The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-04-25
An Historic Bible.

When President Roosevelt was at the
| Charleston exposition he saw his
| South Carolina ancestors Bible which
has just been placed in the Spartanburg
county exhibit, by a distant Carolinian
cousin OF the President, II. :. Simpson.
The Rev. Archibald Stobo. of Scotland.
Panama and Charleston. was the ances-
tor who brought the old Bible To America.
His reat-granddaughter Miss Bullock.
became Mrs. Roosevelt, mother Of Theo-
dore.
The present chief magistrate has an in
herited right to he interested I'm Isthmian
and Spanish complications. His stren-
nous parson progenitor knew them well.
Nearly $4,000 900 was invested by en-
,n elastic scotchmen in the first Panama
enterprise, a colony numbering thousands
OF Scots. who expected TO found New
Caledonia on the Isthmus OF Darien.
The Rev. Mr.. Stobo was one OF four
ministers sent out by the general assem-
bly, OF the Presbyterian church OF Scot
land. He sailed from Leith I'm the Ris-
ing Sun with a fleet OF colonists. and
when he and his wife and company ar
rived they found that the seven shlploads
OF earlier settlers had decamped. They
had been driven away by Panama fever
and by starvation TO seek refuge in Ja-
macia and New York.
The newcomers stayed about four
months at Panama. They had to- The
Spaniards. who claimed most OF that
part OF the new world in that last year
of the seventeenth century. came and be-
seiged the Scottish camp. President
Roosevelt's ancestor and the fighting men
with this man of peace held out against
the Spanairds for six weeks. Then. hav-
ing no reserve supplies, they were forced
To give In, but they insisted on all the
honors of war.
soIo 49,
The Roosevelt ancestor sailed north with
colors flying from the Rising Sun. to be-
come an American. The ship encountered
big hurricane off the coast OF Florada,
and was nearly given up by those on
board; but the seas fell. and she struggled
up TO Charleston under a jurymast and
cast anchor outside the bar.
IL was September, the hurricane month:
but the weather was fair, and IL was in
tended 10 bring her into harbor next day
Some Charleston citizens came out TO her
in boats. They were delighted to find the
Rev. Archibald Stobo on board. They
needed Presbyterian minister. and in
vited him to their vacant pulpit.
Their two earlier preachers. the Rev.
John Cotton and the Rev. Benjamin Pier
pont, had both died, and they did not en-
JOY going to the Church OF England
services in Charleston. They asked the
Scottish minister to come ashore at once.
He and Mrs Stobo and one OF their
friends, Lieutenant Graham. accepted
and went with their hosts to Charleston.
or course. Mr.. Stobo took his Bible
with him. That was in 1899 and the book
Is dated 1858, so IL was an old companion.
That night a dreadful hurricane threat
ented the existence OF Charleston. "The
swelling sea rushed In with amazing inn
petuosity.' according 10 the description
OF an eyewitness and the inhabitants
were forced 10 takerefuge In the upper
stories and on the roofs OF their houses
Captain Gibson, OF the Rising Sun.
could not save the doomed ship nor the
people left aboard after the departure OF
the Stobos. She was driven from anchor
dashed TO pieces on the shore and every
soul perished
When daylight came ana the storm fell
Mr.. Stobo and Lieutenant Graham went
out 10 look for their follow voyagers, but
found only corpses washed ashore on
James Island. They spent most OF that
first day burying the bodies OF the lost
friends
The Rev. Mr.. Stobo remained as pastor
in Charleston for four years. until l70i
The town was visited by another terrible
hurricane during that time, as well as by
devastating fire and an epidemic OF
smallpox The great-great- great great
grandfather OF Theodore Roosevelt. how
ever, survived them as he bad survived
tho Spaniards and the trousies at Pana-
ma Mail ana Express.