The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-08-14

The present entrance-hall of Newstead is
part Of the old crypt OF the Monastery, and
Is now filled with stuffed animals aud birds
shot by MIR. Webb in various parts of the
world, for Mr.. Webb appears to have been
mighty hunter in his earlier days. On the
floor we noticed two large blocks of coal
with dates written upon them. 1t was ex-
plaihed to me that these were samples of
the "black diamonds which have been
found under Newstead during the last few
years, luckily for the present ownerof the es-
tate. Col. Wildman, who bought it of By
ron, ruined hims Lover the prop, r.y and was
obliged to soil It for less than a third of
Of what it had cost him. MIR. Webb will
practically get the whole estate for nothing
and handsome yearly revenue into the
bargain, for he has already made enough
profit out of the coal beneath Newstcad to
pay for the purchase of. it. A seam four
feet nine inches in depth has been found
on the estate, and it would take generations
to work it out. 'tIf the wicked Lord" had
only hit upon the discovery--or the great
poet himself for that matterl Either of
them would soon have made the money
fly. At the top of the narrow stone stair
case on the left of the hall Is Byron's old
bedroom, adjoining his dressing. room,
with the furniture which he used left quite
unchanged. There on the walls is tho
portrait of bis servant, Joe Murray, bluff
and hearty looking fellow smoking long
a long-t blue coat, and got up in ego. to-
meeting" clothes, but looking in spite of
them every inch "bruiser." Byron's
bedstead, toilet service, shaving glass and
other articles are where he left them and
| close by is the ''ghost's room," where his
page slept. These rooms have been describ-
ed time after time. The library is never
shown to strangers, but we were kindly per-
mitted to see it. 1t is long low room over
the cloisters of the abbey, and opens on tv
| balcony, from which there is beautiful
| look out over the green space within the
| ruined chapel. Here the east window has a
| very noble appearance and Boatsw.n's 8 grave
is also in sight, and many fine trees among
! them grand cedar. This Is altogether a
charming nook. From the library we went
through various bedrooms, among others
the one in which Edward ILL., is said to
| have slept while on his way to the north,
| "while yet the church was Rome's" We
remarked in this room q fine old carved bed
stead, withe the date of 1888 upon it. In
the day rooms now used by the family there
are the Byron relics, described by Irving
and others, together with some more recent
additions, the most interesting of which is
perhaps the cap worn by Livingstone on
his last journeys-old, weather beaten,
mendcd with twine and telling in itself a
touching story of hardship and suffering.
The African attendants of Livingstone in
his last illness were entertained at Newstead
by Mr. Webb and Mr.. Stanley with them.
A tree planted by Livingstone is in the
grounds and another by Stanley. The oak
planted by Byron on one side of the lawn
is now fine large tree, but is decidedly q
Disagreement to the lawn, and no wonder
that both Colonel Wildman and Mr.. Webb
have repeatedly talked of cutting it down.
Lord Byron's dinlng-room was also the
old dining-room Of the Abbots Of Newstead,
and here we noticed two little Chippendale
sideboards and cellarets which belonged to
the poet and arc still used. We observed
also date on the drawlng-room ceiling
| which no one seems to have mentioned
| 'March %, 1885," In the cloisters there
is a dark, underground, vault-like space in
which the dead of the monastery used to
be placed until the graves were ready tc
receive them. This was chosen by Byron
as an excellent place for plunge bath and
he went there every day. 1t is spot from
which most people would shrink back will,
kind Of horror. The ghost of monk
was said to have been seen from time to
time pacing up and down these cloisters,
and his presence always foreboded evil tc
the Lord Of Newstead. This superstition
has not entirely died out, although the
owners of houses like Newstead do not like
to talk about such things. 1t isa fact, how
ever, that there are people living who arc
willing to testify that they have seen the
spectral monk in the clostcrs.