Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1916-01-04


the seal, unmistakable. done IN my
blood and his. of your king, Micnaei
the First. and of your future KING
Michael the Second, my son. he Is
as yet too young fully to know tne
gravity of these presents. But by TINS
sign you shall know your ruler snah
these presents come to you, wen De-
| loved.
In the name of God. amen MI
chael, Rex" !.
Below this signature of MichaeI
the Good said the measured voice
of Count Frederick. there is anothel
observation-disclosures the Second, Rex
Gentlemen, there are two signatures
10 these scripts, and there are two
seals"
A sigh of wonder, almost of conster-
nation. came from those assembled.
The only protest was from the hud
died object in the farther corner OF
the room. where still remained MI
chael, the drunken.
What then, the guard! ne
shrieked. Treason to me-after him.
men, This pretender-what is it that
he SAYS? What proof has he?-what
proof?'
This proof. sir!' said Count Fred
erick, coldly, and approached to him
the broad page of the parchment
sheet.
Michael gazed stupidity at what he
saw, uncomprehending. Others gazed
also. and at first could make nothing
of what was there. Count Frederick
went on:
81 recall now, as see this page,
said he, this writing Of the king, my
father-you hear me, gentlemen-my
father!
81 recall that l saw him place be-
meath the great seal, that other seal
done in his own blood. | saw him
draw the blood from his own arm and
put his thumb in it, and place it here,
thus sealing this document with the
unmistakable seal-the one alone
which cannot show mistaken iden-
tity.
"And here, gentlemen, beneath that
other line of signature, which you
have heard and seen, there is another,
smaller, very small seal of SINH
lar sort! 1t is the print of human
thumb-the thumb of boy, of baby
"a baby then, man now-who re-
calls that scene vaguely. And here
is the proof Gentlemen, recall now,
it was my father made this mark; but
it was his great hands which took my
little one and dipped my thumb in the
blood which he drew from my arm,
and set it here below that name which
he has written, Michael the Second.
Gentlemen, who then is your
king?"
Even yet they could not grasp the
full significance Of what they heard,
and again the voice of Count Freder-
lex resumed:
go, now, gentlemen, send out your
agents quickly. Bring here those men
of science skilled in the reading Of
such things as these. 1t was Bertillon
who developed that science of infalli-
BILE Identification. 1t was he who
showed that each man carries with
him, in his person, from his cradle to
his grave, that unmistaka5le seal
which identifies him infallibly
Now bring here your men of sci
ence. Here is my hand as God made
it, and as my father held it in his so
many years ago. Small then-larger
and stronger now! God grant it be
strong enough today to do what my
father did, and do it well. And may my
mind have justice and liberty before
it always, as those things were before
his.
Gentlemen, you know the history
of this kingdom as we'll as /. You
know the long regency following the
Gretzhoffen war. You know why that
regency was established. Rumor was
that King Michael died like a king,
in his own bed. The truth was other
wise. He was murdered here in the
vault below by the men of his own
foster brother
If that be true-and as God is my
witness, believe it to be true-then
we we'll may guess which boy was
brought up under the regent to take
the place of king. That was not N.Y.
self-others. relatives Of mine, reared
me, as you know, until am what you
know. And yonder man-this drunken
| waster-not even the son of lawful
| wedlock, never the son Of a queen
that man, he was the one accepted as
your king! Treason, you say--why,
there was treason to every human be.
ing who lived on Gretzhoffen soil.
when that pretender took the throne!
AS for you, sir" and he stepped
over to lay an iron hand on the shout
der of the covering man who sank
back upon his seat, your day is done.
do not say you were party to this
i only say. you must go. For the
rest. the parliament of our realm shall
formally decide"
His steellike grip half lifted Michael
from his place, thrust him toward.
through, the door-and instantly the
door closed behind him Beyond, there
was an outcast king. Within, before
them all, fronting them all, stood a
man, stern and resolved to accent
whatever responsibility now there
was.
Gentlemen" said he, you have my
proof. | submit my case to you and
the parliament. l submit myself to
the law. AS for that law. if II is
given me to reign, always shall l sup
port it, and always shall it be my ambi-
ton to give to the people that liberty,
that justice which l myself have
learned to love-"
Still the silence, the tense electric
silence which thus far had held them
all. They stood thus for one moment.
Then as with one common impulse