Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-05-08
KING EDWARDS SWORDS.
Blades Of Wonderful Workmanship
and Romantic History.

and Romantic History.
Few OF the treasures OF Bucking-
ham Palace possess one-half the ro-
mantle interest of the little armory
OF swords and daggers- gifts to
King Edward from one hundred Of
the princes and mobiles of India.
II is difficult to separate truth
from legend. says the Strand. but OF
the great antiquity Of most there
can be no manner OF doubt Here Is
d little story which viii illustrate
this fact
A sword in the collection of the
Maharajah OF Jaipur was sold to an
English nobleman. together with tho
scroll setting forth its history;
This blade was a talisman In the
family of Sadat Chandra Khan, de-
scending from father to son for eigh-
teen generations, until the coming OF
Nadir Shah, who slew Sadat Chandra
Khan and gave this sword to his
vizier, who sold 1t at Benares"
The Englishman on his return was
one day showing his prize to a visi-
tor, who, after scrutinizing the
blade under a powerful magnifying
glass, began to laugh.
II think some one has been draw
ing long bow as well as handling a
sharp blade" he said. There is the
makers name here-'Johan Smith.
York."
1t seemed an awkward revelation,
but there was good deal more to be
revealed. "Johan Smith" was In
deed the maker, but he lived and
nourished in the thirteenth century,
and made this particular sword
and perhaps one or two others in
the present collection--for some
crusading knight who. falling in the
Holy Land, left his weapon to be
handed on to the infidels in the Far
East.
One blade is q superb example of
Dasmascus watering, damaskeened
with escutcheons and inscriptions In
Persian. At the back is inscribed the
makers Mohammed Ibrahim.
The hilt is damaskeened in gold with
the Shah inscription, La fatta Ma
Ally, la saif Ma Zulficar C'There is
no saint but Ali. no sword but zul-
ficar'D.
The history of this blade goes
back 500 years, and to recount all the
notable and blood curdling deeds Of
Zul1car would require a ponderous
volume.
Histories of swords exist in many
parts of the East In the Royal Ii
brary at Teheran there is a manu-
script of 200 pages recounting the
exploits of a Damascus blade. prob
ably far inferior in prowess to the
one Just mentioned.
Everywhere we come across fine
European sabers fixed In Indian
handles. After time the deep
grooves were made deeper and util-
lied in strange fashion. being filled
with loose pearls which ran to and
fro when waved. These were called
"the tears OF the enemy"
A curious saber worn by successive
Rajahs of Mandi is of Indian make
and in the middle of the blade are
circular apertures containing small
leaden shot, visible through six mar
row Sits on either side of the blade.
This shot is said to have been ex-
tracted from the heart of foe, and
Ramchander Chose relates many In
stances Of swords manufactured es-
pecially TO contain such fatal leadeD
pellets.
Perhaps the most fascinating of
all in the collection Is the sword of
the renowned Sivaji, founder of the
Mahratta dominion in India. Several
native pens have attempted to write
the history of this wonderful blade.
but 1t is doubtful IL any could relate
1.-THE Of its adventures.
1t, like many others, was borne In
the Crusades by an English knight,
and may perhaps be of English
make. 1t is a straight, one-edged
blade with two grooves on either
side, in one of which the holy letters,
II. II. s." are stamped thrice. 1t is
said that Sivajl claimed 1t to have
been the sword of Godfrey de Bouil-
Ion himself.