Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-16
Weird and Romantic Tales Woven
About Mythical Footprints.
HORSE SHOES OF KING ARTHUR.
Traditions Of Holy Friar Who KneIt in
Prayer for 200 Years.
SACRED RELICS PRESERVED AT ROME

these antiquarian remains has long been
matter of conjecture, but, judging from the
traditions which have clustered round them,
they would seem to owe their existence 70
supernatural agency.
Thus, at Hood Hill, in the North Riding
of Yorkshire, is large block of stone with
the mark Of foot on the center Of the top of
1t, locally known as the ''Devi's Footstep."
The story goes that when the first mission
aries to this country were teaching their doc
trines on an adjoining hill, where this rock
then was, the devil appeared and tried to
confute them. Being defeated, he escaped
across the valley, still designated as the
Devils Leap" the rock still sticking to his
foot and eventually falling off on to its pres
ent site.
FOOTPRINTS OF A MARTYR.
In Lancashire two well-known footprints
have long been source of attraction to
sight-seers. In a passage near the dining
room at Smithell's Hall is a cavity in a flag
stone, bearing some resemblance to the
print of a mans foot. This cavity is re-
ported by tradition to have been caused by
the martyr George Marsh stamping his foot
to confirm his testimony. According to one
story, being provoked by the taunts and
prosecutions of his examiners, he stamped
with his foot upon stone and prayed that
there might remain in that place a constant
memorial of the Biekeness and injustice of
his enemies"
1t IS further said that in the last century
some young men then living at the Hall
one night removed the stone, and that the
inmates of the house were so much disturbed
by alarming noises that they could not rest
A g SOOn aS the StOna raD1aoad ba
ceased. In the wall of the chaneel of Brin-
die Church is small indentation resembling
the form of foot, which, says the popular
legend, was made by the high-heeled shoe
of Popish disputant, who, in the heat of
debate, wished, if the doctrine he advanced
were not true, that his foot might sink into
the stone, upon which the reforming
stone," writes Baines in his Lancashire,
Instantly soitened and buried the Papist-
ieal foot"
PRINT OF A HIGH-HEELED SHOE.
Near the Cathedral of Aghadoe, in the
south Of Ireland, formerly stood circular
stone with two hoilows in it, which tradi-
tion affirmed were, in days of old, caused by
holy friar kneeling there for 200 years,
during which period he was engaged in
prayer and devout meditation. Hard BY
grew bush on which pilgrims to the place
were accustomed to hang pieces of rag, torn
from their garments. Another popular
story is briefly told by Planche in his 'Cor-
ner of Kent" ''The holy missionary (St
Augustine) on leaving the ship-at the port
of Richborough-trod on a stone which re-
tanned the print Of his foot as though it had
been clay. This stone was preserved in q
chapel dedicated to st. Augustine after his
canonization, and crowds of people focked
to it for many years on the anniversary of
the day."
KING ARTHUR'S HoRsEsHoEs.
In Cornwall many of the curious marks
on the rocks are attributed to King Arthur.
Not far from the Devils Colt, in st. CoIumb,
there is a large stone upon which are deeply
impressed marks which, we are told, little
fancy may convert into the marks of four
horseshoes. This is king Arthur stone,"
and these marks were made by the horse
upon which he rode when he resided at
Castle Denis and hunted on the moors.
Again, on the steepest side of Nessclif
Hill, overlooking the high road from
Oswestry to Shrewsbury, is a large eaye in
the face of rock, we'll known in the neigh
borhood as "Kynaston's Cave" once the
dwelling of "Wild Humphrey Kynaston,"
a Veritable high-born outlaw in the time Of
Henry VII, who is still remembered by the
pOOE dS q NGI ClcfcE uldu Cdtleu ySOQ,
who robbed the rich to give to the poor and
sold himself to the devil" 1t is also said he
had wonderful horse which was always shod
backwards, so that no one might be able to
track him. Many declare that the Eoof-
marks of this famous steed are still to be
seen, and, according to one account, they
are pointed out on a stone on the banks of
the Severn, at a place called 'Kynaston's
Leap" where the river is 40 feet wide, and
where, it is said, the freebooter and his horse
leaped over it.
A RELIC AT ROME.
Turning to foreign countries, there is in
the Basilica of San Sebastiano, at Rome, a
celebrated relic consisting of a stone, on
which is an impression said to be that of
our Lords feet when he was met by St.
Peter on the spot on which afterward the
Church OF "Domine, quo yadis2" was built
to commemorate the event. Then there is
footprint on a rock by the seaside in the
Island OF Malta, tradition affirming that
this mark was made by st. Paul when he
stepped on shore.
The Mosque of Omar, which stands on
the site OF the Temple of Solomon, contains
a piece of rock called the Hadjr- r-El-Sakhara,
or the Locked up Stone, ''on which are shown
the prints of the Angel GabriePs fingers,
and the marks of Mahomet's foot and that OF
his camel. The mark of human footprint
is said to be seen on the summit of Adams
Peak, in Ceylon. There is a tradition that
the first man was created on the top of a
high mountain in Ceylon, hence called
Adams Peak, and there is the shape of q
mans foot cut out of the rock, about feet
in length, which they pretend to be the
print of his foot
TALE OF A STOLEN BRIDE.
In a field near Sonnered, in Denmark,
there Is a row of stones among which
one has on it the mark OF foot. OF this il
is related that the devil once rested his foot
On it when he had carried bride away from
her bridegroom and was obliged to wander
far and wide with her before he could find q
man who for hatful of money, would re-
move the bridal wreath from her head, for
Is long as she wore it, he had no power over
her-the bridemaids having placed it on her
head in the sacred name.
Another tradition tells US how, on the
south side of Roeskilde Cathedral, there is
still to be seen on the threshold the place
where Bishop William, in a fit Of anger, set
MS foot when he prevented King Svend Es-
trithsen from entering the church, and e1-
communicated him for having profaned the
sacred edifce with unjust bloodshed.
UuAr prrn NAV rYpprT