The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1880-01-10
The STORY OF LADY HITHIS1ALE.

Every body has heard Of the Tower of
London. The London Of to day has
risen around it from the ashes Of the
London OF the past; generation after
generation has been forgotten; customs
have changed as completely as fash
ions, but the tower is now, as of old, an
object of interest that is half of fear,
half Of tenderness to all reading and
thinking minds with human sympathy.
So often has it been described, SO often
portrayed upon artists canvas and
gravefs block that even those
who dwell beyond seas know well
its square, stOiid outline and an
gular turrets. Its ORATORS Gate "
has CAPPED and brisLied in many a
youthful dream, and its blood stained
Hill' has risen like nightmare upon
the visions of tender students and i'm
questionable lovers of romance. Viii
liam the Norman-England's conqueror,
whose grasp closed on her forever-built
those massive walls; set them, like his
soul, upon the fair face Of the land MS
sword had won, and stamped into it
very spirit Of sorrow and tyranny. a
palace in its early days, when nalaces were
raised on prisons and cemented with
blood, it gradually sunk the palace in
the prison, but kept its royal character,
for It was made the prison of the enc
mics Of kings and still the sons of kings
The names of the noble and royal black
en- its records; saint like souls in deli
cate bodies, and pampered bodies whose
souls were tit for darker prisons, alike
have passed from beneath its shadow,
have looked their last III hope from its
barred windows. Tragedies, horrors,
sufferings, existence and such triumphs
Of the spirit over the flesh have illumined
its darkest vaults as bid US, in very
shame, defy the worst man can do,
while God looks on and crowns the vic
tor who endures.
The names of many of the prisoners
in the Tower of London are SIS familiar
As household words. Taking them with
out regard to order, William Wallace,
the golden-haired hero of Scotland; Sir
Thomas Moore, Anne BOleyn, Lady Jane
Gray, Sir Walter Raleigh, the Earl of
Essex-a long, long line of brave and
gracious men and women pass before the
mental vision at It's very name. Later
on less distinguished, but as blameless,
sufferers take their places. The un-
settled state of England during the
reign OF Charles l., the struggles of
Charles H., the flight of James Ii. and
the misery in which he involved his
followers, were all seasons Of harvest for
the Wardens of the tower. The dark
and bloody shadow of that flying figure
which crossed the Thames and left the
Great Seal lying under those sullen
waters in 1856, stretched far across the
future of England, and sank lower upon
his too faithful subjects. Rebellion
followed rebellion, and Scotland saw the
ranks of her best and bravest sadly thin
ned before the crown OF the Stuarts rest
ed firmly and easily upon the thick
heads of the house of Brunswick. Lovers
of history and romance know well the
tragedies of 1925 and l745, the dates of
those two failures, those splendid ground
less hopes, the hopeless disappointment
when Charles Edward, the son, and
James Ill, the grandson of James II,
flashed, each in his turn, and vanished,
less nobly, less fearfully, but as sadly as
Charles |.
It was in the struggle Of 1715 that
Lord Nithisdale passed the grim thresh-
old OF the tower. He had been out"
with the gallant Earl of Mar, and shared
his ruin, together with his brother Earls
of Derwentwater, Camwath and Win,
ton, and the Lords Warrington, Ken.
muir and Marine. All, save the Earl oil
Winton, were sentenced to death, snd
all efforts to soften or appeSse the rigol
Of their Judges appeared useless. Wive.
and mothers, sisters and daughter:
crowded to the foot of the throne, ap,
Pealed with the trembling lips of age
ne beauty OF youth, the helpless hands
Of infancy, to George l., and appealed in
VAIN Orders were sent to dispatch
Derwentwater, Nithisdsle ard Ken
muir lmmediately-the others to bt
resplted for q short time, but certainly
to die.
1t wss the last night of life in NTH
itale. In the gray of dawn, in the
sweet yet solemn hour when earth seems
more at peace, while it waits for the
blessing of the Lord upon new day, ht
was 10 die. And die, moreover, 81
awful, doubly awful desth. He hal
received the tidings with that graciou
and gallant courtesy which belonged Il
his order. His cheek had not paled no
his eye dropped, nor his deep, swee
voice trembled as he thanked the beare
Of the news, and craved, in gentle terms
the necessary quiet &c. prepare his min,
for the most Hateful event of time an,
eternity to him. But now that he wa
alone, now that the dark shadows of hi
gloomy cell Were barred by the hol,
light of the moon, now that the futur
seemed so near, the past SO far of, $,
vain, so useless, his proud heart sank ant
trembled. Not before man, but befor
he Highest and the purest, before tina
zoe, so tender and so just, in who's
sight there is no distorted ray, no vary
lng glesm. Lord Nithisdale buried hi
1ace III his hands and strove 70 Yeduos t
hF'tas lhe teeaiag Aosfasa ei sis hsail