Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-07

Altogether regard thsseruins ofUmm
81 Ksnatar as the most interesting
discovery l have yet made, and as being
well worthy another visit and more
minute examination than was able to
bestow upon them.
The sbeik now appeared to think he
had done his duty, and expressed his
intention Of returning to his village and
leaving me to find my way down the
wady Samak by myself. This l did
not object TO, rs there WAS still plenty
Of daylight, and could, in fact. make
out from where l was now standing the
position Of the ruins Of Kersa on the
margin of the lake, whittier | had dis
patched my servants and baggage-ani-
mails direct from my last nights quar-
tiers, with orders TO await my arrival
there.
1t was up the branch Of the Wady
that was descending that the pro-
posed railway from Haifa to Damascus
would have to be led, and it was some
satisfaction to see that it offered facili-
ties for the ascent Of the line. The
scenery was in the highest degree pic
turesque, the sides Of the valley some
times sloping back for some distance to
the foot Of the basalt precipices, which
formed its upper wall (; at others these
approached and formed projecting and
oyerhanging promontories, like that on
which the Kasr Berdawil was situated.
We scrambled down by rugged path to
the small stream at the bottom, with the
view Of following it, if possible, to its
outlet on the lake, but this we soon
found to be impracticable, and were
assured by Bedouin, whose hut we
finally reached on its margin, that we
must cross it, and make an ascent on
the opposite side. This led us by
roundabout, billy, but picturesque
route. across numerous and intersect-
ing wadies, and pastone ruin, Of which
nothing remained but the black blocks
of hewn basalt. was fortunate enough,
however, to meet man who told me
the name, which / added to my
list Of unknown ruins, and so after
much scrambling we reached at last the
white limestone strata, and the purling
brook again with its fringe of oleanders,
and could see in the distance the one
large solitary tree which We had given
as our rendezvous, and beneath which
our servants were standing, that marks
the site of the ruins Of Kersa, or the
Gergesa of the Bible, where Christ
healed the two men possessed with
devils, and suffered those malignant
spirits to enter into the herd Of swine.
There is discrepancy in the accounts
of the evangelists in their narrative OF
the incident. Mark and Luke, in our
version, locate it in the country Of the
Gadarenes, but Matthew states it to
have taken place in the country Of the
Gergesenes. The Vulgate, Arabic, and
Others that follow the Vulgate, read
Gergesa in all the evangelists, and there
can be no doubt that this is the correct
reading, for the simple reason that the
miracle could not have taken place
in the country Of the Gadarenes, a
district which lies south Of the Var
muk and at long distance from the
lake, the principal town, Gadara, the
modern I'm Kels, about the identifica-
ton of which there can be no doubt,
being at least eight miles from it. Now,
the account says that "when he came
out of the ship Immediately there met
him man" also that the herd ran
down a steep place violently into the
sea. To do this, if the incident had
taken place at Gadara, they must have
descended 1000 feet to the Yarmuk,
swan across that river, clambered up
the opposite bank, and then raced fol-
about six miles across the plain before
they could reach the nearest margin OIL
the lake. Scarcely any amount Of
insanity on the part of the devils would
account for such a mad career, but IN
point Of fact it does not tally with the
Scripture record, according to which
they rushed down a steep place into the
sea. This is exactly what they could
do at Kersa. The margin of the lake
is here within few rods Of the base o.
the cliff, where there are ancient tombs
out of which may have issued the mer
who met Christ on the plateau above
and it is easy to suppose that the swine
rushing down the sloping cliff, would
have impetus enough on to carry them
across tbenarrow slip ofshore at its base
The remains now only consist of Ions
lines Of wall, which may easily b
traced, and considerable area strewr
with building-stones, which show tina
it must in old time have contained ,
considerable population. This is NOR
likely to be the case, as it was the chic
town of district which was callec
after it. In fact, the picturesque ant
interesting Wady Samak, with its evi
dences of former civilization, and it
"place of arches and handsome syna
gogue, was, in fact, "the country o
the Gergesenes !" and there can be lit
tie doubt that to Christ and His dis
ciples the remote corners of it, which
had been the first to explore, were init
mately known.
| The ruins Of Kersa are good dea
overgrown, and in the cover which i
thus afforded / put up wild boar
He dashed away so suddenly, however
that a bullet from a revolver, whicl
was sent after him, failed to produc
any result. i have little doubt that tn
old Roman road turned from the lax
at this point up the Wady Samak
as there are traces here and Their
indicating such probability. l
will be q singular commentary Of
the progress of events If it turns GU
that it has taken the best gradient, ant
if, upon its ancient track, the scream Q
the locomotive may in the near futur
be heard waking up the long-silen
echoes of the country Of the GEL
gesenes.
Drunken Chicago women.
lChicago letter.
Of course will apologize to the fai