Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-31

hold OF Acre and had added IL to the
Latin kingdom Of jerusalem at a cost
OF not less than $4,000 human lives. But
In the year. I2Ss. there was no Godfrey Of
Bouillon. no Richard OF the Lion Heart.
to uphold the banner Of the cross. Hugh
de Lusignan. king OF Jerusalem. claimed
dominion over all Palestine, but in reality
there was nothing left except Acre, with
its c~osmopoIte population made ID Of
fanatics and Adventures from every
European nation.
These lawless Christians perpetrated such
outrageous iniusuces upon the Moslem
merchants OF the neighborhO0d that in the
year l291 a Mameluke prince Of Egypt en-
tered Palestine at the head OF an army
Of 5000 men and beseiged the city. The
cowardly king escaped the night before
the seige begun and was followed by a
majority OF the wretched and vicious in
habitants. who left the defense OF the city
to about 1900 soldiers. members and re-
tainers Of the three military orders the
Teutonic knights. the Templars and the
Hospita-ers. They stood their ground
nobly, but at the end OF thirty-three days,
the Moslem army broke through the de-
lenses. and ended the annals Of the Cru
sades. just as they had begun two cen
turtles before in jerusalem. with a festival
OF murder. Sixty thousand Christians met
their deaths that day at the swords OF the
Mameluke troops. OF the knights who
defended the city only seven escaped.
Cut off from Acre by the invading army,
a small body Of Templars was penned up
in the castle at AthIIt, a huge pile built
in the palmy days Of that knightly order
as a branch OF the chief house which stood
urgeh,r,H EI.TH,~- naw Is, ,WH.r Fha NJ,
cestor OF the Temple. This castle was
built in 1Z1S, over and around a smaller
fertilization which was erected by Richard
Of the Lion Heart and which vas later
used as a stable by the knights, a purpose
to which it is devoted today by its Bedouin
Inhabitants. Within this stronghold the
knights defended themselves nobiy. but
when Acre fell they knew it was hopeless
to Withstand the force Of the entire army
OF the crescent. And so one night they
gathered them in he banqueting hall
and had a last feast. and then they went
into the church and heard the last prayers,
and then they took to their boats and I'M
der cover of darkness escaped 10 the Island
Of Cypress. The next day the forces Of
the Mameluke prince. Sultan Molek-el-
Ashraf, again attacked the fortress. Find
AAB ~ NbRoaAAlDAlt they NlAHAEu Al anu 0t-
spoiled the church. Later the sultan de-
stroyed many OF the buildings to obtain
stone TO be used in rebuilding the ruined
Acre.
And now, since seven centuries nave
gone, one may visit the Castle Athlit in
safety and in peace. Ths breakers OF the
Mediterranean lash themselves against lis
mighty wall and great flakes Of seafoam
a. - 49,. - - wi
is filled with sand and the bridges have
long since crumbled into dust. A pic
turesque young Bedouin, carrying a pre-
ternaturally long rifle on his shoulder
meets one at the outer gate and demands
backshish. His savage mem Is amelioraJed
by the magic Of silver and ne uses his
archaic weapon only for ornament.
He takes one into the fortress and guides
him about amidst the queer co~nglomera
ton Of dead grandeur and living squalor
The miserable huts OF the villagers ar,
built OF richiy-carved blocks OF stone tori
from the walls Of the old castle, but II
staggers the imagination 10 be called upor
to believe that the ancestors OF such a.
these villagers were able 10 prevail asains.
[ our own ancestors who buiIt and defended
: this magnificent stronghold.
4 IneTe remains To-Day one wall OF the grea
r church, still standing more than eighty
2 feet high, showing the bases Of the grea
[ gothic arches which supported its ceiling
2 A little distance away is The banquet hall
three walls OF which still stand But tn,
: sea breaks on the lower wall and grea
! flakes Of seafoam float through the broker
; arches.
, The American who sees it today canno
fail to be most profoundly Impressed b,
: the massiveness, the strength and tn
: antiquity Of this work OF his British
? French and German ancestors, for as We
u, the United States. with all its wealth an
: power, has not produce a building to com
pare in beauty and massive strength witt
this old castle which was the scene OF tn
last stand Of the Knights Tempiar in tn
. Holy Land. the death house OF The Cru
saders.
e Tomorrow-THE HOLY LAND.
XI. Nazarath cha DaEuiSad-