The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-08-28
BY FRED MfR0N COLBY.

7Thuringia, browning a proud and
slightly eminence, is a famous old cas-
tie. It's tall towers and long rows Of
bright Gothic windows overlook a
wide extent of country, some of the
most interesting portions of the Ger
man fatherland. The castle itself is
rich with many memories, and is eel
rebrated in song and story as the
Wartburg. Did you ever hear of it?
In one of its many rooms the great
performer, Martin Luther, spent ten
months of his life, from May 4, 1921,
to March 6, 1922. 1t is a small
apartment, and has but one window,
which even yet looks out upon a
great forest. The furniture is said
to be the same that he used. Here is
the table he wrote at and the chair
he sat in, and eve the inkstand in
which he dipped his pen, that won
derful pen that wrote sc many grand
and inspiring things. There, too, is
the spot of ink on the wall, made, as
the sorry goes, when the reformer
the story goes, when the reformer
:truder whom he believed to be the
devil.
In another part of the castle is a
great lofty room called the Minstrels'
Hall, where took place the famous
musical contest between the trouba-
sdours in the time of L%andgrave Her.
mann l., about the year. 1900. For
seven days tbs contest continued,
and the whole splendors of medieval
.chivalry and hospitality was here dis
played to heighten the charm of song.
Almost cal you hear the t%wanging
harps now and see the excited COM
batants, as you tread the floor of the
frescoed hall.
1t was in this grand old castle with
:all these historic associations that
the little prince was born who had
the bitten cheek. He lived about half
way between the time of his illus
trious ancestor, the Landgrave Her
mann, and that of Martin Luther, so
that you can very easily tell the age
in which he fourished. The room is
shown in the upper part of the castle
where he and his little brother were
born, and there is the cradle in which
>=all the Landgraves were rocked for
200 or 800 years.
His name was Friedrich and his
younger brothers name was Helm
rich. Their father was the Land
grave Albrecht, called the Degener-
ate. He was a brutal and unprinci-
pied man, and treated his beautiful
wife Marguerite very harshly. she
was the daughter of the Emperor
Friedrich H., one of the most bril-
liant and 'llustrious sovereigns of his
time. Marguerite was a good and
noble woman, but her husband re-
sspected neither her virtues, her rank,
nor her beauty. He even seemed to
hate his children on their mothers
account, and the poor young prince
had a hard time of it.
Landgrave Albrecht was mean and
selfish enough to sell Thuringia for a
large sun of money to the Emperor
Alolph, who was no relation to the
great Friedrich. He was thus. de-
priving his sons of their inheritance.
In order to have notrouble with them
he determined to shut them up out OF
the way. So he sent some hard
hearted men ).take them from their
mother and bring them to the Wart-
burg.
The ill-used Landgrayine was liY-
Inc away from her cruel husband,
and whel she heard of his orders she
tried to flee to saw her children. But
the Landgrave's soldiers overlook her
and she was forced to give them up.
When she parted with them, instead
of kissing the eldest, she gave him a
fierce bite in the cheek so that the
scar would always remind him of his
W and his mothers wrongs. Lit
tie Friedrich vas then only seven
years old.
The poor children were taken to
the Wartburg and shut up in one of
its dark dungeons. Just think of
them being prisoners in the grand
and splendid home where they should
have been so happy. Was it not
cruel? They were treated so harshly
hat they would have starved in pri-
o had not some of the old servants
been true to them and given them
food in secret. And one night, after
long, weary months, they opened the
dungeon doors and the poor little
princes walked out Of their prison
and escaped in company with a party
of horsemen who we're watching to
help them.
The young princes had many adj
ventures before they regained the
side of their mother. Once in pass
ing through 4 forest they and their
escort were attacked by robbers. The
half dozen horsemen were quickly
beaten down by the superior force OF
the bandits, and Friedrich and his
brother wonld have Jared badly had
not the robbcr chief noticed the elder
boys SCARED cheek.
. ART thCu not Oh Thur
ingia, whose mother gave him such a
brave kiss?" asked the robber, re-
garding him earnestly.
Il am Friedrich Of Thuringia, thy
rightful prince" answered the gal
liant boy. The enemies Of thy coun-
try pursue me. I crave thy protec-
ton"