Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-25
VIRGINIA DARE.
Mystery of Roanoke Island-By Benson j.

| a Mystery OF Roanoke IStand-By Benson u
Losing, the Noted Historian.
! Walter Raleigh, the famous English soldier
courtier, colonizer, and historian in the reign o
Queen Elizabeth, engaged in efforts to plant
colony in America. He was then young AM
endowed with rare gifts. Besides handsom
, person and winning department, he possessed
less activity. In his eighteenth year he tough
for the Huguenots in France under Coligni. AM
a little later he was fayorite aide on the stat
OF an English commander in Holland.
Soon afte. receiving his large patrimonI
young Raleigh won the favor of Queen Elizabeth
by single act of gallantry. One day he me
her walking with two maids of honor. Their:
was wet spot in the path just before her. The
bright faced young soldier plucked rich GRIM
son velvet mantle from his shoulders and spread
it over the mire for the queen to walk on
Elizabeth was charmed Ivy the person and act o.
young Raleigh, and before the evening twilight
ne was summoned to her presence. where he
was most graciously received and admitted to
the circle OF her courtiers. in which he and the
famous Essex became powerful rivals for the
| queens special favor. Their intrigues fur.
nished infinite aliment for the court gossip.
At length Raleigh became wesried of suon a
frultless life He had become deeply interested
in the subject of planting colonies in America
His half-brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert. was q
famous navigator, and Walter had used his in
huence with the queen in obtaining for his kins-
man charter which gave him the sole right,
for SIX years, to make settlements within q vast
region beyond the Atlantic ocean. Raleigh be-
came partner of Sir Humphrey in the enter
| prise, small squadron was fitted out, and
they both sailed for the Western Hemisphere
| Labe III 1875. tedNy STORMS or spanish WarSnlpS
DESTROYED one of the vessels. and the remainder
| turned back.
The enterprise was kept in allegiance four
| years. Then Raleigh and his friend fitted out
| another small squadron, which sailed for Amer
lea under the command of Gilbert, who bore to-
ken OF the good will of the oueen-a little gold an
| Choir guided by woman. Though fearfuily smi t.
| ten by tempests on the voyage across the stormy
sea. the intrepid IL, ariners proceeded to explore
| the Eastern New England coasts. In a great
storm the large ship was wrecked. Gilbert took
| refuge in q small vessel of ten tons, which was
engulfed at midnight in the bosom of the angry
sea during fierce gale.
Raleigh was not disheartcned by this disaster.
| He was still q favorite of the queen. who gave
him charter which embraced a vastly greater
| domain than that gra nted to Sir Humphrey Gill
| bert-all the country between the latitude of
| Delaware bay and the mouth OF the Santee river.
he was constituted lord proprietor of the
| great territory.
| In June, 1854, Raleigh sent his ships to Ameri-
| ca, commanded by expert navigators. Taxing
| southern route they approached the continent
off the coast of Florida. Turning northward
| they followed the gulf stream, entered Ocracok
| inlet. and landed on a small island, where they
were kindly received by the natives, and formal
| ly took possession of the whole region in the
name of the sovereign of England.
On Roanoke island the English were kindly
entertained by the mother of King Wingina
who was absent. Everything there charm
ing. Nature was garnished with all her summer
wealth. Large trees was festooned with vines
laden with clusters of grapes, and gay colored
song birds filed the air with music. The mari
ners fingered long in this paradise, and when
they returned to England they were attended by
Mantoe, one of the dusky ! 'rds of the woods
and waters. Their report filed the heart of the
queen and Raleigh with Joy. AS memorial that
a splendid domain had been added the British
realm during the reign of a virgin queen, it was
namedVirginia. Elizabeth declared 1t was the
mostglorious event of her reign, and she be-
slowed the honor of knighthood on Walter
Ra eigh.
Dresms of riches and honors now filed the
mind of Raleigh. Friends in abundance offered
him their assistance in planting a colony. He
sent squadron OF seven vessels to Virginia in
1855, bearing $50 men, who were largely mere ad-
venturers, to establish a colony. Ralph Lane
was appointed their governor. They were &C.
companied by Thomas Harriet, an accomplished
mathematician and sci mist. They landed on
Roanoke Island, with Manteo, who had returned
with them.
