Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1898-04-01
Spain in Past Days.
Concluded from last week y

He had filled many Of the offices Of the
country, and tired Of public life, had
retired TO his home to end his days in
peace. He was hesanght to permit bis
name to be put up for election as king,
and finding that they did not object to
his advanced age. he accepted, and was
elected. The prosperity Of Spain adj
religion became purer, and in every
wav Wanda vindicated the fitness of
his selection, being an invincible war
rior as we'll. Bat he was not proof
against these queer people. From the
fifth century the custom had prevailed
that when y man was sure that death
was approaching he caused himself to
assume the attire of a monk, and then
retired to monastery to meet death IN
a proper frame of mind. If he WAS too
far gone to take the monastic vow, his
head was shayen by his friends for him,
who also put his monastic robes upon
him. ard huddled him off to the first
monastery at hand. Very naturally
neither the friends nor the dying took
the oath, unless they felt that death
was imminent. Wanda was the victim
Of his friends. One day, when in the
fullest enjoyment of health and the ex-
ercise of all his kingly powers, he had
a prolonged fainting fit. which looked
like death. His friends fastened to
shave his head and invest him with
priestly honors, and when he came to
his senses he was the inmate of a mon
astery fast enough, with irrevocable
VOWS registered against him. In twenty
four hours he was in perfect health, but
there was no escape from his holy vows,
taken by proxy, as that would imperil
his soul, and the whole Christian world
would have risen up in pious wrath and
pronounced him an aposlate. So he
ended his days there.
Two or three fair kings followed and
some very bad ones, but they died in
bed. Finally one Witiza, was crowned
It is said that he was born depraved.
He was the most licentious and dehauch-
ed king that ever sat upon throne.
Vices constituted passport to his favor.
He murdered men with his own hand
in most horrible manner. Finally the
son of one of his victims d-thron-d
Witiza, tore out his eyes, put him IL a
dungeon, and then forgot all about him.
His successor was Roier,yo. who had
wars without end When the SHrace,,s
invaded his domain, he Was killed in
battle by lark, a Moor, VIII, cut hun
down with a scimitar. THIS ended the
rule of tire Gothic kings, who numbered
about thirtv-tHo in all. Eight Of lie m
We're usnrpers. eight were murdered
outright, four were dethroned, and sew
eral were killed in battle
For forty years after the conquest of
the Moors, Spain was misgoyerned by
twenty different "Emirs.'' or semi
kings, some Of whom died with their
boots on, and many of whom were de-
posed. Retrogression was the result,
though Spain was already very low in
the scale of nations. About $50 of the
Christians got possession Of Spain. At
least, they were called Christians in
that day.
One of these Christian kings, Favila,
was killed while hunting; Ffoila was
murdered by his brother, Samaran, and
he in turn was murdered by his brother
and successor, because he had committed
murder. The Christian king, Ramiro
H., put 10000 Saracens to the sword in
one battle. Alfonso ILL.,, gave his
crown to his son, when it became too
heavy for his own brow. Alfonso w.
abdicated. Ramiro Ill was killed in
battle. Sancho l., was poisoned by eat
ing an apple. Alfonso ", was killed. in
seige. Veremundo ILL.,, was killed by
an assassin.
OF the kings of the house of Navarro
from S73 to 1912, there were thirty scat
tered along, and they all managed to die
natural deaths. The kings Of the line Of
Leon and CASTLE did not fare so well,
however, Peter the Cruel was deposed.
He was reinstated by Edward. the black
Prince of England, and was then slain
by his natural brother, who was his sue
cessor. Henry the H., was poisoned by
q monk. The kings of the house of
Arogan got through all right, scattered
along down from 1895 to 1879.
The imperial house of Hapsburg had
its mishaps. Charles l., of Spain, who
was also Charles the w., of Germany,
when he came to his own, said that con
his possessions the sun never SET" He
was then the richest and most powerful
monarch in the world. Under him
Spain reached the height Of all her great
ness, and after him she began the de-
cline which is yet going on. Yet, with
the world at his feet, Charles resigned
both crowns and retired to a monastery
to end his days. Philip H., Of Spain
died Of a loathsome disease.
OF the house of Bourbon, the reigning
house, Philip ", duke Of Anjou, resign