Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-04-24
All blind Mans BuT,

All About Blind MANS Bun.
Hezekiah Butterworth, in st. Nicholas for
May.l
All Of our young readers like to play
Blind Mans Buff, when they can; and
SO do many of the older readers, for that
matter. But every one may not know
that the game is more than eight hun
dred years old, and that it was favorite
amusement. of gay courts and merry
making princes and princesses, before il
became the favorite holiday pastime Of
boys and girls. Blind Mans Buff is one
of the sports that came over to England
in the train Of William the Conqueror.
1t had its origin in Liege, one of the
fair provinces Of France, in the pros
porous days of Robert the Devout, who
succeeded the famous old French mon
arch, Hugues Capet, in the year 1896.
In the year 999, Liege received, among
her valient chiefs, one john Colin. He
was almost giant in strength, Sam
son among the Liegeois, and nearly
shared the experience of Samson of old,
as you shall presently hear. This grim
warrior used to crush his opponents
with mallet 1t was considered desir-
able to honor him with title which
should follow his name. What should it
be? Not head,hitter," of course; but
the poetical designation Maillard, or
Jean Colin of the Mallet. ErA
Feuds we're of perpetual occurrence
in those dark old times, and Jean
Collins mallet was kept constantly busy
in ouelling them. Terrible became the
But Liege had another valiant chief,
Count de Louvain, who, when Maillard
had proved himself superior TO all of his
other opponents, continued to bear arms
against him.
We can not say whether or not Count
de Louvain learned his war lessons from
the conduct of the enemies Of Samson,
sut, as he was ambitious to avoid the
tap OF Jean Collins mallet upon his own
head, be formed the plan Of putting out
Jean Collins eyes.
A great battle was fought between the
two chiefs and their forces. Atthe very
first onset Count de Louvain succeeded
in his purpose of piercing both the eyes
of Maillard, and he looked upon the field
as already won. But the latter, with a
spirit like that Of blind Samson, deter
mined that his opponents should perish
with him, and ordered his esquire to
take him into the thickest Of the hight.
There he brandished his mallet on either
hand, and did such fearful execution
that his enemies fell around him in such
numbers that victory soon declared itself
on his side, oi.11 ir tsa1
But, samson-like, though blind. he dealt
Such blows as never fOemen felt;
To shun them, were in vain.
This way they fed, and that they run;
But, of an hundred men, not one
Fer saw the light again"
Robert the Devout, of France, whose
troubles with his wives you may have
read in history, was very fond of deeds
of valor, and that of Jean Colin Mail
lard kinjle his admiration. He Law
ished honors on the victorious blind
man, and ordered the stage players to
bring out pantomime Of his contest
with Count de Louvain for the pleas
ure of the court. The court were de-
lighted with the play, for the terrible
mallet Of Maillard, and the warriors
dropping down here and there, almost
without knowing what had bit them, was
all very exciting, and people in tina,
rude age liked what was sensational
even more than they do now. The chill
dren began to act similar play in the
streets, one of the players, more strong