The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-18

Edited BY Charles Edward Lloyd. Pub
lished by Callaghan and Co., ia Mon
roe Street, Chicago, iii.
This is one of the most interesting
books ON the market this spring. The
story of its inception is Thus: A South
ern woman. who had written for years
for the magazines and newspapers, was
placed in charge of the exhibit of the
Department of Justice at the Omaha
Exposition. Among other Things en-
trusted to her care was a bookcase full
of valuable old law books, the Pandects
of .Dustinian, Colonial Laws, and copies
of the State Trials in Great Britain
from the reign of Richard the III. to
that of George the III. She not only
read them herself. hut she bought a
table and chairs, placed them in the
beautiful niche over which she pre-
sided and permitted her more cultured
visitors to read them This table filled
with books became a fayorte resort for
Judges lawyers. and scholars. The
popularity of the books, especially the
State Trials of Francis Hargrave and
T. b. Howell, Esqs.. convinced her that
if the best of these books could be put
would be demand for them. At the
suggestion of several prominent lawyers
She wrote to ,Messrs. Callaghan and Co.
and they approved the plan. The first
volume is just ISSUED by that firm. Ii
contains the Trials of Mary, Queen of
Scots: Sir Walter Raleigh, and Cap
tain Kidd, the Pirate. These are con-
densed. hut everything of especial in
terest is given in full. There is no bet
ter way of impressing English History
on ones mind than by reading these
Trials No lawyer cam fail to find a
romantic interest in every page OF the
book and he will be amazed at the Ian
guage and the ruling of some of the law
yers and judges of the dates given. For
instance. Sir Edward Coke. who was At
tcgney General when Sir Walter Raleigh
was tried for high treason, uses language
towards the distinguished prisoner which
would not be tolerated in the courts OF
to-day. Fifteen years later. when Coke
was Lord Chief Justice, he manages to
bring Sir Walter Raleigh to execution
on pretext evidently prepared for the
occasion at the command Of King James.
The intense jealousy of Spain at the en-
croachments of the Anglo-SaXon on the
Western Hemisphere is everywhere con
spicuous in the trial of Sir Walter Raj
eigh 1t is made plain that Spain was
the indirect factor in the death of Raj
eigh. In the light of passing events the
retribution of history rs startling.
Sir Walter Raleigh's charter frcm
Queen Elizabeth for the discovery of
Virginia extended far to the northward
of the present boundary of that State.
Its western limit was the Pacific Ocean.
..e descendants of the colony he found
ed number many who are about to sweep
the power of CASTLE and Arragon not
only from the Western Hemisphere. hut
from the Pacific Ocean as well! The
royal line of Stuart is extinct. The mame
of Raleigh is kept alive in several States
of the Union. The cruiser Raleigh was
one of Dewey's squadron at the battle
of Manila, while the first officer killed
in the struggle was Ensign Worth Bag
ley of Raleigh. The wisdom of Raleigh
was recently endorsed by the Congress
of the United States. for he first advis-
ed the holding of the Isthmus of Pana-
ma as the strategic point to control the
commerce of the two oceans that wash
the shores of this hemisphere. Raleigh
is the capital city of the State of the two
gentlemen to whom the book is dedicated
viz. Hon. Jeter C. Pritchard, senior
Senator from North Carolina. and Hon.
James 4. Boyd. First Assistant After
ney- General Of the United States.