The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-10
DEL|V[RANCE DAYS
Cities of the World That
Celebrate Their Own
Fourth of July 0c-
Casions.

Town taking day." says Pearson's
Weekly.
1t is, indeed, kept up even now, af-
ter a fashion, by a certain section Of
her citizens. but with little or moth
ing of the universal enthusiasm that
characterized the proceedings in years
gone by.
The event which is commemorated
by the holiday in question is the de-
liverance of the city from the adher-
ents of James II. at the time of the
landing of the Prince of Orange.
The citadel and the town forts were
strongly held by the kings patisans,
for it was thought likely the prince
might enter the Humber: and when
the news arrived that he had chosen
TO land at Torbay. the garrison was
in nowise reduced.
Nevertheless. the Protestant towns
folk resolved to try to seize the place
Tor their new ruler. A secret meeting.
of the leading citizens was called; and
as a result all the leaders of the
Catholic party were simultaneously
arrested.
Afterwards the Protestant Captain
Copley with one hundred men, dis
guised in Catholic uniforms, marched
round and relied" the guards in the
ordinary way, thereby obtaining, by an
artful but. under The circumstances,
perfectly justifiable strategem, COM
plete possession of the citadel, forts,
arsenal and other points of vantage,
without being under the necessity of
shedding a single drop of blood.
The room in the old "Whyte Earte"
hostelry wherein this plot was hatch
ed-llnown as the plotting chamber"
lis still in existence, and is one Of
the sights" that every stranger visit
ing Hull is invariably called upon to
do"
VaIetta, the capital of Malta, keeps
June public holiday, because on
that date, more than century and Il
half ago, her inhabitants had a narrow
escape from being all poisoned.
At the time the island was ruled by
the Knights of st. John, and one
morning a Jew, who kept coffee shop
in the Strada Reale, waited upon the
grand master, requesting private au-
dience on a affair of the utmost i'm
portance.
Being admitted, he confided to his
amazed listened the existence OF plot
among the Turkish slaves-of whom
there were several thousand on the
island--to eXterminate the entire
Christian population at one fell stroke.
This was to be accomplished by
poisoning the city's water supply with
corrosive sublimate, of which deadly
drug large supplies had been pur-
chased by the principal conspirators.
The grand master took action i'm
mediately. Some corrosive Sublimate
was actually found at the address IN
dictated. At others alum only was
discovered. But it was afterWard ex
planned that this was due to fraud on
the part of the chemist with whom
the conspirators were dealing. He had
not been able to procure SO much
poison all at once, and SO had sub
stituted the alum in question.
Wholesale arrests followed, and a
free use of torture led to equal free
confessions" About two hundred of
those deemed to be most guilty We're
Put upon their trial. and of these one
hundred and twenty-five were found
guilty.
Their punishments We're cruel in the
extreme. Numbers We're burnt alive,
some were broken on the wheel, while
vet others were condemned to have
their arms and legs attached to diff
ferent galleys, which, on being rowed
apart. would thus dismember them.
Whether this alleged plot was real,
or onl yfanciful, cannot now be de-
termined But the Maltese, at any
rate firmly believe in it, and celebrate
their deliverance therefrom to this
day.
Geneva's principal holiday Of the
year is called "Fete de fEscalades =
literally holiday of the ladders.
ON the night of December II, 16O2,
the Duke of Savoy attempted TO
treacherously seize the city during the
existence of a truce.
Under cover OF darkness he march
cd AN army of 5000 men right up
to the ramparts and would have I'M
dCubtedly succeeded in his nefarious
design had he not miScalculated the
height of the city walls.
AS a result his ealing ladders, to
the number of some six hundred, were
found to be several feet short of the
required length In the confusion that
ensued upon this discovery pistol
went off accidentally.
The hitherto unsuspecting citv at
once awoke. and flew to arms. The
assailants were driven OFT with i'm
mense slaughter. And when morning
broke the capital was saved, and the
burghars, weary and blood-stained,
but very joyful, assembled in and
around the cathedral, to listen to the
voice Of their aged Beza chanting the
grand old Psalm: Nov may Israel
say if the Lord had not been with US.
Such is the famous "Escalade, the
Bannoekburn of the GeneVes, when
has ever since Deen coleDIdleu viii
every description of public thanksglV-
ing AMI rejoicing.
Helston, in Cornwall keeps up the
Sth of May with much quaint cere-
moniaL although the reason Thereon
is not quite clear. 1t is, however, Sig
nificancant that a principal feature OF
the festival is the furry dance, ORR
ginally spelt ''foray'; and it is gener-
ally believed locally that this COM
memories the towns escape from
some one or other of the wild forays
of the early sea rovers.
The last concerted celebration by
Plymouth of "Aramada day" July
49, was in 1873, the tercentenary when
great rejoicings were held and the
foundation stone of the national me-
mortal was laid.
Until within the diving memory,
however, the concentration festi-
val was held annually. All business
was suspended; sports and games took
for the nonce the place of work; the
corporation, in obedience to time
honorei custom, met together in full
official robes to partalxe of cake and
wine; and the bells of the old church
of st. Andrew rang out merry peals
from daylight till dusk.