South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-07-21
Damon and Pythlas.
BY THE "FAT CONTRIBUTION"

G1 1h6 TAI OONIhlbUTOR.
THE Knights of Pythias. vays the
Omaha correspondent of the Cincinnati
Times, are making quite a sensation in
Omaha at present. I can find out very lit
Tie about that mysterious order. The title
OF the order vas doubtless suggested by
the history of those ancient Greek buffers
VINO carried on q general friendship bust
ness under the finn name of damon d
Pythias." These worthless lived in SYRIA
s IN. ". and were consequently known
as "Salt PInters." Their back doors
fronted each other, and they were the
wsfmest kind of friends, even in mid-win-
Ter. Their friendship dated back to the
DAYS of sunny childhood. If one of them
had anything he always wanted the other
to have some of it. II, for instance, Da-
mon got a licking from the school master,
he wasn't satisfied until Pythias got one
too. Pythias got the measles once, and be
went right of and gave them to Damon.
They shared everything together. Damon
found his fathers whisky bottle one day,
bat he didn't keep it to himself. Not he.
He went and got Pythias drunk. II
Pythias run all night Damon kept it up
all the next day, so that the days of Da'
mon were equal to the Knights of Ply
thias.
Damon was a member of the City Coun-
Gil of Syracuse, while Pythias belonged TO
the National Guards. 1t appears that one
Dionysius had been scheming to have the
Council declare him Mayor of Syracuse
without a vote of the people, and succeed
ed one morning when Damon wa absent.
Ascertaining what had been done, Damon
fastened to the council chamber, denounc-
inn nlnnUcfr1o opd hic ColfAn- ~ ", nv
who sustained the fraud. Meeting Do
nysius, he attempted to stab him with an
ivory paper-cutter, remarking as he did
Sc
by all the godsI one blow
And Syracuse is free!"
There had been a heavy duty on SYRIA
cuse up to that time, owing to the salt
monopoly, and Damon was a free-trader.)
He might have freed his beloved city from
the tyrant had he not stopped to "9Wy all
the gods, " and blow about it He was
secured by the mayors new police and
condemned to death.
Pythias had q sweetheart named Cal
anthe, whom he loved next to Damon.
Their wedding day was appointed, and
just as the marriage ceremony was being
performed, news was brought 10 Pythias
of what had occurred, and leaving Cal
anthe only about hslf-married, he FASTENED
to the station-house where Damon was
confined, arriving just as he was being
led forth to execution. Damon was peti'
toning Dionysius for a few hours respite,
in order that he might see his family, but
the tyrant wouldn't listen to it.
Pythias then offered to take Damons
place for the space of six hours, and if, al
the expiration of that time, his friend re
turned not, he would perish in his stead
hoped to die if he wouldn't The propo,
sition was accepted, and Damon hurried
away to his family, who lived away out
in the vicinity of the salt works.
Sad indeed was the parting of Mr.. and
Mrs. Damon. The interview was neces
sarily brief. He had to hurry back, or he
wouldn't be in season to see himself de
Damon was much affected, and when hC
tore himself away there was q dame on
the floor in a swoon-
Fetch up the old mare !" yelled Damon
70 his hired man, Lucullus. He wa
excited, because, you see, it was getting
late, and he didn'twant to keepthe execu
toner waiting on his account. Then i
was Lucullus acknowledged that, in order
to save his master, he had given the ole
mare q dog-button, and the coroner was
ven then sittieg IN the body. Furious
at the thought of not reaching Syracuse
within the allotted time, and knowing how
mortified Pythiss would be if compelled
to die in consequence, he seized Lucullu:
to rend him to pieces. Il would have beer
goodbye Lucullus had not a horsemar
appeared at that moment, whom Damon
persuaded to dismount, taking him gently
by the throat. Then, mounting in hi:
stood ho dochad oHau ~ u-orlz 4La 1s4-
In the meantime, every preparation
had been made for the execution of Pyth.
las.
Time was up, and no word from Damon
The people sneered, and asked if anybody
supposed Damon was such a fool as tc
come a agsin, and even Pythias began
to fear his old pard had gone back Oh
him
Suddenly a great shout was heard. A
cloud of dust was seer to rise up in the
direction of the salt-works. 1t approached
rapidly, and in a short time Damon CAM
tearing in on horseback, at a pace that
would have made Phil Sheridan SC
ashamed of himself that he would have
ridden twenty miles away" and hid.
There was Just a shade of ~disappoint
ment on DamOn's face when he saw thai
Pythias still lived; but he jumped off hi:
horse, threw a handspring on the scat
fold, and shouted :"Bring on your cleaver
Damon is on deckl"
Dionysius was so struck with this exhi
bition of friendship that he pardoned then
both at once. They then fell into eacl
others arms, exclaiming:
"PythyI"
"Damyr'