Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-09-06
THE TOWER OF LONDON.
Thumbscrews and Racks---Nfnety Thou
sand Rifles In the Armory.

mum DScr6WS anu hdckS---NlucJy
sand Rifles in the Armory.
V. Nasty in the Toledo Blade.
The different buildings that make up
what is known colet tivey as the Tower
have all histories, and all bloody ones.
There is nothing but blood connected with
it. The identical headsman's block is care.
fully preserved with the ak b. used and
the mask be wore when engaged in ms de-
lghtful duty. The Ak is shaped very like
a butchers clever, and the mask about tn e
most fendish face that a devilsh ingen uity
could devise Ugly and deviish as it is.
it was probably an improvement on
the face it concea ed You are shown
the thumbscrews and rack. The
thumbscrews would extort a confession
from a dead man and the rack well, tn at
is something inconceivably devilish. You
81 g laid in box; ropes on windlasses are
windlasses are turned. inch by inch. till
your joints are disloc tied. After enduring
the rack ard ans Rering questions the way
tn y desired. for man IN that apparatus
would say anything for momnnt's re-
spite, you are hurried to the BLOCK for fear
you may recant as soon as you get out of
it. Then what was said in the rack was
put upo record as testimony on which to
rack and behead other people. those were
Tue RIpbu Clu Vi Hitli 10 CUS aiu
During the reign of E ward Ill. 900
Jews were imprisoned in the dungeons of
the. Tower for "adultera,ing the coin ofthe
re lm." The trouble with these jews was
they had too much Of the coin of the
real m, and Edward too little. The chron-
lcler goes on to say that SO strong was the
prejudice Of the King against these people
that he banished the race from England;
out, with the thrift that distinguished
kings of that day. he compelled them to
leave behind them their immense wealth,
which he gobbled, and their libraries,
which as he couldn't read he had no use for,
and they went to the monasteries. l
suppose he sold them by the bound to
the monks who could read. King Edward
has a counterpart in the English landlord
Of to-day. He al ows no foreigner to take
any money out of the kingdom. It is Gu
rious how national traits show in people
through ages. England has no more
bsrons to take things by the strong hand,
but she has hotel keeuers The processes
are differ MT, but the result is the same
They have no racks now, but they have
beds: the thumb screw is gone forever, but
bills are yet made out
A large part of the vast building is now
used a great national armory. Stored
within its walls are 80, 90 rifles, of the
latest and most approved patterns, all in
perfect order, even to the oli G and
ready for use at a m ments n tice Eng
land is always ready for war. It would be
. quick nation that could cstco her nap>
ping. These murderous weapons Looked
cheerful by comparison with the barbarous
tools the old En- dish used. After looking
1t the battle axes, and fails, and lances II
would seem to be comfort to be merely
shot to death with a Martini Henry riha.
One could feel some sort of comfort in
. Ding out via q decent rifle ball
The guards of the Tow are the famous
81 Beef-asers," and are all habited in the
uniform of Henry VII, who Instituted The
corps. The present yeomen are all old
snldiers who have distinguished them
selves. and very pleasant ume they have
Of it. They don't have to drag women to
the block by the hair f the head any
MORE but spend most of their time stand.
ing around lis'lessly nd eating ham
andwiches, which is certainly better than
their ancient EN- plovment There is noth-
ing cruel IN an English ham sand wch but
its indigestibility, and that only concerns
the eater. 1t is a matter entirely between
him and his stomach, and doesn't concern
me at all.