Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-27
LONDON'S FAMOUS TOWER.
A VISIT TO THE HISTORIC OLD
PILE AND A LOOK BACKWARD.

The Bloody Tower Beyond the Traitors'
Gate Where Royalty Has s,yeat.-Old st.
Peters aud the Resting Place of Anne
Boleyn-A Time ETonored Ceremony.
To describe the Tower Of London in detail
Is absolutely unnecesst ry-it is too well known
as q whole, but there are interesting little
facts not generally realized by the public, and
there are hooks usually unvisited It was
my good fortune on q recent day to 20 care
fulIy around this grand old pile with special
order from Gen. Mi man, the resident gov
ernor. Passing by the Traitors Gate, went
into the Bloody Tower, In room In which |
found myself stand ng ON the very spot
wherein wore imprisoned the two little
princes, and from the window Of which CEN
turies after Archbishop Laud leaned out to
bless Lord Straffor6 as he passed to death
upon the scaffold 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 lOS7, Is too we'll known to require de-
scription, 20 | will pass on to the armory de-
partinents, where saw Lord Wolseley going
round on an evident business inspection
lN Ihh DINGEON.
In passing down a staircase in this White
tower, wherein is kept this armor, and in
which Is placed stand of $4,000 modern RI
lies, noticed the enormous thickness of the
splendid walls, and on nquiring | was in
formed that they wel'e fifteen feet in depth.
Beneath the White tower are the dungeons
which are never shown to the general public
Here is an eternal twilight a musty smell, an
Chilliua~S Tho first l..
It's architecture is called the Torture chamber,
for here were stretched upon the rack the
miserable victims OF political necessity or re-
ligious bigotry. In very narrow passage
leading out of this & eat chamber, and which
is known by the name OF Little Ease, be-
cause i'll it prisoner could neither sit nor lie
Gown, was wearily imprisoned the misguided
Guy Fawkes. In the pitch dark dungeon be-
yond, which has nc flooring but the damp,
cold earth, were once imprisoned 800 Jews,
who, In the Thirteenth century, were sus-
pected OF the crims Of clipping coin A
dreadful place this, and hideously suggestive
Of the undreamed Of horrors of these good
old days OF yors," The door-an old oak one,
iron bound and immensely strong-shut of
these poor wretches from all communication
with the outer worlo-
In this dungeon, Or a series of dungeons
was recently discovered very deep well,
into which we feaIfully peeped From the
dungeon to the church Is but a short step; In
the old days the journey was usually made
from the latter to the former St Peters
dates from 1879; it Is full af the saddsst, ten
dsiest interest; within its dingy walls and be-
meath its historic ,avements there lie the
bodies of three OF Englands queens. Ruskin
finely says Of the church that ''it Is the sad
a
IN dishonor the gree test in the land, while at
Westminster Abby they are buried In
honor" a most toucl ling and suggestive con-
Iast. Most Of the beautiful brassss were re-
moved IN Cromwell time
| was deeply Interested TO hear that in re-
pairing the chancel N 1877 there was discov-
sred the body of Anne Boleyn, which was
recognized by the historically tiny neck, and
by the fact that tbs body lay just in the spot
described IN the burial registry; also were
discovered the bones of a big man, which be-
longed beyond doubt TO the Ill tated Duke Of
Monmouth These we're reverently reburied
Iii their long, long ssting place.
Upon the wall and preserved within a
glass case, | saw the three coffin plates Of the
noblemen last decs pitatsd upon Tower Htll
Lords kilmarnook, Lovet aud Bslmerino
The Inscriptions were all in Latin. The very
plain little font dates back to the reign Of
Edward Ill
WHERE THE AK STOOD.
Not satisfied with my mornings round !
went the next night to have q chat with the
deputy chaplain Of the tower, MIR. 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 he and 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 of, was
the very spot wheI ain was lifted SO often the
AXIS keener edge 1t was upon this very
spot ana from yonder Identical window shin
ing white In the moonshine, that Lady Jane
Grey, the nine days queen, gazsd as her hus-
band slowly pasSeo TO his death; for she was
imprisoned in the house of MIR. Partridge, the
gentleman jniier, wherein now resides the
official who to this day bears the same title.
But the silence, pregnant with such memo
ries, is suddenly broken by the clash Of arms,
the tramp of feet Hnd the hoarse cry Of mill
taIy command. Ia the ttful light We see a
small body Of soldjer drawn up, and beneath
the Bloody Tower comes the guard, preceded
by warden bearing the keys. Haiti" cries
the officer In command. WHO comes therer'
Keys" is the immediate response. Whose
keyss" Queen Sicuorias keys." Present
arms" God preserve Queen Victoria"
Amen" is the cLar deep answer Of all the
soldiers
Every night for untold years had this Ger
euiony taken place. 1t is over now. Thought
fully wend my way past the Traitors Gate
beneath which the wpter is mournfully drip
ping, and, passing out Of the grand old gates,
leave history behind, only to plunge into
the vast, weird Babylon of this Nineteenth
century London Echo.
Altogether Too Much So,