The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-10-20
LONDON TOWER.
THE STORY OF COL. BLOOD.


THE STORY OF COL. BLOOD.
INTERESTING REMINfscENCEs-THE CRowr
JEwELs-ooE. FLOODS ATTEMPT TO STEAL
rHEM-THE NARROW EsOAPE-HIs FURTHEf
HISTORY.
In the Chicago Tribune of last Sunday ap
peared an account of Col. Blood's famous at
tempt in 1871 to steal the crown jewels o.
England: My first desire, on reaching Lon
don. was to visit the world-renowned Tower
The immense pile stands on the eastern ex
tremity of the city, and is wonderfully i'm
posing-not for its architectural beauty, fol
it has none, but for its gloomy, solemn solid
ity-every stone seeming to frown defiance
to chance and time. II appears to have
been built to last forever. Commenced
more than eight centuries ago, by William
the conqueror, it gradually increased In
strength and importance, until itsname be
came familiar throughout the civilized world.
For centuries it was the abode OF royalty,
and the kings and queens of England noS
only found shelter within its walls in time
OF war, but houses of luxury and magnih-
Oence ia time of peace. In process OF time
it became prison as we'll as palace, and, il
the dumb stones could be made 20 speak, we
should shudder at the bl0Od-curdling Sc
crets Ghey would reveal. Among the un-
happy victims who have psrished here,
mostly at the hands of the headsman, we
recall the names OF Lady Jane Grey,
Walter Raleigh, King John of France,
William Wallace, Lord William Russell,
the Countess of Salisbury, Sir Thomas More
and a whole army of other unfortunat es
conspicuous for thsir crimes or their vir-
tues, their misi0rtunes or their intrigues.
The immense structure covers an area of IL
acres, and within this space numerous sepa-
rate buildings have been erected, including
the Barracks, White Tower, st. Peters
Tower, Bloody Tower. in which the young
princes were murdered; the Bowyer Tower.
In which the Duke of Clarence was drowned
in a cask of wine: the Block Tower. in which
Lady Jane Grey was confined; the Beau
champ Tower, which was once the prison OF
Anne Boleyn; the Museum, Armories, Pic
ture Galleries, and the famous Jewel House.
Within the latter building are kept M
THE GROWN JEWELS
ofthe British Empire. Prominent among
them is the crown worn by Victoria at the
time other coronation, which originally cost
nearly sl,0OO,OO0. and which contains, in the
aggregate, $500 diamonds, of various sizes,
and all of unrivalled brilliancy. Besides,
the jewel house contains numerous other
crowns, of monarchs long since dead; the
orb--2 globe of gold six inches in diameter,
studded with diamonds; st. Edwards staff,
of solid gold, tour feet and seven inches long
and weighing ten pounds; the golden scepter
the world renowned Kohinoor, valued at
5000, 600; and numerous other Jew
els of enormous value, the prop
erty of the nation, and essential to the
maintenance of royal magnifcence aud
pOmp. These baubles have a curious his
tory. In the early days of the nation, when
her monarchs were both poor and proud,
these glittering appendages of the kingly
estate were not inirequently "spouted" to
raise money to meet their personal ex-
penses. Henry III, Edward III, Henry V,
Henry VI, and Richard III, each borrowed
large sums of money from the merchants OF
London, leaving with the lenders these
crown treasures as pledge that the loans
would ba repaid. On the abolition of mon
srchy in England, after the death of Charles
|, the jewels were stolen, destroyed or sold.
On the restoration Charles III caused
a new regalia to be constructed, at cost of
81, 500 900; and large chamber in the tower
was set apart tor their safe keeping, which is
now known as the jewel house. IL struck
the writer little singular that the Eng
lish government should enact an insigniti-
cant fee from each visitor; and L could not
repress the thought, and hardly the EXPIRES
sion, that it was unseemly for the British
nation to turn Snowman, and exhibit the
baubles OF its sovereign at so much per head.
Though the jewel house is situated near the
center OF a large collection of buildings
known by the general name of the tower of
London, the yards, walls. and corridors
people, and though carefully watched
and strongly guarded, numerous and
ingenious attempts have been made to
steal the jewels. Among the most noted, as
well as the most daring, of these attempts,
was that of Col. Blood, made in 1871, which,
for ingenuity of plot and boldness OF execu-
ton, has not been excelled by anything in
these modern days Blood was the son of a
wealthy Irish merchant, whose means ena-
bied him to give his son liberal education,
and whose social position secured him the
advantages Of good society. Young Blood
IN cRoAwELL's ARMY
where ne attained the rank of colonel. On
the restoration, his estates were coniscated
for the part he had borne in the revolution,
and he became penniless wanderer. Kid
mapping 8 lord. The Duke of Ormond,
Lord-IIieutenant of Ireland, had been very
active in procuring the confiscation OF
Blood's property, and the latter resolved
upon revenge. Calling to his aid four dar-
ing and desperate men whom he had known
In the army, he mounted them on fleet
horses, and waited the opportunity. One
dark, stormy night, as the dukes carria ge
was passing along the streets of London the
vehicle was stopped, his grace dragged from
II, OOunos IaounCeu peninu ono OL MS Cap
tors, and hurried away toward Tyburn-
their avowed intention being to hang him
on the gsllows there. Fortunately on
the way, he succeeded in loosenine
the cords, jumped from the horse,
and escaped In the pitchy darkness
A reward of $4,000 was offered for the ar
rest of the daring kidnappers, but none
we're ever spprehended, and it was many
years before Blood's agency in the busines:
was known, or even suspected His mex
exploit was an attempt TO steal the crown
He needed money, and he hated royalty
and these reasons were quite sufficient q
prompt him to the commission OF the of
tense. Tno valusbles were in the jewe
house, under a glass cass, and under the es
pecisl care Of Talbot Edwards, an old office
of the kings household. But Blood wa
not easily bafiied. He spent several months