The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-11
PASSING OF NEWGATE.
LONDoN's ANCIENT PRISON TO BE
DESTROYED.


for Executions silent Now
From the New York Evening Post.
The Transformation of the aspect of New
Yorks Oldest prison from a grim Egypt
ian monument to a 'slSy-scraper" with
modern facade goes on apace While the
city is changing the appearance of it's most
noted prison, London is about to lose an
cient Newgate prison, a JAN as historic
as the Bastile, about which has chung te-
naciously many romantic stories.
Newgate prison is one of the oldest build
ings in London, and is one of the sights
of the town which few American visit
ors fail to see. In a brief sketch of the
old jail. the London Telegraph asserts that
Newgate, despite its name, was probably
one of the Oldest of those gates that pierced
the historic wall with which Old London
was girdled. Maitland was the first to OBJ
serve that the traces of Roman Waiting
street in a direct line with Newgate street,
discovered when digging the foundations of
Molborn Bridge, after the great fire,
pointed almost concluslvely 10 the exist
enoe of a gate here in Roman times. Its
name has a parallel In another Roman
gate, New Port, at lincoln Newgate, as
a prison, has a history almost AS remote
as the Tower, and much more remote
than the Bastile. Gatehouses were COM
monty used as prisons In medieval Eng
land, not only IN London, as in this New
gate, Ludgate and the Gatehouse at West
Minister. but also In the provincial towns,
as at York, Chester. Carlisle, etc.
NH p ufr MauymQtp
street, a little to the east of Giltspur
street and the Old Bailey, is In all proba-
blllty Identical with the West Gate OF
Saxon times as a place of tngress and
egress for the western traffic to and from
Chepe. II Is also very probably identical
with the chamberlaln's gate, mentioned In
very early documents, for the chamber
lain,s court was held in the Old Bailey,
hard by. IL is first named as a prison
in the Pipe Roll. 1888. and continued to be
so used for nearly 600 years. SO old place
naturally had several rebutldings.
The first that we hear of was In the
reign of Henry / or his successor, Ste
phen the Usuper. Then, early In the M
tenth century, being very ruinous, II was
again rebuilt by that thrice famous lord
mayor Richard Wilmington, equally dis
tinguished in history and fable. Thus
arose the cognomen OF "Whits Palace"
by which the prison was long distinguish
ed and thus doubtless, II was that Whit
tington's cat appeared as an appendage
TO one of the statues that ornamented the
last edition OF the gate.
Another famous Lord Mayor, William
Walworth, a predecessor of Dick, gave
sum of money for the relief of those I'M
fortunates who had there taken up an in
voluntary abode. while In 1905 q worthy
merchant tailor, one John, or Robert,
Dove, left the sum of $3.50 for tollng the
passing bell Of st. Sepulchre's as the con-
demned left the prison for execution, for
pronouncng an exhortation as they pass
ed the church, and ringing a handbell
outside the prison on the evening previous
to the execution.
Thus arose the old custom OF ringing
the execution bell' at this church. This
execution bell was recently discovered In
an old chest in the vestry, and is now
hung up In the church. Doves charity,
having become obsolete was diverted from
It's original purpose few years ago and
given TO the rector and church wardcns
in trust for the relief of deserving dis
charged prisoners Some sixty years be-
fore this charity was instituted, when the
Marian prosecution was about to burst
forth, John Rogers, the proto-martyr, who
was the vicar of this church, lay in New
gate with Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester!
awaiting the fires by which the holders
of the true faith were to demonstrate the
love OF God.
1t was from this same Newgate "Whit's
Palace" that Lord EgTemont, Sir Thomas
and Sir Richard Percy broke in 1457, ard
went TO plead their cause In person before
the king Their escape was followed by a
mutiny among the prisoners, who for
time successfully defied the sherffs and
citizens. But It. was to the earlier New
gate that the enraged populace dragged
Robert de Baldock, chancellor of the realm
under Edward H.; 1t was to him they inn
puted most of the woes under which the
country langulshed, and he was so unmer-
cifully used on the way that he died there
q eew years after.
Newgate was rebuilt after fire in 1856
and again about 1890 This rebuilding lasted
till the great fire which followed the ter
rlble plague of 1865. 1t would be in this
Newgate then that Pyrnne, the doughty
author of Hstriomastix and Free born
John" Lilburne were confined. The earlier
history of Newgate az scant and vague
but Mr.. Grifiths, in his painstaking and
elaborate work, The Chronicle of New
gate, chiefly by the aid of a pamphlet BY
one "B. L." of Twickenham, has shown
that at some time during the common
wealth, when prison accommodation was
at a premium ,ande ven than rawod vad
at a premium, and even churches were
by adding to the gatehouse the premises
formerly occupied by the Phoenix Inn In
Newgate street
This prison, horribly unsanitary, offering
very Inadequate accommodation and In
almost every sense unsuitable for It's pur-
pose had long roll of distinguished pris-
oners. Here were confined William, Lord
Russell; Penn the founder Of PennsylVa-
mia; Muggleton, the founder OF the sect
which bore his name; Ellwood, Millions
friend. Here Defoe commenced his review
here died Sir Robert Wright, the lord chief
justice who tried the seven bishops. Here
It was, too, that Quin was Imprisoned
while waiting his trial for having killed
Williams, brother actor, in self-defense
also MacSlin for having killed another
actor by misadventure. and Johnson's
friend, Joseph Baretti, for having stabbed
10 death street rufIan in self-defense
Hence ii was that Jack Sheppard made his
daring escapes
Other names occur In connection with