The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-02
BYRON'S SWORD.
Romantic History of n blade Now
Owned in Chicago.
From the chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune
What is considered by many to be the
most priceless relic of Lord Byron, the
sword which he carried through Greece
when that country was truggling against
the Turks for independence in the early
part of the century, hangs from polished
board in he library of Mrs Henry W.
King, 15l Rush street. 1t is the same
sword which the poet hberator carried
while in command of a band of Suliotes in
the vicinity of Mssolonghi. Il was brought
to American by Col. J. F. Miller a resident
of Vermont, the father of Mrs Sarah Mil
Ter Keith, who died last week from
injuries resulting from an accident while
she was visiting at the residence of former
Senator c. b. Farwell.
Col Miller went to Greece in 1924 as a
volunteer in the Greek army, and after
the siege and battle of MissOlonghi, in
April 1926 he returned to Vermont and
lectured through New York and the New
England states for the cause of the
Greeks. A the solicitation of the Boston
and New York Greek committees he went
to Greece a second time as their general
agent, and distributed several cargoes of
provisions and clothing for the suffering
Greeks returning to Montpelier, VI, in
1871. His statement about the sword is
follows: Lord Byron gave the sword to
young Greek officer named Loukas, cap
tain in his legion, who afterwards was
shot dead in a sortie against the Turks
from the Acropols at Athens; and being
found with his sword knotted around his
wrist was carried into the fortress. When
the sword and his clothing were sold for
the benefit of his sisters by the British
consul a Poros, Greece, l was present ut
the sale. purchased the sword and brought
ii home on my second return from Greece.
loaned it to Mr.. Castanis, native Greek
lecturer. by whom ii was carried back to
Greece"
Abijah Keith, who was the husband Of
Sarah Miller Keith, in 1885 wrote the fol-
lowing account of its recovery by himself
upon one of his trips to Europe; Mrs.
Keith and myself visited Greece in 1888,
and learning the whereabouts of Mr.. Cas-
tanis at the Island of syria, Greece,
through our United States consul Mr..
Evangelides, recovered the sword. After
ward, while at Athens Mr.. George Finlay.
the eminent Scotch Philhellene, who knew
Lord Byron well. and also Col. Miller and
Dr. $. G. Howe, called upon us, and dur
ing the conversation asked what had be-
come of the Byron sword. We told him
That we had il with us having recently
found the same at the Island of syria; and,
on examination, he identified the sword
and gave US the following certificate,
which was printed in 1860 in Col Miller $
| biography in Thompson's History of
| Montpelier VT" the orig nal certificate
being lost in the great Chicago fire Oc-
tober, 1871 MI and Mrs. Keith have just
shown me the sword which Col. Miller pur-
chased at Poros, at the sale of the effects
| of Capt. Loukas. This sword 1 nave seen
in Lord Byron's possession before he
| gave it to Loukas, and l was present at
| Poros when it was sold. George Finlay,
| Athens, Jan. II, 1883 -
Mr. Keith then adds that Mr. Finlay
was a member of the Archaeological Society
Of France, and also of the American An
| tiquaran Society of New York. and wrote
several histories of the different periods
| of Greece, and resided at Athens until
| his death in 1875. DIR. Russ of New York
and DR.. S. G. Howe of Boston We're pres
ent at the sale. The sword mas an Arabic
Inscription on the blade which is well
worn, and Byrons initial on the hit.