Thomas County cat., 1886-12-09
VICTORiA'S GODSONS.
Two Turkish Babes Brought
Home from tho Crimea.

During the C1mean war there oc-
Cured an incident which resulted.
strangely enough, in the adoption by
her Majesty Queen Victoria of two lit
tie boys.
The Russian army does not contain
any Drawer soldiers than the Cossacks,
free, light-mounted warriors; but, un-
fortunately, their bravery is not tenn
pered with mercy. They arc cruel,
fierce and predatory, and village
through which they have swept during
war time remains blackened ruin
strewn with the dead bodies of old
and young-men, women and chill
dren. Like our red Indians, they
Slaughter all and spare none.
During their victorious march
through the Crimea the allied troops
OF England, France, Sardinia and Tur-
key had ample proof of the cold-blood-
ed nature of the COssacks. Their mode
OF fighting consists of wild, sudden
sortie on the enemy. and their retreat
Is as sudden as their bold descent,
which is often made on some unof1end-
ing town, which they sack and pillage
without remorse. During the autumn
OF 1854 a storming party of English
men drove band Of Cossacks from a
Turkish town they were plundering
and burning. The British force con-
sisted of the crew of H. NJ S. Fire
brand. under Sir Hyde Parker, the
commander of that ship. During the
brief engagement he fell mortally
wounded near the ruins of the resi-
dence of the mukhtar, or mayor, of the
town. A few of his men gathered
around him, among them the chaplain
OF his ship. ana they Were startled by a
strange sound strange, indeed, amid
such scene-the faint cry of a young
infant.
a search was made among the still
smoldering ruins, while the surgeon. of
the Firebrand attended to the wants of
his dying commander, aid sad sght
met the eyes of the searchers
brought tears to those ewes; for rough
tars though the men were, they could
not fail to be touched by the terrible
sight of a woman's dead body stretched
upon the floor of the corridor of the
mansion, where she lay with a child's
form clasped in either arm.
BY her dress she was evidently the
wife OF the mukhtar, who had perished
with his men in the vain attempt to de-
fend his home. The devoted mother
had sought safety in flight, but the
cruel aSsasSinS had struck her down at
the very door. The children were both
living, though wounded and bleeding,
and the sailorS.drew them gently from
the ciinging arms OF their dead mother
and removed their blood-stained gar
ments. \ fountain played near by.
and in its cooling flood the little weep-
ing survivors of the massacre were
bathed right tenderly. and then the pit
lful discovery was made that through
each tiny right arm cruel bullet had
plowed its way. The naked infants
were borne to the side of the diving
man. who turned his eye on them, los
ing sight of his own suffering in theirs.
Wrap them in the flag" he whis-
pered, family.
This was done.
'Baptize them,' said Sir HYDE.
"By what names?" asked the chap
lain.
After our good ship-John and
George Firebrand.''
The solemn rite vas soon over. and
the Captain, whose Iifc-blood was ebb-
ing, beckoned the chaplain to stoop
near. He did SO to catch the parting
words: If they live take them home
to the Queen, God bless her, and tell
her died for my country, and left
them to her care: that the only cloth
ing they have is the British flag"
The brave commander passed away
moment later, and then his men
sought for some means of carrying out
his last request.
ltwas no easy matter. The eldest
child was boy of some two years. but
the other was but six months. What
was to be done with him. The sur
Reon came forward with a suggestion
which was at once adopted. A goat
was procured and taken on board the
ship along with the unexpected addi-
tons to her crew.
ANY mother whose ewes rested on
the wardrobes hastily improvised from
such materials as were at hand for the
two infants thus strangely thrown on
the hands of the manly tars, would
have smiled through tears, but in spite
OF the incongruous surroundings the
little Turks throve at sea- John, the
eldest was an easy-tempered. winning
little fellow, who laughed readily on
all occasions and bore with the cour-
age of man the surgeons necessary
though painful attentions. His face
was completely filled with CRIME aud
powder burns, and remained deeply
SCARED for life. and the bullet wound