The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-11
IT WILL TOLL NO MORE.
st. Sepulchre's Bell Has RunR for Con
dem ned Prisoners for Centuries.

| From the New York Sun.
| The traditions of nigh three hundred
! years are about to be vi lated by the caarity
commissioners of the city of London, who
have ordered that hereafter the bell of the
! church of ST. Sepulchre be no more tolled
! during the hanging of condemned persons
in the Newgate prison near by, or, at least,
that if the bell be tolled, it be at the ex-
! pense of the parish or the friends Of the
| criminals and that the fnnd from which
payment for that last service to the dying
has been made since 1905 be devoted here
after to some other charitable purpose in
| the discretion of the church authorities
Fifty pounds was the bequest made in the
year named by Robert Dove, citizen and
merchant tailor to pay, as tablet on the
| right hand side of the altar IN the church
still records, "for ringing the greatest bell
in the church on the day the condemned
prisoners are executed, and for other
services forever concerning such condemned
prisoners"
The ''other services" were the most inter
esting thing about the affair. On the night
before the hangings, the clerk Of the church
had to ring bell under the windows Of the
cells Of tie condemned men, and having
thus attracted their attention, repeat
certain warning rhymes appropriate to
their approaching taking off Having
thus awakened in their bosoms thoughts OF
6loIildl, no vas W 20 away anu tuo
next morning to stand in front Of the
church when the cart with the condemned
passed on its way to Tyburn and to present.
to each criminal a nosegay. Then he had
again to ring the bell that he had used the
| night be ore and repeat certain prayers,
with an adjuration to all good people to
| join him in beseeching mercy for the souls
of the condemned. There were hangings
every week in those days, and in order that
| the Plark MIGHT carala.g and
neglect to fulfill these last offices for the
condemned with proper formality and unc
ton, the beadle of the Merchant Tailors'
| hall was directed to be present and super
wise the ceremonies, and it was provided
| that for this he shonld receive an "honest
stipend"
When the gallows tree was removed from
| Tyburn and hanging took place within the
| Jail, the nosegay pre- entation and the pray
| ing in front of the church were dropped,
and in time the custom of bell ringing and
exhortation under the cell windows fell
into disuse. The tolling of the great bell,
however, has always been maintained, and
| there is some objection to its discontinuance
even at this day. The original ESQ, mean
time, has grown to q much greater sum-
| and its income will now, probably, be de-
voted to the aiding Of deserving prisoners
upon their release from Newgate, or to
some other service more in accord with
modern ideas than the mournful tolling of
huge bell or the presenting of posies to
Criminals on their way to be hanged.
So identified has the Church of st. Sep
ulchre become with these last offices for the
condemned that its name is popularity sup
posed to have some connection with the
dismal ceremonials. The church, however,
was built and named long before Newgate
prison was ever thought Of, and its being
the nearest church is the only reason why
it was chosen as tho shrine for saying masses
for the souls Of the hanged. 1t was founded
in the thirteenth century. renewed four
hundred years later, and after the great fire
the present structure was built by the
famous Wren. Capt. John Smith--he of
Pocahontas fame-is among the great men
whose bones lie IN its vaults beneath its
pavement.