Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-10-01
BITS OF IMPORTATION.

BENJAMIN West was President Of the
Royal Academy, London, in 1892.
PLATO was born 429 B. c., and died
among friends at wedding feast, ct the
age OF 81.
THE Rothschild family and house was
founded by Anselm at Frankfort, in 1743
to 1772.
The words "Comin' thro' the rye" do
not refer to field of rye. but to GUS
tom at fording- place Of the river Rye,
where. a young man and woman met
he was entitled to kiss.
The origin of the phrase "dark as
Egypt's night" is found in the tenth
chapter of Exodus, the 2lst to 23d
verses: "And the Lord said unto Moses,
stretch out thine hand toward heaven,
that there may be darkness over the land
OF Egypt, even darkness that may be felt.
And Moses stretched forth his hand
toward heaven; and there was a thick
darkness in all the land of Egypt for
three days; they saw not one another,
neither rose any from his place for three
days; but all the children Of Israel had
light in their dwellings,"
The interest in the history OF New
Testament manuscripts, which has been
occasioned by the late revision, brings to
notice the somewhat curious derivation
OF the word "traitor." On the 22d OF
February, A. D. 800, the Roman Empe-
ror Diocletian issued decree requiring
all Christians to deliver up their sacred
writings to be burned, on penalty Of
torture and death. The decree went in
to effect simultaneously in the various
provinces of the empire, and churches
were broken into in the search for cop
les OF the sacred writings. and when the
books could not be found those who were
supposed to be their custodians were
tortured till they told their secret or
died. Private individuals were exam
lned with inexorable rigor, and brides
and fortunes were freely applied. Some
yielded and delivered up their precious
manuscripts to be burned. They were
not many who did SO, but for those who
did new word of infamy came into
use. They were called "deliverers up, "
"tradltores in the Latin. and from this
came our English "traitors
THE story of the origin of the phrase
"the dark horse" which is now so COM
monty used in political sense, is as
follows: Once upon time there lived in
Tennessee an old chap named Sam
Flynn, who traded in horses, and gem
orally contrived to own speedy nag or
two, which he used for racing purposes
whenever he could pick up "soft
match y during his travels. The best Of
his flyers was coal-black stallion
named Dusky Pete, who was almost a
thoroughbred and able to go in the best
of company. Flynn was accustomed to
straddle Pete when approaching town
and ride him into it to give the i'm.
preston that the animal was merely q
likely boss" and not fast stopper.
One day he came to town where q
country race-meeting was being held,
and he entered Pete among the contest.
ants. The people of the town, moi
knowing anything of his antecedents,
and not being over impressed by his ap.
pearance, backed two or three local f.
vorites heavily against him. Flynn
moved among the crowd and took ali
the bets offered against his nag. Just
as the "fyers were being saddled fol
the race old Judge McMinamee, who
was the turf oracle of that part of the
State, arrived on the course and wa,
made one Of the judges. AS he took hi
place on the stand he was told how the
betting ran, and of the folly of the owner
of the strange entry in backing hi
plug" SO heavily. Running his eye
over the track the Judge instantly rec
ognized Pete, and said, Gentlemen
there's dark horse in this race that will
make some of you sick before supper.
The Judge was right. Pete, the "darl
horse" lay back until the three-quarte1
pole was reached, when he went to- the
front with o rush, and won the purs.
and Flynn's bets with the greatest ease