The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-06-10
Selert Story.
THE TOWER OF LONDON.
THE ANCIENT FORTRESS THROWN
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC-I1S PAST
HISTORY. .. ..r....

HISTORY .. ...r...
A fresh chapter in the history of the
Tower of London was begun recently
when, for the first time the grim fortress
was thrown open to the public. In fu-
ture twice week, Mondays and Satur-
days, the Tower may be visited by all
who come, without the payment of any
fee, the only formality to be gone through
being that ofapplying for a ticket at the
ofthe old Lions Tower. The privilege
thus Conferred 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 Min
lister may be sure that when the people
come to consider his claims to their pop
ularity, his action in that particular mat
ter will not be overlooked. IF prison
walls could only speak, what tales ofmis-
cry and horror they would relate W We
often hear such phrase quoted in ref
erence to some dungeon or castellated
fortress whose gray stones are crumbling
into dust. But we do not ask that the
TowerofLondon might speak, for, thanks
10 such intelligent students as Mr., Dixon,
we know almost as much OF the Towers
history as the ancient stone walls them
selves. From the days of the conqueror
the tyrranical Norman king, who caused
that famous military architect, Gundulph,
Bishop Of Rochester tobuild the Middle
Tower, down to yesterday, we have the
complete story of the Tower before u.s.
And what marvellous narrative it is
It should be written in blood. Every
inch ofthe ground, every foot ofmason-
ny is associated with with some cruel deed
some tyrannous act. To use the words
of that Countess of Somerset, who, with
her husband, poisoned Overbury and sub
sequently occupied the prison in which
be had been confined, "the place is full of
the ghosts of the dead. These specters
confront the visitor at every step, and
will not be shaken off, In the White
Tower, with its watch towers at each an
gle, and its walls fifteen feet thick, was
imprisoned Maud, the third daughter Of
Earl Fitzwater, that stout baron, who, to
avehge the kings treatment of his child
compelled him to sign Magma Charta at
Runnymede. Here, in dungeon, COM
pared with which the Black Hole at Cal
eutta would be palalial residence, WIS
imprisoned Guy, or Guidon Fawkes; and
here W. the prison house of the seven
bishops, al whose knee even the soldiers
Of the guard fell, imploring their bene-
diction, while the shore was crowded
with PROSTATE spectators askinga bless
ing. The prosecuted priests were lodged
in the Earl of Leicester's Tower, where
Heriot first observed the satellites of Ju-
piter. The sun dial of this famous as
tronomer yet remains, and the story of
Heriot and the magi," as his companions
are called, is by no means one OF the least
interesting episodes of the Tower In the
Bloody Tower, called the Garden Tower
until the murder of thetwo little princes,
perhaps the most tragic and pitiful incl
dent in the history of the fortress, Gram
mer, Latimer and Ridley held their con-
ference, asking only for Bible, from
which to get counsel end instruction in
sheir hour Of need. Here, too, Sir Wal
ter Raleigh wrote his History of the
World, his essay entitled "The Parlia-
ment of \ an, and other political treat
ises. They show you the wall upon
which he used to wak-that wall upon
which on Saturday stood a group of visi-
tors drinking in greedily all that Mr.. Dix
on told them about the celebrated navi-
gator and chemist.
Full Of the ghosts of the dead W Mem |
ories Of those Inflated ones rise every
where, and it does not require overmuch |
imagination to conjure up those dread |
mornings when, Raleigh passed out of HIS,
little room to the block, and when the |
txecutioner waited with his glitter |
ing axe on the green, for patient Lady |
Jane Grey, who was lodged in the house |
where now resides Mr.. Hughes, the yeo-
man jailer. Up the narrow staircase and |
into the little rooms of the house the Gu
Hious crowd poured on Saturday and |
heard with astonishment the story ofthe |
chivalric Earl of Essex, who, some de-
pose, cut his throat in the yeoman Jail
er's house, but whom we know to have |
been privately beheaded on the green,
by order of Queen Elizabeth. The force |
of contrast is remarkable everywhere, |
but nowhere is it marked more strongly |
than in the little Church ofSt. Peter and |
Vincula, whittier used to resort all not |
privileged to enler the royal chapel. The
Easter decorations are UP, and while the |
yeoman jailer in his middle age costume |
is informing visitor that the church is
open at IL and to all corners on Sun
day, Mr.. Hepworth Dixon outlines the
past history of St. Peters and tells how
that underneath the flags are buried An
ne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, the Earl of |
Essex, and nearly all who were executed |
for treason. Indeed, we walk upon stones
that cover piles of royal and noble dust,
that of the unfortunate earl ofMOnmOuth |
among the rest; and then, issuing into
the fresh air again, we find ourselves gaz-
in at little slab in the center of rallied |
OH space placed the by the Queen in
memory of Anne Boleyn. 1t was on this
green that royal and illustrious persons
were executed. Now, the Constables Of
the Tower are installed. there, and very
shortly such ceremony will be witness
ed. Of the bloody scenes enacted within |
the precincts of the Tower century after
century, nothing now remains but their
memory. The scaffold, the masked heads
man with the shining white axe poised on
his shoulder, the little. knot of soldiers,
the priest, and, doubtless cruel eyes gaz.
ing from some turret.window upon the