Griggs courier., 1891-10-23
AN ARAB MARTYR.
Horrible Death Of an Apostate
Mohamotan.

Fer Els Unwaverine Christian Faith. His
Prosecutors Cast Him Alive in
tho Center of = Block
of T,eton.
The other day, as was listening to
some old familiar words which have
peen sounding now for eighteen hun
dred years and more, my mind travelled
back to fort in Algiers, the Fort des
Vingtquatre Heures, made of huge
blocks, which for three hundred years
remained immovable and silent. But
in 1853 martyrdon which some peo-
pie looked upon as an idle tale, others
rs . superstitious legend, was brought
to light, and the very stones them
selves, with undeniable witness, re-
vealed the pathetic figure of the Arab
martyr, Geronimo. just three hun
dred and forty-seven years ago a little
Arab baby was taken prisoner by some
Spanish soldiers, and brought to Oran
to be offered up for sale as slave.
The good vicar general, Juan Caro-,
bought him and took him to his own
house to educate him, and he baptized
him under the name of Geronimo.
When the child was eight years old a
few Arab slaves made their escape from
Oran, and believing they were doing
the boy kindness they took him with
them; SO for some years he lived with
his people as Mob hametan. But the
hcly faith which Juan Caro- had plant
ed in the child's heart had taken such
firm root that his relations could not
tear it out. He remained with them
till he was twenty-five, and then he
took q step which he knew no Arab
could forgive, and which, if he should
be recaptured. would lead him with
certainty to suffering or death. He
fed from his home and returned to the
vicar general, and, telling him of the
dangers of his fight, he said, simply:
sit is because wish 60 live henaS forth
in the faith of the divine Saviour"
Juan Caro- was SO delighted that he
received the young Arab like lost
child, and Geronimo, on his side, could
not show his benefactor love and graf.
itude enough. He soon entered the
Spanish guard as paid soldier, and he
performed such brave deeds that he 1T
tained very high military honors. But
the height of his Joy and ambition was
gained when he heard that the vicar
general gave his consent and approval
to marriage between him and young
Arab girl (also convert) with whom
he had fallen in love. For ten years
nothing but happiness shone on his
life-he won the respect and confidence
of all around him, h. was Juan Caro's
right hand, and his wife was as o
daughter to his adopted father. No
shadows seemed to cross their path;
no troubles seemed drawing near them.
But one bright May day in 1869 news
came to Oran that q small Arab en-
campment had been noticed short
distance of The rumor did not seem
OF Importance; a handful of Spaniards
could easily manage the Arabs; at
least, SO Geronimo must have imagined.
for he only took nine soldiers and
manned little boat, intending to land
on the coast, where the Arabs had as
sembled. They rowed out of the safe
harbor with the sun shining on them,
and sailed along the blue sea past the
coral fishery of Mers-el-Kebir. never
dreaming of danger, when suddenly
two Moorish brigantines, which had
been lying secretly in wait for them,
chased them and ran them down. The
nine soldiers escaped, but Geronimo,
who was too marked man, was seized
upon at once and carried off to Euldj
Ali, the Calabrian renegade. great
cry spread like wild fire among the
Arabs throughout Algeria that the
apostate was captured; that he, the
traitor, who had abandoned his own
people, denied his own faith, was lying
. prisoner in the fortress, the "Bagno. !"
The Moors, who knew his history,
made solemn vow that they would
restore him to his old religion; SO they
began by sending Marabouts to con.
vert him with arguments and fair
promises. But they returned discom-
fited to Euldj Ali, their fine words had
.availed nothing; the apostate remained
lmmovable.
A fresh treatment was next tried: he
was loaded with chains, and treated
with the utmost cruelty, and when he
was faint with torture and scarcely
able to speak, the Marabouts stood
around him, offering him liberty,
power, honor. riches. But no offer
made him deny his faith, no longing
tor freedom made him forsWear for
one single moment his religion. Once,
after some most horrible threat, he
raised his poor suffering head, and
with voice SO weak it could scarcely
be heard, he said: "Thev ffhinlx thew
will make me Mohametan; but that
they shall never do, even II they kill
me-" For four months Euldj Ali gloated
over the daily torture he was inflicting
on Geronimo; but at last the very
sameness Of his cruelty palled upon
him. and he was determined to invent
anew and more hideous revenge for
the "apostate's obstinacy." One morn-
Ing the idea came to him; he was ex-
aminin9 the works Of fort by tho