Evening star., 1916-05-25

Who are these that call themselves
my father and my mother? Instinct
tells me that / am not flesh of their
flesh. or bone of their bone.
This suspicion morbidIy haunted a
strange, dreamy lad who early in the
past century ended hiatus and came
back to normal senses after a haZy
period of mental weakness. In his
case. due to extreme youth. mental
recovery did not restore memory OF
events happening before his lapse.
All that he knew was that he had
suffered excrutiating pain. which.
others said, had resulted from a severe
fall 1t was further alleged that be
fore this accident he had been weak
minded; that the persons with whom
he now found himself were his father
and his mother--these crude person
ages against whom his heart cried.
During the remainder of his years
he searched for his identity. Accord
ing to the best evidence that he could
gather he had been brought to north
ern New York by the Indian squaw
and half-breed farmer claiming to be
his parents They gave him the name
Eeazlra Williams. and as such was
known through the remainder of his
life, although there were some who
offered him the homage due to
prince king, royal martyr who
had been cheated of his throne.
Eieazar grew to manhood among the
Indians and adventurers of our Co
madam frontier A giant in stature and
strength, possessed of fearless heart.
he naturally entered the war of 1872
and did brave service for the Ameri
can cause, being severely wounded at
Plattsburg
the offspring of his alleged parents
| led to an investigation. Physicians
who examined him proved to their
| satisfaction that he was not Of In
dian blood Pressed with inquiries. his
reputed mother once confessed that he
was not her child.
Soon after this there entered upon the
scene a witness who was to start roll
ing a ball of evidence soon to grow to
great size and start the tongues of two
| douh an Indian of the frontier. Skenon-
| douh took oath that two French noble
| men had appeared upon Lake George
| In 1875 with feeble-minded lad of
a bout ten. These great men turned
their half-witted charge over to the
| williamses, who thenceforth were in
| no want for money. Goodly sums came
| to them regularly from somewhere.
And IL was doubtless to escape the
curiosity of their neighbors that Flea
Zar's foster-parents had moved from
their former home. Investigation fur
| ther showed that the mother of Flea
zar's foster-father, Thomas Williams,
had experienced an adventurous ca =
reer of her own. From the comforta BILE
parsonage of her father, the Rev John
williams of Deerheld. Mass. she had
| to Canada, where she forgot the Eng
| lish language, Joined the Catholic
Church, adopted Indian customs and
| habits. and married an Indian, John
| de Rogers.
| Eleazar williams was sent to school
at Long Meadow, Mass, and after the
war joined the Episcopal Church. be
coming a missionary among the ONEIDA
Indians. In 1925 he was ordained mis-
| sionary presbyter, and the rest of his
| life he ministered to the Indian brother
in New York and Wisconsin.
| In 1854 the Prince de Joinville, heir
| to the throne of Louis Philippe. landed
in America and went to Green Bay
| Wis, to hold an important. secret In
| terview with Rev. Eleazar Williams
Why did this great prince seek out the
humble missionary?
Prince de Joinville offered him hand
some bribes If he would agree to re
nounce all right and title to the throne
of France. Williams refused the oner
| although preferring to continue h1'
missionary work until his death. III
! claimed to have known that he wa,
none other than the lost Louis XVII
Of France; and to hay have n set tnsw 'ns fr'hc'
| Rev. Eleazar Williams had never beer
known to utter an untruth. He was
as God-fearing man as ever wore the
cloth Why should he invent such g
story when he did not take advantage
of the notoriety that naturally result
ed from it? Why should the Prince
de Joinvilie search him out in the will.
derness? Why did that prince come tt
America? Where else was the los
Louis XVIII
At the time his father. Louis XVI
was guiIlotined by the Jecobins thu
little heir to the French throne wal
eight years old. In the prison Of thu
! temple this princeling was placed IL
the care of Simon. tho Jailer. who KEEP
him clothed in rags and besotted will
brandy. who gave him toy guiilotin'
to play with and who dubbed him un
.imercifully until he would sing m OBJ
Iscens song knocking his dead parents
The cruef Simon vas himself Euil
llotined for his trouble and the littl'
dauphiR became lost to history. Simon