Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-07-09

demand, the door was opened, the
leader, followed by a detachment,
enters. The party that has en-
tered the house remains in It for
ten minutes or more. There are
confused sounds within the house,
as swords crossing in deadly com
bat, and of Il struggle for lie aud
death. Thon ell grows silent
again, and the party energies once
more into the street. The band,
at q word from their leader, re.
traces its steps, and the march is
taken up once more, under the
lamps and past the Cathedral, un.
til the. river side Is gained. Here
the band enters the yawl; the
moorings are cast loose, and the
mysterious craft, propelled by the
strong arms Of the rowers, and
the current in It's favor, bears away
swiftly down the river. "
Concerning the events Of hat
night, in their proper order, furth-
er than the stated facts, the tradi-
ton is silent. But on the next
day, when attracted by tue open
door Of the strangers dwelling,
the ncighbors entered the house,
n CHASTITY scene presented ITSELF
The little room vas in confusion,
and blood, recently shed, was WIS.,
Idle everywhere, in spots upon the
wall, and in pools upon the floor.
Not a trace Of the strangers res.
idence there was apparent. From
the room they went into the yard
the bloody evidences Of crime
preceding them. In the yard the
earth was found to have been dis
turbed at a certain spot. Near
this spot was lying a board upon
which was hastily written in Turk
ish characters:
THE DATE TEE SHALL GROW BAR
Rem ABOVE THE TRAITORS
GRAVE"
An investigation of the soil dis
closed the fact that the stranger
had been slain and that his head
less trunk had been buried beneath
the board. Search was made for
the head, but the unsuccessful re-
suit proved that those who had
done the deed had cut 1t from the
body and borne it away with them.
Before nightGall Of the day sub
sequent to the movement Of the
hand, a hundred facts were recalled
bearing upon the subject of their
arrival. 1t was remembered that
a suspicious looking barge, filed
with men, had been noticed APP
preaching the city from below, at
about the time when the storm
had commenced on the previous
night, and seafaring men who had
recently arrived in town recollect-
ed that they had seen q foreign
craft, having a military cut about
her, and bearing the Turkish flag,
beating about in the oflug Of the
mouth Of the river, at the time
that they crossed the bar. Others
testified to the mysterious sounds
of the tramping feet and the rat
ting scabbards, as the band had
passed their dwelling, and the i'm.
mediate neighbors vaguely remem-
bered the stopping of he party
before the door Of the strangers
house. The impression became
confirmed among the people that
the stranger was q foreigner Of
distinction, who had fallen under
the ban Of some powerful enemy;
and many there we're who averred
that the unfortunate man was q
rebellious brother Of the Tarkish
Sultan, Zelim Ill, and that his
captors we're the emissaries Of that
ruler. No subsequent judicial ex-
animation Of the case could pre-
sent the tragedy in 3 different
light.
In due time, in fulfllment of the
written prophecy, the first tender
shoots of the accursed, date tree
destined to bear no fruit, broke
the soil ut the spot where the
board, with the inscription upon
it, had been found. The tree grew
with years, carefully nursed for
the sake Of its prophetic begin
ming, and for the history that at
tached to it, until 1t became hardy
and strong and rugged. Genera
tons have passed away, but it. still
stands, keeping watch above the
Old red.tiled dwelling !; and alien,
unfamiliar spectacle in the great
city, and the object of q strong
solicitude and interest to those
who have grown to manhood and
womanhood within the circle of
its influence. Was the stranger a
disloyal Musselman was he a
t%rcacherous buccaneer!-are cues.
tions that will never be definitely
answered, The tradition declares
him to have been the former, and
the evidences of the case point to
that fact. But however that nav
be-Turk OF rover Of the seas
the memory Of him survives in the
annals ofNew Orleans, linked with
the story Of the Barren Date Tree,
Of which it was fOretold that L
should grow above the traitors