Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1889-01-30
LUNDJNS FAMOUS TOWER.
A VISIT TO THE HISTORIC OLD
PILE tND A LOOK BACKWARD.

The Bloody Tower Beyond the Traitors
Gate Where Royalty Has Sweat-old st.
Peters and the Resting Place of Anne
Boleyn-A Time Honored Ceremony.
To describe the Tower Of London In detail
tsabsolutely unnecessary-itis too well known
as whole, but there are interesting little
facts not generally realized by the public, and
there are hooks usually unvisited II was
my good fortune on a recent day to 20 care
fully around this grand old pile with special
order from Gen. Milman, the resident gov
ernor. Passing by the Traitors Gate, / went
into the Bloody Tower, In a room in which /
found myself standing on the very spot
| wherein we're imprisoned the two little
| pI4Aces, and from the window Of which cen
turtles after Archbishop Laud leaned out to
bless Lord STAFFORD as he passed to death
upon the scatfold just beyond An old, old
room this, full Of historic interest, and now
inhabited by one Of the picturesquely attired
beef eaters. ST. Johns church. one OF the
oldest Norman churches in the kingdom.
built in 1857, is too well known to require de-
scriptiun, SO viii pass on to the armory de-
partments, where saw Lord Wolseloy going
round on an evident business inspection.
IN TEE DUNGEON.
In passing down a staircase in this White
tower, wherein is kept this armor. end in
which is placed a stand Of 10000 modern ri.
flcs, | noticed the enormous thickness Of the
splendid walls, and on inquiring | was ia.
formed that they were Fifteen feet 10 depth
Beneath the White tower arc the dungeons
which arc never shown to the general public.
Here is an eternal twilight, a nslsty SMELL an
ICY chilliness The tirst one, puro Norman +,
tsnrch.eetrre is called the Torture charyho-
tor here were stretched upon lie rael fb6
,i,ssrc.sg VICTIMS Of political necessity or ro.
ligicas bigotIy. III 4 very narrow passage
reading out Of this great chamber ard which
Is known by the name Of Little Ease. bo.
cause In i a prisoner could neither sit no.
down, wes YEARLY imprisoned tho ~ ,,;3as
iuy Fawkes. il the ftc ,larl a,,r.,so r',l ~
vond .snfch las 70 GoQlSag but tbe damn
odd Garth, were o2ce Lnprisoned zoo lows
Who, in the thirteenth century. we're s,is
9ecrea eA the crime of clipping com. a
dreadful place this, and hideously suggestive
u tho undreamed Of horrors Of these good
sd days Of yoren The door-an Old oak one.
iron bound and Immensely strong-shut oil
-heso poor wretches from all communication
with the outer world.
IN this dungeon, or a series of dungeons,
vas recently discovered a very deep well.
alto which we fearfnlly peeped. From the
iungeon 10 the church is but a short step; IN
Ie old days the journey was usually made
rom the latter TO the former St. Peters
lates from l272; It is lun at the saddest, ten
ieiest interests within its dingy wallsand be-
.eath its historic pavements there lie the
bodies OF three Of Lngland's queens Ruskin
drely says Of the church that At is the sad
iest spot in Christendom, for here are buried
II Glshoncr the greatest in the land, while at
Westminster Abbey they are buried in
aonor,n a most touching ard suggestive con
trast. Most Of the beautiful hrasses were l,-
moved in Cromwell's time.
was deeply interested to hear that in re-
pairing tie chancel in 1877 there was discov.
cred the body Of anne Boleyn, which was
recognized by the historically tiny neck, and
oy the iact that the body lay just in the spot
described in the burial registry; also were
discovered tho bones of big man, which be-
.onged beyond doubt to the i'll fated Duke q
Monmouth. These were reverently reburied
IN their long long resting place.
Upon the well, and preserved within q
4 glass case, saw the three coffin plates of tbs
nohlemen last decapitated upon Tower Hill
Lords kilmarnock, Lovet and Balmerino
The inscriptions were oil in Latin The very
1 plain little font dates back TO the reign o.
Edward Ill
WHERE THE AK STOOD.
Not satisfied with my mornings round ]
went the next night to have a chat with tie
| deputy chaplain Of the tower, Mr. Foster,
who told me many interesting little facts,
some of which are mentioned above To my
surprise he told me that the tower is not sup
posed to be haunted, nor is there any ghostly
traditions hanging round this spot. Just be-
fore II lie and l stepped out into the cool
night air. A wild, windy night, clouds chas-
ing each other over the moon, whose misty.
watery rays fell upon that ancient Norman
keep just at my hand, and rallied off, was
the very spot wherein was lifted so often the
AXIS keener edge" 1t was upon this very
spot and from yonder identical window shin
ing white in the mO0nshine, that Lady Jane
Grey, the nine days queen, gazed as her hus-
eand slowly passed 20 his death; for she was
imprisoned in the house of Mr. Partridge the
gentleman jailer, wherein now resides the
official who TO this day bears the same title.
Bat the silence, pregnant with such memo
ries, is suddenly broken BY the clash Of arms.
tho tramp of feet and the hoarse cry OF mill
taIy command In the itful light we see a
small body Of soldiers drawn up, and beneath
the Bloody Tower comes the guard, preceded
by a warden bearing the keys "Haltln cries
the officer in command. who comes theres Z"
Keys is the immediate response. Whose
seys" Queen Victoria's keys" present
arms God preserve Queen Victoria z
@amen,n is tho clear, deep answer OF all the
soldiers
Every night for untold years had this GER
eraony taken place, IL is over now. Thought
fully wend MY way past the Traitors Gate,
beneath which the water IS mournfully drip
ping, and, passing out Of the grand old gates,
| leave history behind, only 70 plunge into
the vast, weird Babylon Of this Nineteenth
century. London Echo.