Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-10-27
MAZEPPA.
The Hero of the Circus Was a Real
Man and He Sat for n Picture.

A portrait Of ATazeppa. painted from
life, has been discovered at keif, II
Southern Russia. and Is engraved by
the Russian academician, Demetry
kowkOsky. II will surprise nearly
every one who hears that MaZeppa was
real living man, who could sit for his
I portable seems so like a purely
mythical being, like Bellerophon or like
one OF the AmaZOns. He is associated
in our minds altogether with the very
unreal world of the circus ring, with
bareback riders and trained horses.
Indeed, he may be said to resemble a
centaur, for he and the fiery steed can
hardly be thought of apart. Yet he
was real man, and cut quite figure
in this part of the world 200 years ago.
This portrait probably represents not a
staggering youth with curling locks
and budding mOustache, but grizzled
warrior in Russian uniform and deco
rated with military orders.
John StephanOyitch Mazeppa was a
COSsack, who made successful war
upon the savage TartarS who deSOlated
Southern Russia. driving them back to
the Caspian. This so recommended
him TO Peter the Great that he invited
the Cossack TO his court and covered
him with hOnOrs and gifts. Rut when
Peter sent him against the invading
Swedes under Charles MI, he be-
trayed the Russians and went over with
his followers to the enemy. Peter de.
feated them both and drove them into
Turkish territory, where, fearing ofall
into the hands of his former relentless
master, MaZeppa killed himself. He had
before this hidden all the treasures
which he had amassed in his wars and
through gifts from those he had served
in caverns in the hills around kief.
The portrait now discovered was prob
ably hidden at this time.
The incident by which alone we know
him actually did occur. He was By
birth COSsack, but when very young
he was sent to serve as page in the
court Of the Polish king. There his
beauty and bravery won him great
favor, especially with the ladies. With
one of them, the wife of a certain
noble, he was supected of too great an
intimacy, and the jealous husband in
revenge ordered hin to be bound naked
TO the back of a wild horse that had
never been ridden. The horse was a
Tartar horse, from the Steppes, and
when lOosed rushed madly back 10 his
native country with the unwilling
rider bound to his back. The COsSacks
received the unhappy youth when
nearly dead from exhaustion and he
grew up among them, remarkable for
strength and bravery, Byron got his
story out of Voltaire's Life of Charles
NIi," and worked 1t up into his
daShing and attractive poem. A story
so dramatic was at once seized upon for
adaptation to the stage, and it was pre-
sented here as early as 1925 by an Eng
llshman named Hunter. He also was
a very handsome man and made great
stlrin lhe town. The picture of Mazeppa
bound 70 the horses back, which every
body knows SO well, was painted by
Horace Vernet, one of the greatest Of
French artists. Nernet, of course,
got his inspiration from Byron, to
whom we all owe whatever knowledge
We may have of the brilliant COssdck
rider and soldier.
Mazeppa's real motive for betraying
Peter are not certainly known. The
Poles, who look upon him as a Hero,
always have maintained that he had in
view the welfare of the Polish nation,
and they point to the fact that he stip-
ulated with the Swedish king for the
independence of Poland. If this be
the truth it gives certain dignity to
the act, but the Russian story runs
more IN accordance with what other
wise is known OF him. They say that
he was led to go over TO the enemy by
the Establishment of certain Polish
princess. This would better cores
pond with the rest of his adventurous
career. Few men, however, who are
simply adventures, get their actions
recorded by a historian like VOltaire,
and celebrated by poet Ike Byron,
and painted by master like Vernet,
and get to be known by all school boys
who speak the English language-and
all this, not from any act of doing, but
one of suffering merely. a better
man might find it dIsageeable to be
personated before the public by some
of the persons who have represented
Mazeppa IN this city in recent time.