The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-10-03
In the Tower of London.
Prentice Mulfords letters to the San Francis
puIiaAfu

Prentice Mulfords letters TO the San Francisco
Bulletin.l
I made my first visit to the tower Of
London a few days since. It's tear-
full risk I've run, that of remaining m
London over year and never seeing the
inside of the tower. The staircases
are very narrow. In ascending them j
had my eye nearly poked out by an old
American gentleman who would persist
in carrying his umbrella on his shoul-
der. The warders who show the place
are arTayed somewhat in the costume Of
Metamora. They take visitors about
in squads of twelve to a warder. Ad-
mittance one shilling. From eight
hundred TO thousand visit the tower
daily. At this rate the establishment
ought nearly to run prince. OF course,
you have read all about the knights in
armor, the guns and swords. The in
struments of torture, the hehdmRn's
block and ak, the spears and shields,
and dungeons and names carved on the
wall, which are shown and explained to
you. / saw the crown jewels. Two
rusty, faded, sour looking women have
them in charge. One delivers the e1-
planatory lecture and the other takes
the tickets and watches TO see that no
one runs off with the spoons. There are
spoons in the lot, gold salt spoons. The
crowns and other royal gimcracks are
kept under a great glass case. IL ~
merely q royal jewel show. When the
faded lady who looks az II she had been
dying by inches of envy and covetness,
because of her inability 10 own any OF
the vast wealth, besides which her daily
life is passed. and which Tantalus-like,
daily mocks her eyes when she says, as
she always does, at the close of her ora
ton: "And that's the crown Of Queen
Victoria and is worth a million OF
pounds sterling" everybody is expected
to go down on their knees. Remember
this when you visit the tower.
"No gratuities allowed 10 atten-
dants is conspicuously posted up in
the waiting room. This means simply
that they do expect fee. SiKty-fve
thousand stand of arms are stored in
the tower-Snyder rifles, which in few
years more will probably be changed
into some more improved arm. They
arrange on the armory walls beautiful
designs in swords, ramrods, muskets,
bayOnets and pistols. For instance,
there is a beautiful flower, all Of trig-
gers. The trigger flower, Order Bellin-
gerentia; two stamins, six pistils.
There is also a blossom Of bayonets,
Order Langingenterio Apex Musketivus
up Guards and at Them.
The AK which cut of Lord Lovat's
head, in 1745, looked 10 me unsafe to
rely upon for chopping pumpkin IN
halves at a single blow. There are
some interesting dents on the head
block wheroon three English lords saw
the last of their own cranial termina-
tions. Iwould like 10 have stolen the
dents, bat could not do so without
bringing away the block.
Henry the Eigth's armOr il enor-
nous. / think that Michael Reese and
Mr.. Friedlander might both get inside
of it, and there still be room left for
some "live paper" reporter 10 smuggle
away in the helmet and watch whatever
they might be upto
They showed us one queer weapon OF
warfare-a sort of rake, eighteen feet
long, with curved claws, with which
footmen were in the habit Of darting
out at horsemen and "raking them IN
or "raking them down.