Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1869-10-22

Historical HaIis6Hgs - U-Ilitam
TEL

c
er We seek them abroad, or look at home,
this truth is manifest; bul il IS puticular-
" emArkaDle what a number uf them still
remain on the page OF history. Because
they ara venerable an romantic people are
ttraid to expose them. But truth must
ouf, and We propose to nave a tilt At them
all aruuad, great aux small.
Lit Us begin with Within Tell. Hcw
many centuries has that patriutic nOnenity
been shooting It that eternal applet ORA
ntticaly treated by Schiller, he Is lutte est
ilg..; opuraticalg, by Rossini, even more s. f;
0ut as % facts, tie remark, Tel est Ia Uie is
anything but applicable Z, this case, since
William Tell never hat any life at all, but
vas q myth, "a pure-f MT as simDle-as
that other William .mmortaI d by Madame
Rachel.
The following facts, at least, are now ad
nitted by all hisJOr. ana
/. Gessler was not atyraanical Govern
ar.
3. There never was Governor Of that
name.
g. Tells Gather-in-law vas not maltreated
4 he had M fatber-in-iaw.
81 The Swiss revolution was not led by
Tell.
o. Tell never * stad at all.
L this is not en'u.h let Us critically ex-
anime tha well known l-gand an We shall
fnd that il will not stand the test.
"W William Tells fasher-in-lAw. an aged
mar, having incurred the resentment Of the
Governor, was bar5arcusly punished by
aim.
"rsIl resolved on reveng' Gsssler, ta
aumnliate the dsaf cted Eiss, ordered
Lhe dIcal cap Of Aus ria to be placed on a
puie -
Very unlikely tn # Pole ii iuld be made
D Ike Of Asstrir. VIII wag the am o. the
Pole, and how N M Of bis decend ants are
Living
"Hs commanded all wh1 passed by to
stop and bow t. it,"
SLOW could they stop and bow to il If
they passed byi Tell wasevid idently unable
Or unwilling TO undertake the d ffisult feat
so he was taken t. custody, and theu-
&c .ssler tyrannica y commanded him to
holt an apple of his sons head
Sur-lg tl1is~ss net very tYranical- T.
vas an easy task 10 shoot an apple oT bis
head the diff ,ulty was To shoot it wuen it
vas on bis head, without inj'wing him.
However, it IS recorded that William Tell
performed the operation successfully, and
AMI "clea tle appls to th5 core" lmne-
lately
"rhere vas General Stout"
Of an Austrian General Of that name and
what had NJ to do with the affair
| "A i'd Tell, tn the satisfaction Of all, was
| ,hont to b., set free, when G-ssler noticed
/ he had a clnd arras ia his belt. he ash,
/ 81 what it vas for, and Tell replied, " L
/ send it 10 thy heart had / slain my cnild.
/ Til, Was altogether so unnecessary anc
nelo dramatic a repl , aud 80 obviously Ia
tended N, ugh n pun 10 her, to produc'
a Tell ing aud AR owing etfsrt, that WI
don't think il really happened mAch.
The legend then relates that william
Tell, being taken in a boat TO Gessler's sea
Of Rovernme = storm came on in the mid
die of the L Axe Of Zurich, And all the GoV
ern 'r's followers became instantly reduces
to imhecility.
"rell, who was noted for a staersnan a
well as for an archer" Qhe mountaineers q
S sitzarland were naturally perfect 10 nav
gation), b,u and Immediately seized th
tiller."
We iruagins the on'y sor. OF tillers tn
pastoral Tell knew much aoout were tilleI
OF .he soil, huw r.
"IIs guided tie boat slfely to the shori
Llnding drsr, be leveled bis bow and sh'
, GsSsler TO the heart"
The legend thus coltradicting itself, {,
il else here describes the Governor a.
"a tyraat rhOss heart no hing con
touch"
! "a revolt followed the oppressors Of q
country we're driven our, and Independents
crowned the forts of the patriots"
a Being r publicUs, it is doubtful wheth
they cared much alo C having any budg
ANYTHING crowned in thrir country.
But ~ 5hiuk that enough has been "a
tn prove hat william Tell ID entltlel to
hr,t rank As an historical humbug, and
, make our readers when they ars bother
. about this mythical haro, scornfuIy e
Il claim ssD mt Tell M p