean asked Adrianus to wait and see what he could do, and he went up and pretended to whisper in to the ear of Eleazar, who was the uncle of Bar Coziba. On being asked what they had been whispering the Kuthaean said, “Whatever I say I shall be killed so I may as well tell the truth,” so he replied, that Eleazar had whispered to him that he might hand the town over to the Romans. So Bar Coziba asked Eleazar what he had said to the Khutean and Eleazar answered “Nothing.” Bar Koziba enraged, kicked Eleazar and killed him and a voice said
"'Oh you false shepherd who leaves the sheep! Thou hast killed R. Eleazar the right arm and the eye of Israel and thine arm shall be cut off and thine eye blinded." Bet- Tur was captured and Bar Coziba was slain and a snake was found round his body. The horses waded up to their bellies in blood and the brains of 300 children were found on one stone, one child only escaping, Shimeon ben Gamliel. They made a hedge of the dead of Bet-Tur eighteen miles square around the vineyards of Adrianus and the cause of destruction in that place was, that men used to intercept the pilgrims to Jerusalem and keep them there and were accustomed to obtain possession of the people by false pretences.