The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-06-30
CspyxiRht, by
The rrsss Publishin ~ Co (Ths Now York Woridl
Eric the Red, the Scoundrel Who
May Have Caused America's
Discovery


chief of q band of sea robbers and all
around rufians. whom he held In
check by q brutality even greater than
their own. He was born In Norway
about $50 A. D., and was the son Of Q
Jarl, or Earl. In the intervals between
his voyages of piracy he huled q
group Of barren farms and fed at bis
table a throng Of hard drinking. loud
voiced Vikings who had sworn al
legiance to him.
Laws we're few In that land. and age
Of violence. Human life was cheap.
Yet Eric committed murder so re-
yolting as to shock even the hardened
Norsemen. To save his own life he
was forced to fee from the country.
With his followers he sailed to Ice
land. There he established new
home. But his stay was brief. His
loodthirsty yearnings would not con.
form to any law. and in 9S4 he fed
once more for his life. after q second
murder.
Homeless, an outlaw, q price on his
head, Eric the Red sought for head
quarters far enough from civilization
to make q safe abiding place for him.
He and his men secured the northern
seas In their serpent-prowed galleys,
until at last. after doubling Cape Fare
we'll, they came upon vast tract Of
ground covered with high green grass.
ON which thousands of reindeer were
feeding. Here Eric landed and found
ed a city. He named the country
Greenland" Rumors Of It's where
abouts had come to him from another
Viking.
Nor was Greenland the only strange
country Of which wandering Vikings
had told Eric. These sea robbers
In their restless journeys In search OF
plunder were often swept out of all
known routes by storms. More than
one survivor Of such voyages had
spoken of having sighted great land
Tar to the westward.
Eric was uncertain how long Green
land might prove safe asylum for
him, and he was ever eager to dnd
new haunts for loot and pillage. So
be decided to explore this strange
westward country and establish col
ony there In the year 1000 A. D., or
thereabouts, he bade his son Lief to
join In the expedition.
Lief was wellnigh as fiery and brutal
as his father, but he had many finer
qualities as we'll. He was high In the
service Of King Olaf Of Norway and
was known as The Kings Guards
nan" His constant good fortune had
also won for him the nickname Of
Lief the Lucky" Like the rest Of
King Olars court, he Had embraced
Christianity, forswearing the heather
Morse gods and forcing his followers
to do the same. Eric was furious at
bis sons conversion. A fierce quar-
rel arose between the two. but their
differences were at last patched up
and they made ready for their Joint
voyage Of discovery.
AS the Vikings hastened down to the
waiting ships Eric rode at their head.
His horse. according to tho story,
stumbled and threw him Just as they
reached the waters edge. To Eric's
superstitious mind this seemed an
omen Of disaster He refused to go
on the expedition and sent Lief as Its
commander. This filled the Vikings
with Joy, for they hated Eric and loved
his gallant son.
After a long sail westward Lief
came to a gloomy. cloud-wrapped coun-
try (probably Newfoundland) and
sailed southwark, looking for less for
bidding shores. He found them. He
Is supposed to have landed somewhere
along the southeastern New England
coast The place seemed a paradise
to these men from the bleak north,
The soil was rich and verdant. Wild
grapes grew everywhere. Lief. be-
cause Of the multitude Of grapo,. call
ed the country "Vinland," or Wine
land"
Here he is supposed to have found
ed colony before carrying back to
Greenland the news of his wonderful
discovery. Other Morse colonies are
believed to have followed him to New
England. but their fate and their very
axiatopco Ia ehroudod In douht