Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1898-03-25
Spain in Past Days.

take there. Spain was an ulcer on my
back, eating my life out" The story Of
the uneasy heads that have worn crowns
in Spain, from Ataulph the Goth, to the
rickety lad who is King Alfonso today,
but may te just an ailing child Of the
common people tomorrow, is one of
terrible assassination, cruel treachery,
and infamous wrongs. 1t covers period
of over thousand years, and stands
unique in the history of nations.
The Spanish are proud of their blood,
vet ethnologists haye never been able
to classify it properly. They say. how
ever, that Spain was probably once Il
part Of Africa. For centuries the coun-
try was overrun with Franks, Goths.
and Vandals, and warning people from
other countries, and though under the
Roman empire, it got no help from the
Roman empire, because Rome had
troubles Of her own, and was very glad
when Ataulph promised to rid Spanish
Rome of her tormentors, he to receive
as his pay the beautiful Placida, sister OF
the emperor of Rome. The bargain was
readily made, and Ataulph drove all the
other barbarians out of Spain, all except
the Vandals, who settled in the most
beautiful portion Of the infested PENN
sula, Andalusia, and named IT.
Ataulph's reign was not long, how
ever. One day when he was reviewing
his troops, dwarf with grudge in his
IT. ,r,1o s,,3
first king and stabbed him in the back
The successor of Ataulph was Sigeric,
who got there by putting to death the
six little children Of Ataulph, thus ex
pecting to insure his right to the throne.
He went too far, however, and the people
rose in their wrath at his inhuman MUIR
der. and put him to death.
Wallia, who succeeded Sigeric, seems
to have died properly in his bed, after
a brief reign. and was in turn succeeded
by Theodore L., the son of the great
Alaric. He was killed in the battle Of
Chalons-sur- Marine, and his throne fell
to his son, Thorismund, who was as
sassinated by his brother, Theodore
H. got the throne and a lot Of trouble
with it, and after few uneasy years,
his brother Euric, who coveted the
crown, killed him and took up the scep~
ter. Euric the Brilliant extended the
kingdom, and taught his people many
of the civi!izing arts. besides drawing
upa code Of laws, that are the foun-
dation for much of the jurisprudence Of
today. Many Of his laws are yet in
force in Spain, though be compiled them
about 4SO A. D.
Alaric H., who then assembled the
throne, fell by the hand of Clovis in
battle III 507, and Analaric, his sue
cessor, was killed by an assassin in 531.
His successor. Theudes, was assassinated
in his palace at Barcelona in the year
54S. Theudisel then assembled the shaky
throne. He was a monster of wicked
ness, with passions of the grossest sort,
which trampled upon all the most sacred
relations Of domestic life. One night
when he had a lot Of boon companions
drinking to recent victory with him,
the lamps where suddenly put out, and
In the darkness a dozen swords and
daggers pierced his wort bless body,
welded by the sons and husbands, the
fathers and brothers whose homes he
had ruined. Agila succeeded him, and
his short reign WAS tempestuous and
terrible. War rayaged the whole coun-
try. The king was driven from his cap
ital and forced to take refuge elsewhere.
With defeat trailing it's banners in his
face and the enemy triumphant in his
kingdom, his own soldiers turn ed
against him and murdered him "for the
good of the country"
Three or four kings in the next twen-
ty years managed to shuttle off this
mortal coil in natural manner, but
Liuva, a weak young imbecile, bloke
the good spell and got himself assasinated
for what he wouldn't do rather than for
what he did. He was followed by
Witeric Tor Vitericus,) who was SO
shamelessly wanton and so UNANIMOUSLY
cruel that he was murdered at his own
table, and his body was thrown in a
ditch. whence nobody cared to remove
it. For period Of ten or fifteen years
kings assembled the throne and died
naturally, without having done much
except to make life burden to the
Jews, for whom the Goths and Visigoths
seem to have bad extreme aversion
Swintila finally assembled the throne and
singular prosperity crowded his reign
for few years. He couldn't stand so
much prosperity, however, and became
arrogant and cruel, despotic and dicta-
torial. He tried to change the elective
crown into hereditary one, and decreed
that his son should succeed him. The
Gothic mobiles, who considered the king
but one of themselves. clothed in the
little brief authority that they elected to
give him during good behavior, prompt
1y deposed him and put Sisenand on