The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-26

whipped till they ran in different directions with
the mutilated remains.
In March, 1888. Pietro Dordogno was executed
for the third attempt to sssasslnate the Prince,
he having confessed that he cane from Spain
expressly for that purpose. In Apnl 1884, Hans
Hanzoon was executed for the fourth attempt TO
accomplish the base deed, by means OF gun
powder placed under Williams seat in church,
and under his house in Flushing, where Han.
zoon lived. The fifth known attempt was trus-
trated by the honorable conduct OF 1e Goth,
French officer whom the Duke of Parma re-
leased fIom, prison on condition that he would
poison William; but lie Goth, rightly holding
that compact 80 villanous was OF no binding
effect upon him, exposed the plot to the
adbeens pFnGe snd pfoSTf %S his sqSp Sst Sn RhH Te
now have to deal, for / was successful.
In the dIowsy little city OF Delft still stands
plain, two.stoTied brick house, with red-died
roof, opposite the I" old kirk, plain, old-fash-
ioned brick church with lancet windows. In
that house, in the summer of 1884, William of
Orange resided, having removed thither from
Antwerp In the previous year. The stiffness OF
that canal-intersected old city, whose traffic was
mostly conducted on the noiseless waters of the
canals, and whose clean and shaded streets were
seldom disturbed by the rumble OF wheels, was
about to be broken by an event OF the bloodiest
and most cruel ChRracer-an event which
should carry grief and lamentation into many
peaceful household, and whose horror should
come thrilling down the lapse OF centuries, to
stir the blood of the living IN our day.
At Villeans, in Burgundy, several years pre-
ceding the war OF the ASSASSINATION, the prince
Of darkness had been at work in the
breast of a young man of Insignificant
aspect and seemingly inotfensive nature,
named Balthazar Gerard. This Young man
had long cherished the purpose OF murderins
william. When but twenty years OF age, he one
day struck his dagger into door, eXclaiming,
passionately, Would that this were the heart OF
Orange!" The publication OF the Ban seemed to
give directness and force to his purposes. From
that hour, he devoted himself to the Que object
OF his lie. He proceeded to Luxembourg, and
there learned that the assassination already had
been performed by Juan Jaureguy. But, this
proving untrue, he was again aroused to actlon
for he had meantime, become a clerk in the en-
ploy OF Count Mansfield, Governor OF LuXem-
bourg. His fist work was to secretly take inl-
pressions in wax OF the Governors seals, in order
to offer them to the Orange party, and thus win
their confidence. He was detained in Luxem.
bourg for some time by various circumstances,
but at last, in March, 1884, he departed Arriving
at Treves, he contded his plan to a couple of
Jesuit fathers in the college there who did not
disapprove OF his determination, while
one of them was warm in his approba-
ton, promising BaunaZar a place among
the martyrs should he Re killed in the
attempt At Tournay, he was greatly comtorted
and encouraged by another Jesuit to whom he
made confession. His next step was to address
the Duke OF Parma a letter, most carefully
worded, laying beor that person general plan
OF his project. This letter he presented in per-
SUI W luC uukGs UuG GdTUlb was dlIDOSI ulb
heartened in his long-maintaned efforts to have
William killed. He had paid money to hume
rous cutthroats of villanous aspect, on the
promise to perform the deed, but without result.
When he, therefore, looked upon this ''obscure,
undersized, thin-bealded runaway clerk" he
bestowed little attention on the adventurer, and
dismissed hun with no announcement.
Learning more about Balthazar afterwards, he
consented to hear his plans in detail. After
hearing them, Parma so far modified his opinion
n nc IN np1i.n hn rn.
ward in case OF success but it is notable that the
duke refused to furnish Balthazar even the sum
of fifty crowns to detray necessary expenses.
Balthazar was, therefore, unable to buy himself
so much as weapon with which to commit
the murder. But nothing daunted, he set
himself to work with the means at his
command, and by skilful man9uyrings
and the practice OF an actors shrewdest arts, he
succeeded in finally getting into the service OF
Noel de Caron, adherent of Orange then setting
forth on a mission TO the Duke OF Anjou. Soon
after this, while in France, Balthazar obtained
permission to convey to William of Orange the
news OF the Duke of Anjou's death. With this
important mission, Balthazar confidently relied
on eventually obtaining access to Williams
person.
Arriving in Delft, Balthazar left his dispatches.
1t was early in the morning of Sunday, and
the Prince was yet abed. To Balthazar's surprise
and no little agitation he was introduced into Will
ams bedI oom, in order to relate fuller particulars
of Anjou's death. What must have been the emo
self tor the first time face to face with the
man whose life he had sought for so
many years with such an unfnching purpose.
There he lay, in bed alone, helpless; while his
assassin through his guise of a pious, psalm
singing Calvanistic youth, gloated with eager
eyes upon the spectacle before him. But in his
widest moments of hopefulness, Balthazar had
never dreamed of an hour like this; hence he
was unprepared. He had provided no means of
escape in such an event; he had no weapons In
tact, he had not even money to buy weapons.
And it was with the money that the kind Prince
OF Oranee gave him in charity, that Balthazar
went off and purchased the pair of pistols, one
which took that Princes life.
ltwas on Tuesday the 10th day of July, 1854,
at high noon, that William Of Orange, with hls
wife on his arm, led the way to the dining-room
in the old brick house at Delft. He wore wide
brimmed hat, with cord of silk about the
crown; rutt1ed collar surrounded his neck: q
meddle of the never-to-be-forgotten beggars, or
g1leUkr rested on his breast; and over his we'll
worn leathern doublet was loose gray surcoat;
while the wide, slashed underclothes of the
period made up his dress, In the plainest fashion
OF his time. At the doorway Balthazar Gerard
presented himself, with pale and agitated face,
and asked Tor passport. William, although he
had been informed by residents of Cologne OF
the attempt about to be made on his life, was as
serene and undisturbed as usual, and took no
notice OF Gerard's manner; but his wife, more
keenly awake to the dangers which beset her
husband, anXously questioned the Prince, and
remarked in an undertone that 'she had never
seen so Ylllanous a countenance." But William
was undisturbed; directed a secretary to give
Gerard (or Francis Guion, the orphaned Cal
whist, as he supposed hm) the passport. He
then went on into the dinmg-room and re-
mained over his dinner till O'Clock, conversing
cheerfully with his family and his guest the
burgomaster Of Leewarden.
The diningroom was on the ground-hoor. The
Princes private apartments were above. The
wooden stairway leading up to them had its foot
nsrn 70