Instead OF founding a colony, the whole COM
pany became greedy gold seekers, and trusted
more to firearms than to mutual friendship for
personal security against possible hostile bar
barians around them. Their conduct soon
cited the anger of the natives. Because an In
dian stole o silver cup from the English the lat
ter burned a whole native village, and destroyed
fields of growing corn around it. The fires of re-
venge were kindled in the hearts of the bar
barians and only the soothing influence of
the good Harriet. whom they regarded as a
friend and of Manteo saved the colony from
instant destruction. Another more outrageous
act soon placed them in greater peril, Suspect
whose hospitality he had enjoyed, TO a confer
ence, accompanied by all his chiefs Unsus-
picious Of treachery, they came unarmed, when
the English fell upon the king and his followers
ana slew them all. Fortunately for the muir
derers Sir Francis Drake, returning from a
long cruise, touched at Roanoke at that
moment. He found the colonists in a little
fort which they had built trembling with fear OF
the righteous wrath of the barbarians. He took
them into his ship and conveyed them to Eng
land
Raleigh was disappointed, but not dismayed,
for the learned Harriet assured him that kind
ness toward the natives would insure safety and
prosperity to colony. So he gathered another
company composed OF far better materials-far-
mers and citizens-with their wives and children
W n consented become gettera in
America. He appointed John White, an ener-
getic business man OF Bristol, governor of the
colony, with eleven assistants; and in the spring
of 1887 the new company, composed OF over 100
persons, sailed in three ships for Virginia.
Tney landed on Roanoke island. where they
found Lane 8 little fort demolished, huts over
grown with briers, and a heap of human bones,
supposed to have been those Of persons left be-
hind when Drake allied away with the forlorn
colonists They found the natives sullen and nos
tile. Manteo, who lived on Croatan island,
came with his mother and other relatives and in
vited the colonists to make their abode on his
domain White preferred to remain 10 Roanoke.
The dusky visitors remained several days in
BAPTISM OF MANTEO's,
friendly intercourse with the newcomers. Dur
ing that time Manteo consented to receive the |
rites of Christian baptism at the hands of the
governor. The font was basin held by an |
English youth. White also bestowed upon
Manteo the order of feudal baron, with the
title of Roanoke, by order of Raleigh.
One Of Whites assistants was Richard Dare, |
who had married his daughter, Eleanor. Not |
long after their arrival at Roanoke island she |
gave birth to daughter, whom they named |
Virginia-Virginia Dare-the first child born of |
English parents in America. |
Matters moved along smoothly for while
when, unluckily. attack on the Indians |
made by some OF the settlers, produced bad |
blood. At about that time two OF the ship, went |
back to England for supplies. White went with /
them to hasten their return. He found his |
countrymen engaged in measures to avert a |
threatened invasion Of England from SPAIN |
Raleigh promptly sent the governor back wi tn |
supplies. His greed made him neglect his first |
duty. Instead of going directly TO Virginia he |
chased the Spanish ships in quest OF plunder
His vessels became SO crippled by contests that
he was compelled to go back to England, and it |
was more than year afterward before the abb
sence of Spanish cruisers allowed him to go to |
Virginia with supplies for the colonists and to |
join his family there. On his arrival at Roanoke
he found the little settlemen desclate and de-
serted. Had the colonists perishedf Tnere |
were no traces of massacre there. Were thew
captiyes somewhere in The wilderness of the
main? This problem has never been solved It
remains an impenetrabIe mystery of Roanoke |
island.
An inscription that White saw on the bark of
q tree seems to indicate that they had gone TO
Croatan, the domain Of Manteo. The near ap-
proach OF sutumnal storms and threatening
attitude OF the natives caused White to abandon
the search soon after it was begun and put to
sea. It was coniectured that Manteo had saved |
the lives OF the colonists and that when thew
seemed to have been abandoned by their coun-
trymen they had been Incorporated with a ma |
tive tribe on the main land and were amalga-