The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-03


mon all over Europe, dying revered as an
oracle and buried beneath his own aiIar'
or on the other hand, he may nave been
a mere dOlt among his fellow-lrog iodytes,
the butt of the jokes of ali the dweflers IN
the same cave, a man who could not learn
either 10 shoot straight or TO make
flint arrow sharp enough to pierce even the
tender skin of an antelope. However this
may be, there is some reason to believe
from one or TWO illusions made by the
early Latin writers that this skull was
long preserved in the Roman capitol; was,
in fact, regarded as a sort OF municipal
mascot, like the bear in the Swiss town.
deemed of such consequence, mat unl4
the people tried the experiment, they dld
not believe it was possible to manage
city government without bear.
The Grand Vizier of Mahomet IN"Wheh
he marched from Constantinople at the
heard of one of the most splendid armies
thai the Sultans ever put in the tleid, had
little idea that his turban-crowned head
would he displayed as an attraction in
Vienna museum, but such was its fate
The power of the Ottoman Empire was
then at it's zenith, The wave of Turkish
invasion was sim rising, the Turkish arms
were still everywhere victorious the Sui
tan gave orders that Vienna should be
taken, and the vizier marched TO carry
them oat.7 What might have been the fate
of the Austrian capital, had not the gal
LIANT Poles come to its rescue, is easy to
guess. for only a few days provisions re-
manned when the Polish army was seen
afar off by the anxious watchers in the
steep!e of st. Stephens. The Turks were
taken unawares. On one side was John
Sobiesh with a fresh Polish host, on the
other were the desperate defenders of the
city. who sailed forth, preferring to die
in battle rather than of slow starvation.
The grand vizier was overwhelmingly de-
feated and forced to fall back, With the
remnants of his army he retired toward
Belgrade, and there surrendered his head
to the Sultan. His body was inferred in
all it's military fnery at Belgrade, and
when Prince Eugene's great victory was
won. there. in l7l7 the victor's unceremoni-
| ously dragged the vizier from his grave
| and sent the head TO Vienna as a trophy,
where. with its long beard, it occupies a
prominent niche in the Imperial museum.
But time would fail to tell of the head of
! Oliver Cromwell, cur off after the coward
| ly Charles II had dishonorsd the remain
| of the great lord protector, and which
| long lay concealed in the house of Puri-
| ran nartisan until finally. according to
the tradition. il found peaceful burial; or
| of the head of Charles l that was sup
posed TO be stolen, the report causing such
| a stir that his tomb was opened for The
| purpose of ascertaiuing the truth; or of
| the head of Henry " of France, which
was made football Of by the rabbie when
| fine tomhs Of st. Denis were violated, and
men and women of the slums paraded the
alsles of the grand old cathedral, dressed
in robes and fnery Torn from the bodies OF
tho greatest monarchs of their age; or OF
the head of Stella. SwlfCs unhappy wife
which. now according to the testimony OF
the o,d sacrfstan of St Patrick's reposes
on The shoulders of Swifts skeleton, hav-
ing been placed there years ago, when
some repairs in The vaults were IN pros
ress Swift would never during his life
limo allow il 10 lie where It now rests, but
inc COINS were falling TO pieces, the skull
If SOFIA was rolling off to one side, and
he SEXTON n,aced il in what he thought
The mosI appropriate situation.
rhere Is no account in all the anecdoti-
ana of the Middle Ages of man making
| a ,,rssent of his head to his favorite
cburch or most intimate friend. The mid
Ale ape neople probably thought then
| baads safer on their own shoulders even
in death but instances were numerous OF
| hearts heinp given away after they had
ceased To become of use to their owners
| Queer ideas had our fathers twenty tc
| IT, tines removed, Nowadays the
elarno that would be occasioned in a house