Smyrna times., 1871-02-08
" The Wandering Jew"

A rumor comes from a village near Ant
werp that the historic " Wandering jew" has
been seen in that neighbOrhO0d He is re-
ported as having passed rapidly through the
market place, and as having on the outskirts
of the village addressed a few words to some
children, who bolder than their companions
had followed in his path He was dressed in
worn and dingy antique garments, carried
long staff, and with his profuse beard stream
ing in the wind presented such an aweinspr
ing appearance that the terrified villagers fled |
from him in fright When he paused and |
spoke to the children he told them to go back |
and inform the people that new ruler had !
arisen in Europe, who would bring Belgium, |
! Holland, and other countries under his sway, |
| that many strange viclsSitudes would be wit |
messed, and that many proud heads would be
! brought low. On being questioned as to his
name he replied, - eek not to know. | have
been here before in the past. shall be here
again in the future. Until the end of time
shall l walk the earth increasingly" The ap
partition then waving its hand turned from the
children and resumed its plodding walk, and
disappeared in the distance.
The report Of this appearance Of the Wan
dering Jew" has caused great excitement
among the believers in the legend, and the
} truth Of the story is credited throughout Bel
: gium. The legend Of the jew who had wit
| ueSScu Tie CTuCluAlOI, anu ndu DteU COIluCuu-
ed to live and wander over the earth until the
time OF Christ's second coming, originated in
I the middle ages, and can be traced back to the
n Chronicle of the Abbey of St. Albans, which
II was copied and continued by Matthew Paris.
This chronicle relates that in 1928 a certain
v Archbishop of Armenia Major, came to En-.
d gland on visit to sacred places, and while en-
e jOying the hospitality of the Abbey of st. AL
Is bans among other strange stories related tha
tho Toeo,,h -. A.,
le menia who had witnessed the crucifxion
This man, orig nally called Cartaphus, was
in porter in Pilates service, and while Jesus wa
passing out from the Judgment hall impiousl
Id struck him on the back, saying, !" Go quicker
er why do you loiter?'' Jesus looked back o.
him with a severe countenauce, and said, :"
be am going, but you will wait till | return
And accordingly Cartaphilus is still waitin
II his return. After Christ death he was COZ
:. verted and haptised, and his name was chan,
cd to Joseph. 10 1912 the Wandering Je
z appeared at Hamburg, telling story simii'
m. to the above. He, however, said that b
IN name was Ahasuerus, and that he was sho
maker who struck Jesus on the back while
the way to Golgotha. This particular perst
nd is described as tall man, Of about fifty yea
ept of age, with long hair hanging down to b
shoulders, baretooted. and wearing a stranJ
costume. consisting Of sailor trousers, a gov
'ep reaching to the knees, and long mantle flo'
ing down to his feet. He spoke good Germa
in the Saxon dialect In 1915, the WandC
id, ing Jew appeared in the Netherlands, al
this time used the Spanish language fl
years later the Wandering Jew arrived
err Strausburg, and going before the magistrate
informed them that he had visited the c
our just two hundred years before, which sta
lg ment it is asserted, was proved to be tr,
by reference to the town records lie ut
was heard of In the West Indies, and again
the France, where, in 1904, he caused considera
his sensation his presence being accompanied
EOn destructive hurricanes. On April 22d, IL
an individual claiming to be the Wanderi
lnly Jew appeared in Brussels, and told his stC
in. to the common people; he, however, b
had changed the popular mare of this charac
sted and called himself Isaac Laquedem. This
title gend has formed the subject of numerous POI
lar ballads in the different languages of |
and rope and also of poems, tales and novels,
Ma distinguished authors. 1t may here be
rite, marked, that this curious myth seems to hi
originated in that passage Of the Gospel of
John, twenty first chapter and twenty
rm- verse, where Jesus says of John, If |
bern that he tarry till | come, what is that TO th
bicb follow thou me. Then went this saying abr
mis-. among the brethren that that disciple she
AS. not die. "-Ihaa. Ledger.