The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-03-19

The two most striking passages IL contains
refer to the execution Of Mary, Queen Of Scots,
and the defeat of the Spanish Armada, which
latter event Mr.. Froude from the beginning
had fixed upon as the terminal point of his
historical researches. Thus does the narrator
recount
THE EXECUTION OF NARY STUART.
At eight in the morning the proYostmarshal
knocked ut the outer door which communica-
ted with her suite of apartments. 1t was
locked, and no one answered, and ne went
back In some trepidatIon lest the fears might
prove true which had been entertained the pre-
cedIng evening. On his return with the sheriff,
however, few minutes later, the door was
open, and they were. confronted with the tall
majestic figure of Mary Stuart standing before
them in splendor. The plain gray dress had
been exchanged for q robe of black satin; her
Jacket was of black satin also, looped and
slashed and trimmed with velvet. Her false
hair was arranged studiously with Golf, and
over her head and falling down her back was
a white veil of delicate lawn. a crucifX OF
gold hung from her neck. In her hand she
held cruclfx of ivory, and number OF jew
elled paterneSters were attached to her glrdle.
Led by two OF Paulets gentlemen, the sheriff
walking before her, she passed to the chamber
of presence in which she had been tried, where
Shrewsbury, Kent, Paulet, Drury and others
were waiting to receive her. Andrew Mel
VILE Sir Roberts brother, who had been mas
ter of her household, was kneeling In tears
s.Melville," she said, "you should rather re-
joice than weep that the end OF my troubles is
come. Tell my friends die o true Catholic.
Commend me to my son. Tell him have done
nothing to prejudice his kingdom of Scotland.
and SO, good Melville, farewell" She kissed
him, and turning, asked for her chaplain, Du
Preau He was not present. There had been
a fear of some religious melodrama, which 1t
was thought we'll to avoid. Her ladies, who
had attempted to follow her, had been Kept
back also. She could not afford to leave the
account of her death to be reported by ene-
mics and Puritans, and she required assistance
for the scene which she meditatea. MISSING
them, she asked the reason of their absence,
and said she wished them to see her die. Kent
said he feared they might scream, or faint, or
attempt perhaps to dip their handkerchiefs in
her blood. She undertook that they should be
quiet and obedient. ''The Queen" she said,
would never deny her so slight request"
and when Kent still hesltated, she added, with
of the blood Of Henry the Seventh, married
Queen of France, and anointed Queen OF Scot
land.n
1t was impossible to refuse. She was allowed
to take six Of her own people with her, and
select them herself. She chose her physician,
Burgoync, Andrew Melville, the apothecary,
Gorion, and her surgeon, with TWO ladies',
Elizabeth Kennedy and Cnrle's young, wife,
Barbara Mowbray, whose child she had bap-
tiZed.
"Auons donc," she then sald-"Lct us co..
and passing out, attended by the earls, and
leaning on the arm Of an officer OF the guard,
she descended the great staircase to the hal.
The news had spread far through the country.
Thousands of people were collected OUTSIDE
the walls. About three hundred knights anu
gentlemen OF the country had been admitted
to witness the execution. The tables and forms
had been removed, and great wood lire was
blazing In the chimney at the upper END OF tne
hail. above the fireplace; but near 1t stood the
scaffold, twelve feet square and Two 1eet anu
o half high. 1t was covered with black clotf;
O low rail ran round 1t, covered with oiack
cloth also, and the sheriff's guard OF halber-
| ders were ranged on the floor below on the
| four sldcs to keen off the crowd. On the 4caf-
fold was the block, black like the rest; square
! black cushion was placed behind 1t, and be-
hind the cushion black chair; on the right
| were two other chairs for the earls. The axe
leant against the rails, and two masked figures
stood like mntes on either side at the back:
The Queen of Scots, as she swept In, seemed
! aS II coming to take part In some solemn pa-
| reant, MOI muscle of her face could be seen
| to culver; she ascended the seaffold with ab-
\ solnte composure, looked round her smiling,
and sat down. Shrewsbury and Kent followed
and took their places, the sheriff stood at her
left hand, and Beale then mounted platform
and read the warrant alond.
In all the assembly, Mary Stuart appeared
the person least Interested In the words which
were consigning her to death.
| She laid her cruciix on her chair. The chief
executioner took it as perqulsite, but was or.
dered instantly to lay 1t down.. The lawn veil
was lifted carefully of, not to disturb the hair,
and was hung upon the roll. The black robe
was next removed. Below 1t was pettlcoat
and under the jacket was body OF crimson
satin. One of her ladies handed her pair
of crimson sleeves, with which she hastily
| covered her arms, and thus she stood on the
black scaffold with the black figures all around
her, blood-red from head to foot.
Her reasons for adopting 80 extraordinary q
costume must be left to conjecture. It Is only
certain that it must have been carefully studl-
ed and that the pictorial effect must have been
appalling.
| The womcL, whose firinness had hitherto
| borne the trial, began now to give way, spas
modlc sobs bursting from them which they
could not check. 'Ne cries uoaLS," she said,
..j'ai promiS pour u0,ls." Struggling bravely,
they crossed their breasts again and again, she
crossing them in turn and bidding them pray
for her. Then she knelt on the cushion. Bar
bara Mowbray bound her eyes with handker. r
chief. .Adtelt," she said, smiling for the last
time and waving her hand to them. "Adtett,
au reuoir." They stepped back from Oft the
scafrold and left her alone. On her knees she
repeated the psalm, In 1e, Domino, confdi-
'In Thee, Lord, have put my trust: Her
shoulders being exposed, two scars became
visible, one on either side, and the carls being
now little behind her, Kent pointed to them
| with his white hand and looked inquiringly at
his companion. Shrewsbury whispered that
they were the remains of two assesses from
which she had suffered while living with him
at Sheffield.
When the psalm was finished she felt for the
block and laying down her head, muttered:
i'm 7nanuS, Domino tudS, connlendO amman
nned1n." The hard wood seemed to hurt ler,
for she placed her hands under her neck. The
execuloners gently removed them, lest they
sheuld deadcM the blow, and then, one OF them
holding her slightly, the other raised the axe
| and struck. Tie scene had been too trying
even for the pracLiced hcadsman OF the tower.
His arm wandered. The bluw fell on the knot
of the handkerchief, and scarcely broke the
skin. She neither spoke nor moved. tic
struck again, this time effectively. The head
hung by shred OF skin, which he divided
without withdrawing the uXc; and ut once
metamorphosis was witnessed, strange as was
| ever wrought by wand Of tableu encllanlerr.
The coil fell off the false plats. The laoored IL
lusion vanished. The lady who had kneit De-
fore the block was in the maturity OF grace
and loveliness. The eXecutioner, wnen ne
raised the head, as usual. to snow IL W tle
crowd, exposed the wthered features Vi
griZzed, wrinklcd old woman.
$50 nnrish all enemies OF the Queen, salu