Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-21
VIRGINIA DARE.
Mystery of Roanoke Isiand-By Benson j.
tossing, the Noted Historian.


person and winning department, he possessec
brilliant genius, unbounded ambition. and tire
| less activity. In his eighteenth year he Tough
| for the Huguenots in France under Coligni, arJ
little later he favorite aide on the stat
| of an English commander in Holland.
! Soon ate. receiving his large patrimony
young Raleigh won the favor of Queen Elizabeth
by a single act of gallantry. One day he me-
her walking with two maids of honor. There
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.
young Raleigh, and before the evening twilight
he 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 wearied of such q
fruitless life. He had become deeply interested
in the subject of planting colonies i'll America.
His half-brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, was q
famous navigator, and Walter had used his in
fuence with the queen in obtaining for his kins-
man charter which gave him the sole right,
for six years, to make settlements within vast
region beyond the Atlantic ocean. Raleigh be-
came partner of Sir Humphrey in the enter
prise, A small squadron was fitted out, and
they both sailed for the Western Hemisphere
late in 1873. Heavy storms or Spanish warships
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 a to-
ken OF the good will of the queen-a little gold an
Choir guided By woman. Though fearfully smi +
ten by tempests on the voyage across the stormy
sea, the intrepid NJ ariners proceeded to explore
the Eastern New England coasts. In great
storm the large ship was wrecked. Gilbert took
refuge in a small vessel of ten tons, which was
engulfed at midnight in the bosom of the angry
sea during fierce gale.
Raleigh was not dsheartcned by this disaster.
He was still favorite OF the queen. who gave
him charter which embraced vastly greater
domain than that granted to Sir Humphrey Gil
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. Taking q
off the coast of Florida Turning northward
they followed the gulf stream, entered Ocracok
inlet. and landed on q small island. where they
were kindly received by the natives, and formal
" took possession of the whole region in the
name of the sovereign of England.
On Roanoke island the English were kindly
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 flied the air with music. The mari
ners fingered long in this paradise, and when
they returned to England they were attended by
and waters. Their report filled the heart of the
queen and Raleigh with joy. As memorial that
a splendid domain had been added to the British
realm during the reign OF virgin queen, 1t was
named Virginia. Elizabeth declared 1t was the
mostglorious event of her reign, and she be-
slowed the honor of knighthood on Walter
Rs. eigh.
Dreams of riches and honors now filled the
mind of Raleigh. Friends in abundance offered
him their assistance in planting colony. He
sent squadron OF seven vessels to Virginia IN
1885, bearing $50 men, who were largely mere ad-
venturers, to establish colony. Ralph Lane
was appointed their governor. They were
lad bUT n n he'd
mathematician and sci mist. They landed on
Roanoke Island, with ManteO, who had returned
with them.
Instead of founding colony, the whole COM
pany became greedy gold seekers, and trusted
more to tire-ar than to mutual friendship for
personal security against possible hostile bar
barians around them. Their conduct
cited the anger of the natives. Because an In
dian stole a 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
friend, and of Manteo, saved the colony from
in stant destruction. Another more outrageous
act soon placed them in greater peril, Suspect
ing a conspiracy, Lane invited King Wlngina,
whose hospitality he had enjoyed, to a confer
ence, accompanied by ali 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
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 dsmayed,
for the learned Harriet assured him that kind
ness toward the natives would insure safety and
prosperity to a colony. So he gathered another
company composed of far better materials-far-
mers and citiZens-with their wives and children
who consented to become permanent settlers in
America. He appointed John White, an ener-
getc business man OF Bristol, governor OF the
colony, with eleven assistants; and in the spring
OF 1857 the new company, composed of over 100
persons, sailed in three ships for Virginia.
They landed Roanoke island, where they
found Lanes little fort demolished, huts over
grown with briers, and heap of human bones,
supposed TO have been those of persons left be-
hind when Drake sailed away with the forlorn
colonists. They found the natives sullen and hos
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 in Roanoke.
The dusky visitors remained several days in
BAPTISM OF MANTEo'S 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 basin held by an
English youth. White also bestowed upon
Manteo the order of a 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
Dare-the first child born of
English parents in America.
Matters moved along smoothly for a while
when, unluckily, an attack on the Indians,
made by some of the settlers, produced bad
blood. At about that time two of the ships went
back to England for supplies White went with
them to hasten their return. He found his
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 10 Virginia he
chased the Spanish ships in quest of plumber.
His vessels became SO crippled by contests that
he was compelled to go back to England, and it
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 settlem emit desolate and de-
serted. Had the colonists persisted? TGere
were no traces Of massacre there. Were they
captives somewhere in he wilderness of the
main? This problem has never been solved. It
remains an impenetrable 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 autumnal storms and threatening
attitude OF the natives caused White to abandon
the search soon after it was begun and put to
sea 1t was connect ured that Manteo had saved
seemed to have been abandoned by their coun-
trymen they had been Incorporated with a ma
tive tribe on the main land and were amalza-
mated with them. The Hatteras Indians at a
later period had tradition to that effect; and
the earlier European settlers in Eastern North
Carolina found confrmatory evidencs OF the
of the tradition IN members of
physi cal characteristics of the English and In
dian races.