Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-31


years ago there was a nation the very
location of which has been lost but it
is supposed to have occupied a part of
Austria and a part of northern Italy.
There is legend connected with this
country which has been handed down
by word of mouth for many centuries.
Traces of it have been found among
German speaking people and among
Italians.
There was a king of this country-so
the story goes-who was at continual
war with people living to the east OF
his territory, supposed to have been
Slays, whose descendants now occupy
the Balkans. He appears In different
versions of the tradition under differ
ent names, but usually Bonverd. The
name of the nation he governed was
Thungaria. supposed by some to have
been the origin of Hungary.
While King Bonverd was hard press
ed by his enemies a son was born to
him. There was a prophecy that the
Serbs would overpower Thungaria, but
| that a Bonyerd born at the time Of the
conquest would re-establish the king
dom and subject the conquerors. This
prophecy. which reached the Serbs,
! filled them with a desire, should they
succeed in fulfilling the first part of
it, to nullify the second part by either
killing the infant who was, when
grown, to work their destruction or
make him a captive.
At the birth Of the heir to the throne
(Bonverd H., If he lived) his mother
was unable to nurse him, and peasant
woman who gave birth to a man child
at the same time was called in to give
suckle to the prince. She was assign
ed rooms in a wing of the palace and
brought her own child with her
The woman, whose name was Jo-
sepha, was dark and her child was of
like complexion, while the heir appar-
ent to the throne was fair, with blue
eyes. The king. when Josepha and |
her son, who was called Herman. |
were brought to the palace, called upon !
his councillor to make an inspection of |
the two infants In order that the peas |
ant boy could not be substituted for |
the prince. They reported to the king |
that, since one WAS light and the 9TH
er dark, any one who had seen them.
knowing which was the prince. would
NC oOlC " JoNSC NCAiSNt4S W
tween the two This satisfied the king,
and he made no objection to Josepha
having her own son with her.
Meanwhile the Serbs were slowly
the capital of Thungaria,
their king. Boris, being a great general
and matched against a commander
who was his inferior, for King Bon
verd was not a warrior and was
obliged to yield the command of his
troops TO another. This man risked all
on one battle and was defeated. and the
whole of Thungaria was open to the
enemy, who had advanced rapidly on
the capital. Indeed, they came as
fast as the news that they were COM
ng.
One morning Josepha heard a din
below and. looking through window.
;aw the street filed with the enemy's
roops. The prince was asleep in his
,radle. covered with drapery of the
inest texture and bearing the royal
rms.
Josepha's own son was in his own
radle. made of oak and unadorned.
Tearing a noise in the corridor and
that the Serbs had broken
nto the palace and would murder the i
rince, she laid him in her sons era I
lie and put her son in the place of
he prince. Then, passionately en-
racing her offspring, she went into {
II adjoining room that she might not
ee him killed |
She had scarcely done so when the G
ursery door was thrown open and q
rmed men entered. In few minutes a
hey were gone, and Josepha went 4
ack, expecting TO see the body of her
murdered son. The; cradle was empty. h
nd the prince was lying where she q
ad placed him in the oaken cradle v
King Bonverd WAS killed lighting at
lie head of his bodyguard. and all his v
purifiers who outlived the taking of n
lie city were scattered. Josepha, car s
ling the prince, who was supposed to a
; her child. escaped from the palace q
I'd made her way TO her home in the a
'untry. She dared not let it be known J.
at the babe was heir TO the throne Il
Thungaria lest the fact reach the a.
king and he should be kill. q
!. She therefore kept her secret. W
Twenty years passed. Thungaria was
province of the kingdom of Boris. h,
verned by a viceroy. Bonverd was al
ought up by his foster mother under CO
c name of Joseph Bernstein and IA
like his father. manifested predis- pC
sition for military life At an
rly age he enlisted in the army of W
ing Boris in a corps stationed in X
Being a fine soldier. he je
rs rapidly promoted till at twenty su
ars OF age he was made a captain. an
\ few years later young man came TO
ThunSaria and announced that he IL
Is BOnverd IL. king of Thungaria hi
declared that when the Serbs had en-
lQuered the country he had been OF
zen by order of K~ig Boris from his tel
IDLE in the palace and carried TO the ne
Is, who had turned him over TO an
> OF HIS officers to be dispatched
q nfIrlaE. -. Iii. K. L. - e =