The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-05-13
The Tower OF London.

a FRESH chapter In the history of the
Tower of London was begun on Saturday,
when for the FIRST time the grim fortress
was thrown open to the public. In fu-
ture twice week, on Mondays and Sat
urdays, the tower may be visited by all
who come, without the payment of any
fee, the only formality to be gone
through being that of applying for a
ticket at the entrancelodge which stands
on the side of the old Lions Tower. The
privilege thus conferred by the Govern
ment upon the public cannot be too
highly estimated by those who value
freedom of access TO our few historical
show places, and the present Prime
Minister may be sure that when the peo-
pie come to consider his claims to their
popularity his action in this particular
matter will not be overlooked. "If
prison walls could only speak what tales
of mystery and horror they would re-
late" We often hear such phrase
quoted with reference to some dungeon
or castellated fortress whose gray stones
are moldering into dust. But we do not
ask that the walls of the Tower of Lon
don might speak, for, thanks to such in
telligent students as Mr.. Dixon, we know
almost as much of the towers history as
the ancient stone walls themselves.
From the days of the Conqueror,
the tyranical Norman King who
caused the famous military architect,
Gundulph, Bishop of Rochester, to build
the Middle Tower, down to yesterday,
We have the complete story of the tower
before US. And what marvellous mar
rative it Isl 1t should be written in
blood. Every inch of the ground, every
foot of masonry, is associated with some
cruel deed, some tyrannous act. To use
the words of that Countess of Somerset
who, with her husband, poisoned Over
bury and subsequently occupied the
prison in which he bad been confined,
the place is "full of the ghosts of the
dead" These specters confront the Wis
itor at every step and will not be shaken
off. In the White Tower with its watch
towers at each angle, and its walls fifteen
feet thick, was imprisoned Maud, the
third daughter of Earl FitZwater, that
stout Baron who, To avenge the Kings
treatment of his cLild, compelled him to
sign Magma Charta at Runnymede
Here, in dungeon compared with
which the Black Hole at Calcutta would
be a palatial residence, was Imprisoned
Guy, or Guido, Fawkes; and here was
the prison home of the seven Bishops,
at whose knees even the soldiers of the
guard fell, imploring their benedictioR,
while the shore was crowded by pros
trate spectators asking blessing. The
prosecuted prelates were lodged in the
Earl of Leicester's Tower, where Heriot
first observed the satellites of Jupiter
The sun-dial of this famous astronomer
yet remains, and the story of Heriot and
the three magi," as his companions
were called, is by no means one of the
leas: interesting episodes of the tower
In the Bloody Tower, called the Garden
Tower until the murder of the two little
Princcs-perhaps the most tragic and
pltlful incident in the annals of the
fortress-Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley
held their conference, asking only q
Bible from which to get counsel and in
struction in their hour of need. Here,
too, Sir Walter Raleigh wrote his His
tory of the World" his essay entitled
"The Parliament of Man." and other
political treatses
Memories of those Inflated great ones
rise everywhere, and it does not require
oyermuch Imagination TO conjure up
those dread mornings when Raleigh
passed out OF his little room to the block
and when the eXecutioner waited with
his glittering ak on the green for pa.
tlent Lady Jane Grey, who was lodged in
the house where now resides Mr. Hughes
the, conan jailer.
Indeed, we walk upon stones which
cover piles of royal and noble dust, thai
of the unfortunate Earl of Monmouth
among the rest; and then, issuing into
the fresh air again. we find ourselves
gazing at little slab in the center of q
railed-oH space, placed there by the
Queen, in memory of Anne Boleyn. Ii
was on this green that royal and illus.
trious persons were executed. Now the
Constables of the Tower are installed
there, and very shortly such ceremony
Will be witnessed. OF the bloody scenes
enacted within the precincts of the
tower century after century, nothing now
remains but their memory. The scatfold,
the masked headsman with his shining
white AK poised on his shoulder, the
little knot of soldiers, the priest, and
doubtless cruel eyes gazing from some
turret-window upon the grim scene, the
sharp cry of agony from the victims
hps-of these things naught exists but
their written memorial and the storied
walls of the fortrcss.-London Morning
Dgsf Z"