The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-08-04
sWoRp 1000 YEARS OLD.

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Presented BY w Oar II kuasis to Pres
@'u@ idsRt Jsh6lpp. ~
]. P. Farmer, ths $daHty surveyor d
Esses lso2e pssssa 81 s s. e. e.
Il is al BID DaasssSs bisde Which, f' Il ID
claimed. u. over s606 years Sid It is Of
crude design and wpfkmapslip and Wal
'aa4s entirely bg hanal ths irresplarity o.
anything else its antiquity.
Shortly after the assassination of Presi.
dent Lincoln an unsuccessful attempt Was
made upon the life Of tho eesr Of Russia
A feet Of American warships was sent on
cruise across the ocean and incidentally
carried message of congratulstion to
Russia'a ruler from President johnson.
Assistant Secretary Of the NAVY Fox &C.
oompanied tho squadron ON board the
Miantonomoh commanded by John J.
Cornwoll Of Lisbop, o. Secretary Fox was
presented with tho sword by tho car in
person, as token Of his high esteem, &C.
oOnpaniod by The following speech:
II present to you, sir, as the represent.
atire Of one of the foremost and mightiest
of modern nations, this saber, as a na.
terial appreciation Of your nations high
regard for my welfare and safety. Through
ages 1t hns boon treasured In the archives
of my fathers as somblance of the mighty
races that swayed tho destinios Of future
generations on tho shores OF tho Mcditcr.
ranean; 1t was carried through scenes Of
carnage which marked the upbuilding of
TIM npuarfi,l k, of, -.
and has outlived tho Kingdoms 1t helped
build"
The ancient treasure was accepted by
the secretary, with an appropriate re.
sponse, and as the fleet steamed out of the
Russian port he presented tho sword to
Commander Cornwel.
While the fleet was Off Toulon, France,
Commander Cornwcll died suddenly Of
heart failure. The vessels pulled in at the
port and telegram WAS SAINT to Paris for
a burial casket. A squad of marines under
command of lieutenant wac sept on
shore to receive tho casket from tho train
and convey 1T aboard the dead oolnmsnd-
er's vessel. The casket missed connections,
but the sailors, who were unaware of tho
fact, hustled casket which arrived on
the train off to the ironClad. The fact that
the box was quito heavy did not excite tho
suspicion of the sailors and after II had
been taken to The cabin the mate opened
tho cover. Consideration reignod on board
whom there was disclosed the body of /!
beautiful young lady, buried In q wealth |
of flowers.
The lid of the Casket was hurredly re- |
stored to its place, and preparations were
promptly made to return the BODY to the |
depot in Toulon. But tho story of the al.
legged seizure had spread, creating intense
Excitement in the French port, and city
official was preparing to board tho Amori-
can warship with search warrant. tx
plantations were made, but tho mistake
came noar causing an International dis
ruption.
The French newspapers characterized
tho actions,sf the American sailors in the
most scattihg terms, assuming that the
taking of the body of the young lady was !
3 prearrangod plan. /
Commander Cornwell was buried ut
Toulon, and the old sword was given into .
his widow S keeping, and she in turn pre-
'ented 1t to her brother in law, MIR. Farm
,r.
The blade is 2?G inches long and inch
Wide, tapering to point. The hilt is made
If horn, ornamcntod with twisted brass
viro, and is as hard as adamant. The
'rosspicccs are of leather, tipped with sheet
BRASS. The scabbard Is as interesting Us
Tho blade, being fashioned from wood,
With sheet brass covering. 1t was orna
nented in crude style by indents of
pointed tool. Near the hilt, on tho blade.
re number Of odd characters resembling
ncient Hebrew inscriptions. -Philadel-
hia TiHr:.