San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-05-24
y, AUGUsTISE's ROMANCE.
.aof Ponce do Lson-fhs story OF u G
ff rp,.s.ou-Lady in'r and Don Manuel.
y, Correspondence Philadelphia Press,

No ,ban 81. Augustine. 1t is fact
4Iy little is known of the earlier days
ta iasa nlace. This uncertainty has de-
OlI a"ed the natural tendency to in.
,,aIVs such obscurity in romance, and
vow 70, ISN'T is several pretty stories,
mU NH are interesting and may be
wiz Il is believed that Juan Ponce
u la Leon, the gallant old Spanish nav.
&c :,tor and companion OF Columbus,
the latter days Of his eyentful life,
u ai,Sooyered the site Of the city which
a 'laS an Indian village. A beautiful
c S"S maiden, Aleida, whom the gal
,.nt Sponiard had seized in some of
T;rg;n islands of the coast, told De
Lson of the springs OF eternal youth,
anS her beauty, as well as his
a adv years, caused him to make
y rallant effort to find it. For this
aurnose as well us that of discovery,
pa Leon made permanent settle
ment in st. Augustine in 1912, and
Lid the foundation of the old fort
which stands Just north of the town,
covered with the mold and dust of cent
ures and differed and garrisoned by
q veteran ordnance sergeant.
De Icons Mission peaceful and ro-
mantle as it was, led him to make
treaties with the Indians, the friendly
Selooes and the warlike Yotematoes.
Following the customs of European
courts, though in an an humble way,
he established bull-fghts at Zorro,
vile villa del Torro)in the city limits,
and taught the savages the pleasures
If life as he understood them. To-
moka, chief of the Caribs, the most
savage of tribes, became enamored of
Aleida, at one of the games instituted
BY De Leon, and demanded that he
and De Leon should fight for her fair
hand. This, De Leon, who was old
and finrm, refused to do, but pro-
posed a grand combat between his
soldiers and the tribe of Tomoka.
Meantime De Leon had discovered
spring, which is still shown, just over
the St. Sebastian river, which was
regarded with venerable superstition
BY the Indians. The waters had
such effect on De Leon that he be-
lieved it to be fountain of youth.
According to tradition, an angel
came every evening to drink of the
"water of life,' as the Indians called
it, and the dewdrops falling from his
wings gave to the spring it's wonder
full curative and restoring powers.
A curiously wrought cup of clay, from
which the angel drank, is still in the
possession of Tustenuggee (Tom IL
ger Tally whose son was so drunk IN
Kissimmee City saloon the other day,
and is regarded as the most sacred OF
relics by the Seminoles. Tomoka did
not believe in the superstition, and
greatly offended the Setooes and Vote
matoes, by drinking out of and finally
Selling the cup, which was thought to
be the vilest sacrilege, Ponce de Lee
on angered at Tomoka's love for Ale
ida, and full of the superstition of the
time, determined upon tho destruc.
ton of the chief, and sailed out OF
the fort with all his soldierst o attack
him.
The two warriors met. De Icons
page threw himself before Tomokas
spear, and saved De Icons life for
moment, but it was still at the mercy
of the savage. Suddenly Aleida at
tired in the dress of a Carib which she
had slain, darted forward, and draw
ing her bow, pierced Tornoka to the
heart, and reaching forward to snatch
the sacred cup from the dead chiefs
neck, was struck by poisoned arrow
and fell dead. The battle was dec1d-
ed by De Icons friends, the Selooes
and Yotematoes appearing and killing
every one of the Cards. Tomokas
body was buried on Anastacia Islands,
near the Coqulnn quarfleS, "HeIe Ulie
giant remains were discovered some
years ago. Aleida and the page were
buried near the spring, and Ponce De
Leon, sorely wounded, was borne H.
to the fort. An old slab of marble
dug up near the spring, which now
bears the name of De Leon, has this
inscription in Spanish, This narrow
place is the sepulcher of a hero who
was in name lion, and much more
In reality, Ponce De Leon.
Another legend, that Ofthe dungeon
Of the old fort, is perhaps worth tel
ling. In 1865, Menendez, who is re-
membered as a tyrant, became the
Adalantado or the Governor of / lorlua.