The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-09-25
ulS BYRON'S SWORD.
...,cAco LADY WHO ENJOYS THIS
w. PROUD DISTINCTION.

nAftU
DE- dining room hang three crossed
on,. ~pns Worthy companion blades are
weap each drawn in the cause OF free
.nuSN otwo by plain Maine Yankees and
aO,' hv an English peer. They and her
cn .soy,s nortrait are the most cherished
l ,as, of gentle, white haired
paw ;dow They are the precious relics she
'..a;ned every nerve to save on that DC
.shor day a quarter OF century back
w. NSon she saw her home and her hus-
sand's business and the whole great
cy 90 up in flame.
"" One weapon is a yataghan CALAMITY
u.;0lded bv her father in the war for
crocian independence; another is a
Main United States army saber, worn
r. her husband in our own civil war;
.Io third was carried by more illus
tr;ous and a more unhappy though no
troyer soldier, George Gordon Noel
pyron sixth Lord Byron of Rochdale
and greatest poet of his age.
This one has an embossed silver scab-
hord a Damascus blade with a golden
sentence in Arabic engraved upon it,
which il chances has never been trans
lated 1t may be something quite COM
mouplace-" Great is Allah, and Moham-
med is his prophet or perhaps the
mere name of the maker. Still it never
has been translated and adds one more
element of romance to the coronet and
the initial b upon the hilt.
BYRON. as every one knows, never
lived to draw that sword himself for
Greece. though he threw himself into
her quarrel full of military ardor
though be gave her his fortune, his
mighty name and in the end his life
As his friend Trelawney wrathfully
puts it, he was induced to stick for
three months at Missolonghi, that
\ mud bank shut i'll by Il circle of stag
mart pools which might be called the
belt of death. "
Here he raised loans, drilled troops,
negotiated the release Of prisoners, la
bored to reconcile the various Greek
factions, faithfully performed all the less
snowy parts of war, till fever clutched
him, and suddenly the news of his death
! shocked Europe 1t was the extinction
Of luminary at the zenith. 1t was the
useless sacrifice of splendid genius in
the prime of fame and of manhood
Scott said it seemed as if the world had
come to an end. No man but Napoleon
ever filled such a place in the thoughts
Of his contemporaries
y About the time that indignant Ire
lawney beside the miserable bier of his
friend was gathering up his last letters
the profile Of his daughter Ada, with
other tokens that the pilgrim had most
cherished scattered on the floor" an
American volunteer was preparing to
JOIN the Greek forces Shortly after his
death Jonathan Peckham Miller of
Montpelier came inquiring his way to
Byrons house at Missolonghi, now used
asa meeting place for the government
Oh western Greece. He had served two
years IN the United States army and
was almost Immediately given the rank |
Of colonel on the staff of George Jarvis
New Yorker who had command of !
LORD Byron brigade. There were other 1
americans lighting the Turks. Indeed |
foreigners of all kinds were scattered |
through the ranks. Trelawney, his fell
low Comtryman, Colonel Gordon; Colo
rei fabvier, the gallant Frenchman, and !
~ mayer, the Swiss, who kept valu-
y'Oe Journal of the siege of Missolonghi,
were but a few of the many bold adj
'enturers Colonel Miller served TO the
ena Oh the war with an intrepidity that
"On MN the nickname Of the "Ameri-
.an daredevil F." Many exploits of his
Az narrated, but no man who went
~iuusn the famous siege of Missolonghi
1'eeds certificate of courage.
0oionei Miller secured the sword at
S..s auction OF the effects of young
s S.eeS captain to whom Byron had pre.
"1,ea 1t shortly before his death.
colonel Miller lent the sword and
~uie valuable costumes to one Casinos
Nv. GRANT Greek lecturer. His lecture
~ oVer' CASTINGS sailed back TO his
| n ra, souh'ry without troubling himself
~ ' a these borrowings All trace
moo ''',ll was lost and one would SUD-
Rv,,., america had seen the last of
cbilS ei Miller's daughter was but a
Ama.a AZ this time. She grew mn. was
her. roo:, 10 Abijah Keith and took M
after ,I hou IN Chicago. In 1853. long
Inc v ieI fathers DEATH she was travel.
sysrv, ,I ner husband in Greece, being
n, i "! well received out of resnect
hel I ,s memory, and the desire to Get
newnn sword ne had valued SO highly
\npean npI'l ner. One day in the Mediter.
Ito Goat oOas she was led to speak about
% absnrd d0eA Fellow traveller. It seemed
| i be cbaa anu useless thing to ask him
Chr;..cn anced to know a Greek namad
'.alss sper Plato Casinos 'eA named
tss ABSURD ms.l or not, said he. 81 know
Island as g. he is keeping school in the
1ocesS sy'o accordingly the travellers
moved to h. Here n :, the American consul
"a brot 70 DC Mr.. Evangelides the adont
food rsaS sr OF Julia Ward Howe He
is trienS.y TO DO anything in his power
Zen and Vi DR.. Howe. CASTINGS was
ening tho a n no difficulty about re.
fes IN e prize with humble apolo.