The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-11-11
GOING DOWN THE RHINE.
Queer Looking Old Castles, and Some.
thing OF the People that Built Them.
ANOTHER LETTER FROM HENRY WOLF.
An Interesting Legend Concerning the Mouse
Tower, on the Island near Bingen.
The Monument OF Victory.

kline. We are passing many old
deserted castles on both sides of
the river which are perched on
the steep projecting rocks above.
You wonder why so many cas-
ties were built in as wild a region
as this? In the Middle Ages the
river Rhine was one of the great
est water highways of Europe.
The mel chandlse of the Orient
was conveyed through Italy, then
over the Alps into Switzerland,
aud then down the Rhine through
Germany to Holland, Belgium,
and England; and likewise the
goods of the last named coun-
tries went up the Rhine to the
East. The river was continuous
ly covered with crafts Of all kinds
and sizes, laden with the most
valuable goods of every descrip
tion.
In those days there was no sta
BILE government that could pro-
tect the citizen or merchant and
his wares, neither on land nor
water. Many lords and knights
lived by the sword that is, made
war their profession, and were
always looking out for booty
Now the Rhine region offered
just the tight locality for their
purpose. So they built these cas-
ties to hide their ill-gotten plum
der and to protect themselves in
times of trouble. Some were so
bold as to extort taxes from the
ships passing up or down the riv-
er. 1t is Blso recorded in history
that two knights in the year 1850
robbed the German empress of
all her jewels in the very sight of
her castle. They would, likewise,
capture wealthy men aud women,
contine them in their strongholds
and extort high ransoms. Some
Of these castles have strange and
horrible histories. You see that
strong old tower over there on
that island in the river? 1t is
just opposite the town of Bingen,
for the next station is that town.
An old legend says that once up
on q time there was great feu-
dial lord who had a great many
people living on his estates, over
whom he ruled without any fear of
God and for whose lives he had no
regard. 1t chanced that one year
the crops failed to such an extent
that there was great scarcity OF
gram for bread. To make things
worse, the heartless lord had ev-
cry bit of grain on all his estates
gathered, not leaving any for his
subjects to live on, and stored and
locked it up in his strong towers
IN his castle. AS the famine ad-
vanced and many persons were
at the point of starvation, the
starving people came IN one great
body to the castle and with weep.
ing and lamentation, besought
the lord to give them some of his
grain, so that their dear little
ones would be kept alive. The
lord looked out OF window down
from the high tower, upon the
weeping and distressed mothers
and babes. With fiendish hilarity
he called his Young wife to his
side and said to her. "Oh grand
grand Just listen TO the rats aud
mice, they are after my grain,
but they shall all starve to deatl
before / shall open storehouses-
aud to death they did starve. But
what happened? Mice and rats
by the thousands, made their ap
pearauce in the castle. They
We're so feroclous that the lort
was in danger Of beng eaten up
So he moved all his grain ant
family to yonder big tower OF
that island, thinking there HI
would be safe enough. But hor
ror, all the mum berless mice ant
rats, swan the river, and follow
ed him to his very bed cham ber
Some time after that, a neighbor
ing lord came to pay him visit
But what to his establishment p
Not living soul does ne find Il
all the castle. Only the bare boue
of its inmates. The mice ant