The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-03-25
THE cHlLDREN,s CRUSADE.
Stephen, the French Peasant Boy.
His Army and Its Fate.

Stephen, the French Peasant Boy,
His Army and Its Fate.
In the year 1919 there burst forth among
the children of France the idea Of rescuing
the children Of Jerusalem--the city where
the Saviour had died-from the hands Of
the Turks.
The leader Of this youthful army was
one Stephen, 1s-year-old boy Of Cloyes,
France, the son Of a peasant shepherd.
One dsy, as Gt-ph.;.; Won MS fathers
sheep on lonely hillside, he met stran.
ger, who represented himself as pilgrim
returned from Palestine.
He asked for food and then fingered to
tell the boy Of the wonders of the orient
and Of the heroes who had fallen In battle
while endeavoring to capture the Holy
City. ~ "
Finally the stranger announced himself
a. messenger from Jesus Christ and
commissioned Stephen to preach crusade
among the children Of France, at the same
time presenting letter to the king Of
France commanding that sovereign to aid
the young crusaders in every possible way.
Stephen at once went about calling upon
the children to enlist Ho preached in the
churches TO- crowds who thronged to hear
him; he rehearsed the stories told to him
by his strange visitor, he promised the
protection and care Of God to all who
would follow him.
The idea spread like wildhre. Boys and
girls came from cottage nd+castle to en-.
list under the banner Of the shepherd boy,
and on July 7, 1919, there was mustered
at Vendome an army Of 10000 children,
many Of them under years Of age.
At the sound Of trumpet ranks were
formed and the march was begun. Ban.
nsrs were raised, hymn Of victory was
sung and 30, 900 innocent little ones were
led forth, most Of them to meet death and
destruction.
After days and days Of weary marching,
over hills and valleys, through parched
fields and by dry river beds, with blistered
feet and aching limbs, the youthful army
reached Marseilles by the blue waters Of
the Mediterranean.
Here they found rioh merchants who
offered vessels to carry them to CONSTANT
nople.
But the vast army that had started from
Vendome had melted away like snow In
springtime. Some had deserted, thousands
had died Of exposure The 10000 had
dwindled to 1000.
Seven ships were made ready, and on
the last day Of August the vessels sailed
out Of the harbor with their precious bur-
den Of innocent victims, sailed not to the
rescue Of the Holy City, not to glory and
victory, but to despair.
On the third day out terrible storm
arose, and two Of the vessels were dashed
to pieces on the island of Falcons.
Tho other five ships passed the danger.
Gus rocks in safety and finally reached
shore, where the children discovered they
were the victims of vile plot-they were
to be sold into slavery. The two MGR.
chants Of Marsellles were slave traders
the pilgrim who had appeared to Stephen
was man who had been instigated to act
the part and the children who had set
out with such high hopes were to become,
not champions Of the cross, but slaves to
the fierce Moslems.
Upon landing on the coast they were
taken to slave markets and sold. They
were sent far and wide, to drag out weary
lives in harems or among the gang of la
borers in the fields Not one ever saw the
shores of Franco again.
Such was tho sad fate of tho innocent
children who left their homes to Join The
crusade to capture the Holy City.-House.
hold