Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-03-03
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
Anniversary of the Execution of Beau
tiful Mary Stuart

Two hundred and ninety years ago
Mary Stuart, queen of Scots, lald her
beautiful head on the eXecutioner's
block and gave up her life in the 45th
wear of her age. The causes that led TO
her execution are well known. Nine
teen wears before she had so outraged
Scotland as to have been Immurred in
prison. in which state of confinement
she continued until the date of her exc
cution, Feb. Z, 1856, although her resi-
dence was often changed from one
prison to another. 1t is said should
there be a second Homer he would sing
the praises of Mary, queen OF Scots, as
another Helen.
Love, religion and war were the e!e-
ments that surrounded her from her
cradle. The first of these she expert
enced from It's sublimest heights down
to its most groveling depths, the second
she professed to live up to, and did so,
SO far as the proceedings OF burning
heretics went; the third she saw much
of, and instigated much more by hsr
rash deeds. She rode at the head Of
many an army, and on several occasions
DISPLAYED SO much bravery as to have
made her famous.
The character of Mary is strange
contradiction OF feminine weakness,
power, tenderness and cruelty.
Her entire career is a checkered pc
ture of love and hatred which can nev-
er be accounted for other than III the
saving that the depths Of women's
hearts are too mysterious to fathom,
and there is no accounting for human
impulse.
Mary Stuart was born on the 18th day
of December, 1912, and was the fifth
child of James V. of Scotland, who lay
dylng on the day Of her birth, OF disap-
pointment occasioned by the failure of
his mobiles in battle. Upon being told
of the birth Of the princess -''the devil
20 with It'll" lie exclaimed, sit came
from woman and will end in a We
man.
When the Queen of Scots entered the
hall of execution, she walked with a
firm step, carrying herself proudly, but
she was very pale. She wore robe OF
black velvet, lined with ermine, and
having her head and face covered with
a white lace veil. The ghastly prepar.-
tions that met her vision upon arriving
at the hall were indeed dreadful There
was the cruel block covered with black
velvet; the sable draperleS hanging
everywhere, the black footstOOl On
which she was to kneel, and in a corner
the coffin where her body would soon
repose. Many of the English mobiles
were about her; the dean sat in high
place not far removed, and the grim eX-
ecutioner stood ready to do his duty.
Mary listened calmly to the sentence
when it was read, denying the charges
made against her, but protesting her
willingness to die for the faith.
When one of the earls rudely took
hold of her veil, she objected, her face
mantling with bushes, and saying she
had not been used to being so undressed.
She then called two of her women, who
removed her veil and her beads, turned
down the ermine collar of her robe, and
then stood trembling and choking with
sobs, When the last of these pTepara-
tious were made, she LAID ker beautiful
head on the block. Another moment,
and the cruel axe had descended, but
only to Craze the fair neck so cruelty
barred to the steel. The queen gave one
audible moan; the axe descended again;
the deed was done. The woman who
had attracted the admiration of all Eu-
rope; who had been the heir to two
thrones; whose loves, though perhaps
unholy, had been born Of almost unex-
ampled intensity; she who had been,
with all her SINS, true friend in many
instances, lay ghastly corpse ia the
midst of her enemies and her few re
naming friends.
1t can be truly said that no queen
ever lived a more eventful life than did
Mary Stuart. Surrounded from her in-
fancy by excitement, fed with flattery,
adored by the men Of her time-it is
strange that she was inordinately ambl-
tious, or that she fed her passions on
what they cravedr Self-indulgence was
bred in her at the corrupt court of
Queen Catherine.
There was little of the Scottish wO-
man in Mary Stuart. The hot blood of
the south seemed to flow in her veins.
The people Of France and Italy were
more to her than were all the sturdy
characters Of her native hills. She was
a Scotch woman in that she was brave,
but her fearful passions must be attrib-
uted to other and widely different intlu-
enceS