The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1849-03-29
DAVENPORT, SCOTT CO. IOWA, THURSDAY MARCH 20 ls49
TITUS oATEs-THE FATE OF A KNAvE.

TITUS oATEs-THE FATE OF A KNAvE.
Every history Of England that has thus
far been written, has immortslized tho bi.
ogrnphy ofTitus Oates, most infamous n.y.
pocri,e and scoundsel, in tho largo sense,
who. during the period no fu,vished %
preacher of,he gospel. in,hc rcigus of James
and Charles Of England, Was tho Cause Of
the sacrifice Of thousands Of lives.
Macaulcv, in bic "ilistory Of England,' y
gives the following thrilling description Of
the punishment to which Oates iulamy At
last subjected him. We give ], wishou,
further preface.
janice, short time before his Accession,
had instituted civil suit against Oates. for
dcfamatory words, and the Jury had given
damages TO tho enormous amount Of seven
thousand pounds. The defendant had hccn
taken in execution, and wns !. ing in prison
a debtor. without hope Of release. Two
bills Of indictment against him, for perjury,
had been found BY the grand jury It Mid
dlescx, . few weeks before the death Of
Charles. Soon after the close Of the cleo.
tons, the trial came up.
Among tho upper middle clnsses. Oates
had scarcely friend left. Al intelligent
wings were now convinced that, even II his
narrative had sMnc foundation in fact, he
had erected upon thu, foundation vast ~.
perstruc'ure IL r"mnncc. A considerable
number Of Inv families. however, still r..
gardcd him M public Manufacture. These
people well knew TINT, ifhe werc convicted
his sentence would he me ofcxiremc sever
i,y, aud were, iherefre indefs,ignble in
their eNdenvors IN Mannge nm escape
Though he was yet in confincmcn, only f"r
debt, hm wae PM in irona b. tho authorities
of the King's Bench prison and even % he
was with difficulty kept in safe cus,ndy.--
Tho snnster that guarded his donr was poi.
sonsd. and on tho very night preceding
his trial, n ladder II ropes wns introduced
into his cell. On the dav in which he wsa
hr"uph, IN the bar, Westminster hnll wss
crowded with spectators nmonr v hem were
MANY Rmmnn Catholics, cngcr "a see the
n,isery and humiliation III their persecusor.
4 lew yenrs earlier, his shori neck. his legs
uneven M ihme of badger, his forehead
low M that Of u bal,oon, his purple checks,
nnl his mon.srous length ii chin, hsd hcen
familiar IL all who irequcnsed the cmbrts III
law. lie had hecn the idol II the na,ion.--
Wherever he had appeared, men hsd un-
covered their hoads IL him. The lives and
the estates ii magnets ri the realm hid heen
Al his mercy. Times Ind now changed,
aud mnnv who Ind fs,ncrlv regarded him
NJ the deliverer of his country, shndlere,l
u the sivh, of those hidemas features on
which .illniny seemed TO be written by the
hnnd of God.
i WINS proved hcvond MI possibility ol
doubt that this man bad. bv false testimony
deliberately murdered scvcrnl goil,lcss per.
SONS. Hc called in win M the n,n-t cmi.
ncn, members ri Parliament, who had re.
wnrded and cxtollcd him, To give evidence
in his favor. Some ri them whom he had
summoned nbscn,cd themselves. Mono Of
them snid ANYTHING tending to hia vindica.
lion. One ofthcm, the E,rl of Huntingdon,
bitterly rcprmched him. with having Dc.
ceived tho houses, md drawn on them the
guilt of shedding innocent blood. The
Judges hrowbeat md reviIcd tho prisoner
with an in,empcrancc which, oven in the
most atrocions cases, i'll becomes the Judi.
cial character. lie betrayed however no
signs Of fear or Of shame, ADD faccd tho
storm Of inycc,ivc which burst upon him
from bar, and bench, and witness box, with
the insolcnce Of despair. He wss convicted
On both indictments. Ills offence, though
in moral light, murder Of tho most aggra.
waited kind, was, in tho eye of.hs law, mere.
" misdcmeanor. Tho tribunal, however,
was desirous to mako his punishment moro
severe .han that Of felons and traitors, and
not merely 10 put him to death. but 10 pu,
him 10 death BY the most fsiehtful tormen ss
tie was sentenced to DO stripped Of his cleri
cal habit, to be pilloricd in Palace Yard, to
DO led round Westminster Hall, with nm
inscription declaring his inlamy over his
head, to 10 pillored again ia front of the
Royal Exchange. 10 DO whipped from AID.
gate to Newgate, and, after On interval Of
two days, to whipped from Nswgate 10 Ty-
buss. IL against oil probability, be should
happen to survive this horrible infection,
no Vas 70 b kept . close prisoner during
life. Five times every year he was TO Be
brought forth from HE dungeon, and exposed
on the PilIosy in different parts Of tho CAPT.
tal.
This rigorous sentence was vigorously
executed. On the day On which Ostes was
pillored in Palace Yard, no wac msrcilsssly