Arizona republican., 1907-06-15
BEAUTIFUL LUCtRNE
 IN THE SWISS ALPS
Interesting Letter Written by General Sampson and Post Cards Sent From the City of Donsolas.

! Another installment of post cards
 has been received by a Phoenix friend | from General A. J. Sampson, dated ! May 20 in Venice the city of gondolas. | which was founded in the year 432 and | built on seventy-two islands Its main street is the Grand canal, 800 feet wide ] and two miles iong dividing the city into two parts. There are in the city l46 smaller canals and 400 bridges across them. But notwithstanding water seems to be as essential to the life of Venice as it is to this valley, the general says nothing about water supply. rights. or priority lawsuits.
 A pinhole in a post card shows the front entrance to the Grand Hotel Brittania where the general and Mrs. Sampson were stopping at the time of ! writing. IL has 230 rooms and all were occupied. They found it neces- sary to engage quarters ten days in | advance. He writes:
 "A moonlight ride in a dongola. over miles of canals is enjoyable. delightful. The Doge's palace is one of the places of greatest interest here. A Doge was the supreme ruler of the Venetian nation. This country was governed this way HOO years during which time 122 Doges ruled. It would make a lengthy letter to tell you all I saw in this building. Of course we | crossed the Bridge of Signs" and re- peated the words of Byron. ''I stood in Venice on the bridge of signs, a prison and "a palace on each hand. " | We went into the dark dismal. damp stone cell in which Byron spent three days and nights. a volunteer prisoner. just to see how it would go. I assure you l made no application to follow his example"
 The general said they intended to go from Venice to Lucerne. Switzer- land but for the present their address continues to be care of the American consul general, Paris, France.
 These post cards were followed by a letter received by the same Phoenix friend, written after their arrival in Lucerne, and which letter The Repub- lican is permitted to print as follows; Lucerne, Switzerland, May 90. 1907. My dear Frater:
 When a mere boy how our blood boiled as We read of the cruel demand made by the tyrant Gessler of William l Tell to shoot the apple placed or his sons head, perchance to pierce the sons brain with the arrow aimed al the apple. but little did We then inn agine that we would ever see the town where this event happened and yet we did, only yesterday. In those early years of my life the story of the heroic death of Arnold Winkelried. another of SwitZerland's noble sons. kindled 1 feelings of patriotism in my young heart. never to be erased. But yester- day I saw his birthplace and anew ad- mired the life of one who sacrificed | all for country.
 The memory of each of these pa ! triots is preserved by this sturdy peo- | pie not only by appropriate monu- ments but in their hearts and they will never cease to admire the skill 1 of Tell or the patriotism of a Wink | elried.
 Then the Lion Monument" is daily lesson of patriotism to the youth oi i this city. This is an enormous lion cut in the face of a rocky cliff sixty | feet high. to perpetuate the memory
 of the two battalions of Swiss soldiers
 the guard of honor to the king oi
 France, who were killed by the Jac-
 obians. August 10. 1792.
 There is wooden covered bridge
 600 feet long, across the river that di'
 vides Lucerne, built diagonally acros:
 instead of straight, in 133S, hence i:
 nearly 600 years old and good as new But the remarkable thing about tho
 bridge is that there are one hundred
 and twelve triangular paintings placed
 at regular intervals beneath the rooi
 of the bridge. which represents the he
 roic deeds of the old Switzers and the
 sufferings of their patron saints. An
 other daily lesson of patriotism, of lovt of country for the inspiration of th' | youth to emulate the example of those
 who died that their country nigh live. By the side of this bridge, 1T the middle of the river and connected
 with it stands an immense octagona
 tower. once the town treasury and stil the storehouse of the municipal ar chives and documents.
 At night the bridge and tower art
 one blaze of electric light, and present
 a beautiful sight from our balcony.
 In coming here from Venice, Italy
 our train came through 46 tunnels il
 run of less than 200 miles. Later WI
 came through many other tunnels, thu
 most famous of all being the St
 Gothard. which took ten years to mak'