Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-01-16
The True History OF the William
Tell Story.

WILLIAM TELL is very hard to kill. Ger.
man writers in the last century demolish
him over and over again, but to little
purpose. He remained the Swiss hero.
and, what IS far worse, those hideous
statues at Altorf continue to assert their
undying ugliness, and pretend to prove,
by their presence there, the truth of the
story. The giant has been recently slain
once more as an impostor. Once more?
Half a dozen times; and each SLAYER takes
himself for the sole and original cham
pion. Swiss professors even have been
at the work of demolition. Three or
| Curious Myths of the Middle Ages" set
up dozen of those myths and bowled
them all down at one bowl; he proved, as
others had done, that the legend of Will.
| liam Tell was ''as fabulous as any other
historical event." Mr.. Barring Gould
| however, does more than some others
have done. He traces the story as far
| back as it can be traced. This the order
of the tradition:
1. In the tenth century tippling.
boasting Danish soldier, named Toki'
| swore he could drive an arrow through
an apple placed on the point of a stick.
at great distance. King Harold Blue
tooth told the boaster that the apple
| should be placed on his sons head, and if
Toki did not send an arrow through it at
the first attempt his own head should paw
the penalty. Toki performed the feat
with perfect success; but Harold, per
ceiving he had other arrows, demanded
the reason thereof, and Toki replied that
if he had injured his son he would have
driven those arrows into the Kings body.
The story was first related by Saxo Gram
nations in the twelfth century
3. But in the eleventh century the
above prototype of Tell had successors
or imitators. King Olaf, the saint of
Norway, challenged Eindridi, among
other things, to shoot with an arrow at
a writing tablet on the head of Eindridi's
son. Each was to have one shot. Olaf
grazed the boys head, whereupon the
boys mother interfered and Eindridi wa7
withdrawn from the contest Olaf re-
marked that his competitor had second
arrow, which Eindridi confessed was in.
tended for His Majesty if anything very
unpleasant had happened to the boy.
). A year or two later in the eleventh
century, another Morse archer, Hemingr,
had a match with King Harold.
Harold set spear shaft for a mark in
the ground. He then fired in the air;
the arrow turned in its descent and
b..
lowed suit and split the Kings arrow,
which was perpendicularly fixed in the
spear shaft. Then the King stuck knife
in an oak. His arrow went into the haft.
Hemingr shot, and his arrow cleft the
haft and went into the socket of the
blade. The enraged King next shot at
tender twig, which his arrow pierced,
but Heminger's split hazel nut growing
upon it. "YOu shall put the nut on your
brother Bjorn's head,' said Harold, 'and
if you do not pierce it with your spear
at the first attempt, your life shall be the
forfeit" Of course the thing was done.
Hemingr is supposed to have had his re-
venge by sending an arrow through
Harold's traches at the battle of STAN
ford Bridge, where he fought On the
English side.
4. In the Farce Isles the above Harold
is said to have had a swimming match
with certain Geyti, who not only beat
him but gave him ducking. Harold
condemned him to shoot a hazel nut off
his brothers head under the usual penal
ty, and with the usual result.
5. The same story is told of one
Puncher Suggestive nance with this diff
ference, that the object aimed at was
coin.
s. In Finland it is son who shoots an
apple off his fathers head, for which feat
some robbers who had captured the sire
gave him up to the son.
Z. In Persian poem Of the twelfth
century King in sport shoots an arrow
at an apple on the head of his favorite
page, who, though not hurt, died of the
fright.
s, The story, with a difference, is told
Of Egii, in the saga of Thidrick, of no
particular date.
.. 1t is familiar to us in the English
ballad of William Of Cloudesler, chrome
logical date of event uncertain.
10. Enter William Tell, in the first de-
cade of the fourteenth century, We
need not tell his well-known tale again.
1t is not necessary to remark, by way of
comment, that the Tell and Gesler legend
was not set up till many years afterward,
and that in no contemporary record is any
mention made of either Tell, Gesler, or
the apple incident. No Vogt named Ges-
Ter ever exercised authority for the En-
pcror in Switzerland; no family bearing
the name of Tell can be traced in any
part of the country.
II, and lastly. The hero's name was
not Tell at all, but M'Leod, and he came
from Braemar Mr.. Barring Gould has
Hulte oFtIioOhcu MIN. therefore Is the
new claimants story here subjoined, in
order to make the roll OF legends com
plete. 1t is taken from "The Braemar
Highlands Their Tales, Traditions and
History" by Elizabeth Taylor. The
King referred to is Malcolm Canmore:
"A young man named M'Leod had
been hunting one day in the royal forest.
A favorite hound of the Kings having
attacked M'Leod, was killed by him. The
King soon heard of the slaughter of his
favorlte, and was exceedingly angry-so
much so that NJ Leod was condemned to
death. The gibbet was erected on Craig
Choinnich, .. e, kenneth's Craig. AS
there was less of justice than revenge in
the sentence, little time was permitted ere
it was carried into execution. The pris-
oner was led out by the north gate of the
castle. The King, in great State, sur
rounded by crowd of his mobiles, fol-
lowed in procession. Sorrowing crowds
of the peonle came after, in wondering
amaZement. AS they moved slowly
on, an incident occurred which ar
rested universal attention. A young
woman, with child in her arms
came rushing through the crowd, and
throwing herself before the King pleaded
with him to spare her husbands life,
though it should be at the expense of all
hey possessed. Her imprisoned en-
treaties were met with silence. Malcolm
was not to be moved from his purpose of
death. Seeing that her effort to move the
King was useless she made her waV to