Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-05-17
4SSiSSIN4TIONS IN HISTORY.
Richard I--J anles I--WIlIfam, Prince
ofO Orange.
From the Cincinnati Commercial.

SoYereIgns AMI OF Princes that we scarce
ly know where to begin, in selecting ex-
amples OF assassination. We pass in sill
ence many violent deaths, by the dagger
f. by poison, or by starvation in prison, and
come down to the reign of the Second
+ Edward, \. D., 1927 This weak and
+ lrreso!ute Prince fell upon violent times.
IN which domestic rebellion and foreign
war united to unsettle his kingdom. His
own Queen, Isabella of France, conspred
against him, and his choice of Ministers
and favorites, odious to the people by their
tyranny, completely allenated the public
mind from his cause. Finally the chief
adherents being first murdered. an abdi-
cation was extorted from Edward, who
was imprisoned in Berkeley Castle There,
Mt the instigation of Mortimer, the Queer 5
paramour, the King was cruelty assassin
ated, by his two keepers, Mantravers and
Sournay The manner of his death was
so savage, lnhuman and revolving, that
the people, notwithstanding the barbarism
of the age and the Kings own unpopular
ity, compelled his executioners to quit
the country 10 save their lives
Richard |. was the next English monarch
who died by violence. lie was starred to
death, or otherwise murdered, in the
Castle Of Pomfret, in 1899, after having
been deposed 10y Parliament 1t was in his
reign that the insurI ection of Wat Tyler
broke out; and Shakespeare puts into the
mouth of this monarch those memorable
lines upon assassination in high places:
''For heavens sake let us sit upon the ground.
And tell sad stories Of the death of kings
II " some have been depos'd sor1e slain in war;
zone haunted by the ghosts they have deposed;
Some poisoned by their wives some, sleeping, killed,
All murdered. For in the no low crown
That rounds the mortal temples Of a king,
Keeps death his court"
The assassination Of James I. of Scot
/ land which took place in 1897, was an
atrocious murder. avenged soon after bv n
scarcely less atrocious execution of the
| assassins. 1t was the fruit of n conspira-
cv, set on foot hy Sir Robert Graham.
I who had been bani~hed bv the King. He
+ chose for its execution, a season Of public
/ feStivitv. whi,h the King, surrounded hv
the mobiles and beauties of the Court. was
celebrating at the Monastery of Blacks
friars IN Perth This magnificent edilice
had been the scene Of cayety for weeks,
ami on the night fixed for the King muir
/ der, the amu<ements of the Court were
! kept up till long after midnight The CAV
and accomplished monarch had Joined in
the dance and called for the parting cup,
! and was Just retired to his own apartment.
where he was standing before the fire.
place in kind of unaress, ca;lv convers
in. with the Queen and her ladies' Sud
denly he heard loud noise in the 90 IT
rs Of the clashin@ of armor an1 the
1 r'oomv flashing Of torches clared from
/ without through the rooms. Heavy foot
steps were heard along the gallery \
narc in the act Of carving some wine TO
/ the King and Queen. first saw the con
! spirators il the passage, and cried ont
Traitors - and was instantly stabbed TO
the heart hv one Of them They then
rushed toward the Kings apartment with
axes. swords and other weapons. One of
. them rushed toward the King with dag
ger, but James though unarmed, grappled
! him ny the shoulders, and dashed him
violently to the ground \ second as
sassin the King seized by the neck and
+ threw down So strong was his grasp,
. fighting FOR his life that they retained the
marks of the throttling they had received
! long after Yet IL vain did James attempt
! 10 wrest a dagger from either Graham,
+ the King inplacable enemy now entered
+ the apartment, and with ferocious exul-
/ tation pointed his dagger ut the King $
/ heart James, whose hands had been cut
+ by the daggers Of the two other assassins,
now imp orHd for mercy, rs further resist
/ ancc was vain. Graham was deaf 10 his
appeal The unhappy monarch then be-,
ged for confessor No said Graham,
/ ''no confessor shalt thou hare but this
! dagger, ard thus saying ne plunged the
weapon into the Kings body, who fell r.
the floor amid the shrieks Of the Queen
and the other ladies' The remaining con
/ spirators now rushed. with fendish mas
J li-aitv to stab the fallen King, even after
/ he was dead 50 that TO fewer than sixteen
mortal wounds were found in his breast
alone
The alarm was now given in the town,
and the citizens, with the kings servants,
rushed into the monastery, when too late,
10 defend their sovereign. The red glare
Of torches, and loud threats of vengence
burst upon the midnight regicides, who,
struck with diSmav, fed in all directions.
The most furious Indignation was reused
all orcr the kingdom. and every baron and
chief in the Highlands united in endeav-
oring to aPprehend them Within q
month after the assassination. they were
oil taken, and no punishment was ever
more summary and reveitinS than the
series Of exquisite tortures which were
devised to rut .hsrn - death Even al
this distance of time, they excite an in
voluntary shudder Two of the criminal.