Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-09-25
THE HEART OF M0NTROSE
BE0 UEATHED BY YTHE MARQUIS TO
$Et HIS NIECE, LADY, NAPIER. SN


Hero and how II was NJ ystoriousIy Lost
Little Hopo OF tho Ultimate Recovery OF
tho Relic, but After the Lapse of Ono
Hundred Years tho Heart OF tho Graham
play Once gain Rest on Scottish Soil.
From Chamberss Journal.)
+! Alas That no ono knows where-but
somewhere, ccrtainly--the heart of valiant
James Graham, Marquis OF Montrose,
awaits the collector Of curlosIties! Tossed.
among bits OF armor, old china, brlc-a-
north of France; possibly now carried to
Paris or London, 1t may lie In some old
lady's lumber attic; or, trampled years ago
into the ground of a back garden in Rou-
up any day with their spades. "Qu'est-ce
que c'est donc." this little old. beaten,
egg-shaped box of steel? Why Pierre and
Marie, 1t holds. If you only knew It. the
dust OF a Scottish hero's heart, and the
case itself was fashioned out Of his good
steel sword.
Montrose knew Merchiston Castle, Edin-
burgh, well; 1t was. In fact, second home
to MIN In his boyhood, for his sister Mar
garet had married Sir Archibald Napier
when Montrose was G'f.} years old, and
he spent much Of his tikie with them. The
Napiers had, besides, town mansion
within the precincts of Holyrood House:
but to little Montrose. brought up In the
SophtiSt tuc oiu CitStle, WIFI llS D0rnS ana
out houses and oranges, was no doubt a
moro attractive holiday home than dull
town house in the fashionable Cannongate.
One can fancy the little figure, in Its
clothes of green camet" or ''mixed par
gone and CLOAK with pasmcnts," wan
derlng with his bow and arrows about tho
parks, or, maybe, escaped from his watch
full "pedagog," Master William FORFEIT,
imperiling himself, boylike OH the battle
ments Of the castle.
n yot tn ho ctn of fho boo ST
must leave the life and hasten to the
death OF Montrose. His sister and broth
er-in-law had died long before, and the
owner Of Merchiston In 1860 was Mont
roses nephew, the second Lord Napier A
great affection existed between Montrose
and his niece by marriage, Lady Napier;
and as n mark of II he bequeathed to her
his heart--a strange. and IL one must tell
the truth. an embarrassing, legacy; but
looked upon by the lady herself as q su-
prcme honor and sacred trust.
Montrose was executed at the Market
Cross OF Edinburgh on Tuesday, May 81,
1850. The extraordinary composure and
galantry Of his bearing are well attested.
An unsigned letter in the British Museum,
written by a spectator while the execution
was actually going on, says IL never saw
a more swectcr carriage in n man in all
my life. He Is just now turning off from
the ladder; but hi" countenance changes
not Another account says: "Ie slept
along the streets with so great state, so
much beauty, majesty and gravity rs
amazed the beholdcrs And many Of his
enemies did acknowledge him to be the
brnvest subject In the world, and in him q
gallnntry that graced all the crowd
Clothed In fine scarlet richly shammaded
with golden lace, and linen with fine
pearling about, his delicate white gloves
In his hand, his stockings of incarnate
silk, his shoes with their ribbons on his
feet" his dress was more becoming q
bridegroom than n criminal"
After hanging on the gibbet for three
hours the body was taken down and the
head was affixed to the Tolbooth: the
limbs were dispersed to various places
throughout the Kingdom, and the dismem-
bered trunk was enclosed in a "little short
chest" and buried on the Boroughmulr
The Boroughmuir was the usual place OF
execution and burial for the worst crimi-
nails; 1t was place OF evil rcputation lit
tie sought during the day and much to be
Stunned by night.
No wonder, then, that some "advcntu-
rous spirits were required who would
stea! to that grewsomc spot raise the
hastily and none too deeply buried body
and cut from 1t the heart Of Montrosc
The master of Merchston was in exile in
Holland; II was Lady Napier alone who
planned the night excursion and saw 1t
carried out. Did her heart fair her that
May night waiting at the foot of the tur
ret stair until her messengers returning.
put IN her hands something not seen but
felt, with the square Of fine linen all
'trickcd with bloody gulcs?" That same
square OF linen and the pair OF stockings
of 'incarnate" silk showing a still darker
stain have remained ever since among the
treasured possessions of the Napair fam
lily.
For time, then, the heart was safe at
Merchlston. 1t was cmbamcd and IN
closed in Il little steel case made Of the
blade OF Montrosc's sword; the case was
placed In fine gold fliGrec box which
had belonged TO John Napier, the inven-
tor OF logarithms; and the box In It's turn
was deposited IN Il silver urn.
Before very long, however, Lady Napier
dispatched the caskct by some faithful
hand 10 tho young Marquis of Montrosc
who. with Lord Napier and others of the
connection, was still living in exile in Hol-
land and here begins the first part Of its
adventures, Of which, unfortunately, no
record now remains.
For many years the heart was complete
ly lost sight of, and any hope of ever re-
gaining 1t had long been given up, when n
friend OF the Napier family recognized the
gold nligrec box enclosing !he steel case
among collection of curiosities In uol-
land. He purchased the relic at once and
returned 1t to Merchlston, at that time
the property of Francis, the NTH Lord
Napier. There for second time the heart
rcposed. but not for long. On the death
of the NTH Lord Napier 1t passed into the
keeping of his only surviving daughter
Hester, afterward Mrs Johnston
Some years after her marriage Mrs John
Ston was on voyage to India with hcr
husband, her little son, and all their
household goods, when their ship, which
formed part of the fleet under Commodore
Johaslon was attacked by q French
frlgate. and n sttf fight ensucd. Mr. john
ston busted himself with four of the guns
upon the quarter deck, while his wife who
had refused to go below. remained beside
him, hcrolcally obstinate figure, holding
by the one hand her little boy, and In the
other thick velvet reticule, into which
she had hurricdly crammcd all the things