Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-02-01
Truth Stranger than Fiction.

S'1 ohu sOi4 SVt ". 4SOf u0 Wv -hO'S.1
Truth Stranger than Fiction.
The past history of the families of Louis
Napoleon and the Sultan of Turkey is full
of interesting and marvellous incidents,
some of which are probably not generally
known to our readers:
These two monarchs, few years ago, so
cordially united in the struggle to maintain
the integrity of the Ottoman Empire, are
both descendants of American ladies the
one grandson, the other great grandson.
These ladies were born 10 the same neigh.
borhood, on the Island of Martinique, one
of the West Indies. They were of French
origin, and companions and intimate friends
in their childhood and youth. They were
Josephine de Tascher and Miss s..
The history of Josephine is generally known.
She went to France, and was married to NJ
de Beauharnias, by whom she had son,
Eugene, and daughter, Hortense. Some
time after the death of Beauharnias, jose
phine was married to Napoleon Bouaparte,
and became Empress of France. Her
daughter, Hortense, was married to Louis
Bonaparte, then King of Holland and the
present Emperor of France is her SOD by
this marriage.
But now for the romance of the affair.
Josephine's bosom friend Quilted the Island
of Martinique sometime before she did
But the vessel that was carrying her to
France was attacked and taken by Algerine
corsairs, and the crew and passengers made
prisoners, but the corsair ship was, in turn,
attacked and pillaged by Tunis pirates, and
Miss S., was carried by them to CONSTANT.
nople, and offered for sale as slave. Her
extraordinary beauty and accomplishments
found her purchaser in the Sultan him.
self, and she soon became the chief lady in
bis seraglio, and Sultaness of Turkey.
Mahmoud II. was her SOD; Abdel Medjid
was the son of Mahmoud; and the present
Sultan, Abdul Aziz Khan is the grandson
of Mahmoud.
Thus the TWO sovereigns who now occupy
so large space in the worlds eye are des-
cended from two American creole girls, who
were playmates in their youth, and as re-
markable for their beauty and excellent dis.
positions as for their varied and singular
fortunes. Both these women, in the height
of their power, remembered the friends of
their youth, and provided munifceptly for
their welfare. Many of the relatives of
the Sultaness left the Island of Martinique
and settled at Constantiuople, where their
descendants still reside, and enjoy the favor
of the Sultan.
The Sultaness died in 1911; the Em.
press Josephine in 1914.
The VALUE OF A NEGRo's OATH.-The
African race are doubtless naturally the
most incorrigible liars on the face of the
globe, and many of our negroes have stud
led the art until there is no room for i'm
provement, and to tell the truth, except by
an unfortunate accident, would be regarded
by some of our sable Munchausens as an
everlasting disgrace.
As specimen of the value to be attach
ed to negro evidence, We will relate little
incident which occurred recently in the
Provost Judges Court:
A big, burly black, was brought up on a
charge of assaultiDg 'fellow man and a
brother" with slung-shot, with which he
knocked him down three times.
The injured party came up bruised and
battered, with his head terribly swollen,
and deposed, solemnly on oath, that although
he had been knocked down three times
with a slungshot, the accused was "oDly
playin wild him"
The Judge not appreciating such rough
sport, turned sternly upon the, witness with
the query:
"Row much did the accused give you to
tell that lie ?'
"He only gin me two dollars and seben,
ty-6be cents, sir was tie reply, given be.
fore the witness had time to stake his bear
ings."
And this is but sample of transactions
which, we doubt not, take place before ev-
cry tribunal where negro evidence is admis-
siLle The proposal to make the African a
competent witness in our counts, surely
needs mature reflection and double guard.
-Richmond Sentinel