The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1911-04-20
ANCIENT HISTORY
Something About the Cru
saders and Their
Schemes.
pICHARD THE FIRST

.n Hundred Thousand Soldiers
Killed in One short Wharf.-The
Strange Conduct of Richard. the
King Of EngIand-The seige of
jerusalem and Facts Connected
Thcrcvitb-Turan Shaw Played n
Great Game.
Continued from last issue.)
..a.rDspoudence Of The Caucasian
Enterprise
a .asg.lle. y. G. April II. 1911.
...-e 10 the end ov the eleventh
.... .-v. third crusade wuz deter
...4 5n in Europe. and the EN-
.,-.- o. Germany. together with
p..lp the Second. ov France, and
p.naTd the First, ov England, hav-
. a-rivcd in Palestine. encamped
.af.re the city ov Acca or Ptolemais,
.a.lst many European ships rode In
..r harbor Saladin had assembled
numerous army, and the powers ov
Europe we're pleged to defeat him.
Richard the First, ov England, wuz a
nan ov great courage, and had been
.amcd Occur de Lion" and hiZ
skill In war, added to hiZ proves,
had made him the most famous mill
,ary officer ov that age. If these had
been complete harmony between the
chief officers ov the crusade-if the
4 1,
-huc the city ov Ptolemais would
doubtless hev fallen in a short time.
Bat the allies, after very long
-eige finally won and Saladin wuZ
compelled to capitulate in 1871. The
garrison WuZ allowed to march out
with the honors ov war, and large
sum Oy money WuZ 10 be paid to the
oescigers. But the King of Egypt
.nally refused to pay the cash and
that brought on even more serious
complications an nearly three thou
sand prisoners were killed by the al
lies. Hit il claimed that about 30O,-
U00 persons, mostly soldiers, were
killed durin' the terrible war, which
made hit one ov the worst wars the
world has known, especially az hit
WIZ ov short duration. The flower
Oy the young manhood ov England,
Germany an France on the one side,
an ov Egypt on the other side, wuz
cut off in an incredibly short time;
in fact, Asia an Syria lost many men,
too, for the Egyptian garrison wuz
made up in part by soldiers from
those countries, though Egypt natu-
rally furnished a very large percent
age Ov the important garrison at
PtOlemais.
After this turn in affairs the King
oy England only remained; an hav-
in laid seige to Ashkelon, he took
possession ov that city. Upon this
event Saladin fastened to Jerusalem;
an Richard, the English King, fol-
lowed at once. Richard laid seige to
the holy city, an when hit became
apparent that the city wuz about to
fall Richard suddenly withdrew hiZ
army an virtually retreated. Az
there wuz no known reason, the &C
ton Ov the English King hez never
been satisfactorily explained. He
had a powerful army an hiz courage
hez never been questioned. Add to
this the fact that no matter what
Richard may hev thought about hit,
the English soldiers were not the
sort who give up a fight while there
IL any chance ov victory, an you
still hev a greater mystery. l said
that Richard withdrew or retreated
That wuz not exactly the case, for
the army really retreated without or
ders from the King, who, Ov course
Wuz in supreme command, no gen.
eral havin' the authority to order q
retreat without the special permission
oY the King, when he wuz with the
army, an when he had long an val
liable experience in war. But the
army deliberately walked away an
left the King lookin' after hit with
tears in hiZ eyes. What could he de
alone? His only course wuz to fol
low or be captured, and he wisel!
followed. My explanation il that
believe this extraordinary conduc
wuz due to the fact that Providenc,
did not will that the Holy City, o
Jerusalem should fall into the hand
ov even brave an humane man lik,
King Richard. The rulers ov tn,
city may hev been more or less wick
ed an the populace may hev been tn.
same. But Providence hez ever Civ
en- the ISraelites special protection
an We must not forget the instanc
when Pharoah pursued them to tn
shores ov the sea an God caused tn
waters to divide so that the Israelite
could march over on dry land Will
the army of Pharoah wuz engulfe-
an drowned by the rushin' water
"hen hit attempted to pursue. Meth
er must We forget when Sennacherib'
army, $4,000 strong, lay down on
night to rest an every soldier al
every officer wuZ lying dead the ne1