Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-03-20
SPANS EARLY HISTORY.
KINGS WHO LEFT A RECORD OF
T~REACHERY AND CRUELTY.
Early Kings Met Violent Deaths and
Recent History of the Ruling
House of Bourbon Has Been
Great Scandal.

After being consigned to dreary exile at
st. Helena, Napoleon wrote of his invasion
Of Spain: II made a great mistake there.
Spain was an ulcer on M back, eating my
life out" The story of the uneasy heads
that have worn crowns in Spain, from
Ataulph, the Goth. to the little rickety lad
who is King Alfonso to-day, but may be
just an ailing child of the common people
tomorrow. is one of terrible assassination.
cruel treachery and Infamous wrongs. 1t
covers a period of over a thousand years,
and stands unique in the history of nations.
The Spanish are proud of their blood. yet
ethnologists nave never been able to CLASH
fly it properly. They say, however, that
Spain was probably once a part of Africa
For centuries the country was overrun
with Franks, Goths and Vandals. and war,
ring people from other countries, and
though under the power Of Rome. it got no
help from the Roman empire. because
Rome had troubles Of her own.
promised to rid Spanish Rome of her tori
mentors. he to receive as his pay the beau
tiful Plaacida. 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 peninsula, Andalusia, and named
Ataulph's reign was not long. however.
One day when he was reviewing his troops
crawled up behind SPANS first king and
stabbed him in the back. The successor of
Ataulph was Sigeric, who got there by
Ataulph. thus expecting to insure his right
to the throne. He went too far. however.
and the people rose in their wrath at his
One Monarch Died In Bed.
Wallia. who succeeded sigeric. seems to
| lave 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-Aiarne. and his throne fell to his son,
Thorismund, who was assassinated by his
brother. Theodore H.. who was after the
throne himself. He got the throne and a
uneasy years. his brother Euric.- who COW
| eted the crown. killed him and took up
the scepter. Euric the Brilliant extended
of the civilized arts, besides drawing up a
code of laws. hat are the foundation for
much Of the Jurisprudence OF to-day. Many
though he compiled them about 4So A. d.
Alaric H., who then assembled the throne.
fell by the hands of Clovis in battle in 5O7.
am anu ASSASSIN in 81 81. His successor. Theu-
des, was a-ssassinated in his palace at Bar
celona in the year 5iS. Theudtsel then
monster of wickedness. 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 COM
panions drinking to a recent victory with
him.. the lamps were suddenly put out. and
in the %darkness a dozen swords and dag
the sons and husbands, the fathers and
brothers whose homes he had ruined.
Agila succeeded him. and his short reign
ravaged the whole country: The king was
driver from his capital and forced to take
refuge elsewhere. With defeat trailing Its
plant in his kingdom. his own soldiers
turned against him and murdered him for
the good of the country
years managed to shuttle off this mortal
coil in a natural manner. but Liuva. a
did. He was followed by Witeric Cor
Vitericus); who was so shamlessly wanton
dered at his own table. and his body was
thrown in a ditch. from whence nobody
cared to remove It; For a PERIOD tSa o. rt ten
and died naturally. without having done
much except to make life a burden to the
seWs' for t% Th9@ f had G es1lem aad a vasEGeas
swintila finally assembled the throne and
singular prosperity crowned his reign for
a few years sor HE 1 sou and became s.ana $40 maeh
and cruel. despotic and dictatorial. He
tried to change the elective crown into an
| hereditary one, ana oecreeo tnat MS son
should succeed him.: The Gothic mobiles.
who considered the king but one of them
selves. clothed in the little brief authority
that they elected to give him during good
behavior. promptly, deposed him and put
| other kings were elected and served with
Indifferent success. but at last Tulga was
| elected in $40. He was such a weak, in
eficient ruler, permitting the laws to be
broken with impunity. that the mobiles. af-
ter enduring his imbecility for two years.
shut him up in a monastery and put the
reins Of power in. the hands of another.