The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-05
ACCIDENT IN HISTORY.
Apparently TTiflins Matters That
We're Of Moment.

Independence.
From the Globe Democrat.
In his wonderful sketch of the battle Of
Waterloo, drawn with touches as bold
and masterful as the crayOn strokes in
one of Michael Angeles cartoons, Victor
Hugo describes the fate of the world as
hanging on the nod of a peasant. When
Napoleon was examining the ground on
which the English forces were awaiting
mis- attack, he searched every spot care
fully with his glass, but failed to discover
the sunken road of Chain, which did not
make so much as ripple on the hillside,
so completely was ii hidden from view,
Turning to the guide, a peasant of the
neigborhood, he asked if there was any
obstacle to the advance of cavalry. The
guide shook his head. The cavalry were
ordered TO charge. They did so, and
Hugo says that 2,000 horses and !, 800 men
were buried in the sunken road. This he
long list of disasters which determined
the fate of Napoleon at Waterloo.
Had the guide nodded instead Of
shaking his head, the cavalry might have
been ordered forward by another route,
and the fortune of the French emperor
and the history of the world might have
been changed. As though, however, to
counterbalance this, the same writer says
that had the little cowboy who acted as
from the forest above E'rischemont, rather
than below Planchenoit, the shaping of
the nineteenth century might have been
different. Both incidents are probably
apocryphal, for only one authority, and
he by hearsay, speaks of the Butcher
cowboy, and the existence of the sunken
road to Chain is disputed by several, who
/ boldly assert that there was no such road
at the point indicated but either incident
is significant, as showing by what trities
the course of history is DETECTED
According to the testimony of at least
two reliable historians of his own time.
Attila's invasion of the western empire
an event that brought incalculable mis-
| cry on half of Europe for several years,
was brought about by the sheerest acct
! dent. From A. D. 445 to 449 Attila was
engaged in continual hOstilities with the
! eastern empire, but in the latter year
! both sides being tired of the war, an at
! tempt was made to patch up treaty. An
! EN- bassy from the court of Theodosius
was sent to the camp of Attila and in the
! party was young man from Rome, who
was then on visit to Constantinople
| He was of noble birth and had a sweet
| heart in the person of Honoria, relative
! of the Roman imperial family. As lovers
! have been known to do, he carried on his
! person the miniature of his sweet
! heart, and while the party was in the
| presence of the savage chief he CHANGED
| TO drop the picture out of his pocket
! 1t fell unnoticed in the straw which
! covered the ground in Attila's tent,
! where, on the following day, it was found
! by an attendant and shown to the Hun
nish monarch himself Struck by the
beauty of the face, the amorous King in
| CURED in what part of the world such
women were to be found, and when told
| from the inscription on the back of the
! picture that the counterfeit preSentment
was that of an Italian beauty he at once
made up his mind to go thither. So he
! started in $50 with his hordes of Asiatics,
ravaged the heart of Europe with fire and
sword, marched through part of Ger
many into France, and, at Chalons, en-
| countered one of the most tremendous de-
feats recorded in history. 1t is presumed
that he forgot all about the Roman Hon
oria after this event, for he retired into
Hungary, where he found another beauty
and while celebrating his marriage with
her he died, either of bursting blood yes
sci, as was given out, or of poison.
There is no testimony of the Book OF
| Samuel to prove that the history of
Israel was materially changed by a chance
walk taken by King David on the roof OF
his palace. 1t was during this promenade
| that he saw the beautiful Bathsheba, the
wife of Uriah, the Hittite officer, who
| IL
! royal army, was still faithful soldier
too faithful, in fact, for mis- own good
! for David, after vainly trying several
! schemes, finally utilized the bravery OF
! the deluded soldier to secure his re-
moval. No more cowardly device could
| have been conceived to get rid of the de-
| ceived husband, and the crime of his
blood was amply repaid by the long Sc
! rleS OF harem lntrlgueS, revOltS, murders.
and rebellions through which the 'son of
| Bathsheba was finally esta blished on the
! throne as David'S successor. An equally
causal promenade had consequences quite
as momentous for Italy during the second
| Punic war. 1t was after the great Han
nibal had crossed the Alps and entered
! Italy. The Romans had been defeated
at the Ticinus and Trebia, at Lake Thra
! symenus, and, worst of all, at Canine,
and hannibal had taken up winter quar-
tiers at Capua. Here he took possession
! of one of the best houses in the city for
! his own use, and, while walking in the
garden, heard female voice singing not
far away. He could understand nothing
of what was sung, but was struck by the
plaintive melody. In the rough-and ready
ways of those good old days he com
manded the singer to be brought into his
presence, and when this was done was so
greatly impressed by her appearance that
he 1t once took her into his own house
hold, Kidding himself Of her husband by
the simple but effective method of cutting
| off his head. During the remainder of
tie winter the time of the great Cartha-
ginian was given up to pleasure; business
and discipline were alike neglected, and
before spring the Carthaginan army was
so demoralized by dissipation and vice
that it was never afterward good for any,
thing, and Hannibal's cause was lost.
JEFFERSON was fond of telling a story
which illustrates in forcible manner the
Importance that absurdly insignificant
matters may sometimes assume When
the deliberative body that gave the world
the Declaration of Independence was in
session, its proceedings were conducted
in hall close to which was situated a
livery stable. The weather was warm,
and from the stable came swarms of flies
that lighted on the legs Of the honorab BILE
members, and biting through the thin
silk stockings then in fashion, gave inf
mite annoyance. 1t was no uncommon
sight, said jefferson, to see a mem Der
making a speech with largo handker-
chief in hand and pausing at every mo-
ment TO thrash the flies from his thinly
protected calves. The opinion of the body
was not unanimous in favor of the docu-
ment, and, under other circumstances
discussion might have been protracted for
days, if not weeks, but the flies were in
tolerable. Efforts were made to find an
other hall, free from the pests, but in
vain. AS the weather became warmer