The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-02-14
Spectre Of Mary, Queen Of
Scots, Walked In tho" Tower
APPEARED CHRISTMAS EVE.
Tradition Concerning the Pisslngof Brlialn's
Rulers Is furcihy Recalled BY Recent
Events 10 England.

There IS tradition Of the Tower OF
London which says that the ghost OF
Mary Queen Of scots, appears there al
ways on the Christmas eve preceding the
death Of a king or queen of England. The
day after Christmas II was said that the
ghost OF Mary, queen OF Scots was heard
walking and wailing In the Tower OK
London by one Of the guards. who de-
cIares that soft footsteps paced up ana
down, and that they kept tiinc 10 SOUS
and cries.
The guard was burly fellow, ruddy'
puffy hearty subject. who was more ad-
dicted 20 porter than TO tales or ghosts
that walk. But when he heard these rest
less steps and caught the sound OF wall
mot angry or fierce. but a sad little wall
as OF "A woman whose heart IL sore-when
he heard these, he caught his breath, for
rhe old story flashed into his mind.
on second thought. the guard laughed
at himself fer his foolishness What were
spooks TO him? he duered Naught but a
fancy 10 have birth in idletminds. TO be
pratcd of by idle tongues. Some one was
putting up joke on nm. lie Moulu huhl
him out.
So ne climbed the long stair flights.
panting like a good fellow he did so.
The top OF the tower was growing higher
each year. he had been noticing for some
time past This year. AZ the end of the
century. II must surely have grown above
tine clouds.
GUARD SEARCHED THE TOWER.
After he had reached the top at the
end OF arduous breathings, he clasped his
humping old heart, gave II n final pat or
reinsurance. and looked about. No one
was to be seen.
'Oho, SO you think you'n hide. do
youg he uueried In fierce rumble that
might have struck terror TO the heart of
any practical joker III teach you 10
hide And thereupon he started a search
that began in the highest point OF the
tower. and did not end until its bottom
was reached.
He found no one There could be no
mistake about IL. No living person could
be above i'm that tower and have passed
him on The way down without his sSing.
lie had heard that the dead alone can
come and go and no man see them.
When the whilom ruddy old guard was
through his search his checks were as
white as those OF frightened maid. He
hurried 10 the outer door and looked up
and down. trying TO see some one. There
was nobody about. Duty was duty.
He was the appointed guard Of the
tower and there was nothing 10 do but
face the night out in the place.
So until the day dawned he remained,
thinking over the tales OF the ghost OF
Mary and listening for another sound or
It, None came, but:
THAT was enough, ne says now.
..When / heard IL / knew that our queens
death WAS 10 be within the year. And that
only last Christmas eve, and she lying
dead I'm her bed at Osborne. God rest her
soul. on the ed of January oh. it's n
sorry monarch for whom the ghost walls
In the Tower"
HAS WALKED FOR CENTURIES.
Since the time of Elizabeth, prosecutor
or rightful avenger OF Mary Stuart
whichever she may have been the ghost
has been reported To make itself heard
on each Christmas eve before the death
OF the reigning monarch.
Perhaps this is an old wives tale And
yet on the day following the occurrence
when the public at large still believed
Victoria Regina 10 be in the fullness OF
her powers. the guards story was pub
lished. People who read IL said. 9t'Non-
sense. the queen lives and shall live. This
IS the tale of foolish fellow, who bab-
bles nonsense ff
within a month all Christendom was
watching al her bedside and saw her pass
away. IL was then that some stopped 10
reflect upon what the guard had said. II
was the same way. remembered. when
Eiizabe,n died The 24th OF the preced-
ing December was the first time that the
ghost had made itself known.
1t was heard then by two watchers so
the story goes IL walked half the night
through, and II walled most horribly. The
men ciung to one another IA terror. and
knew not what IL meant.
Once IL spoke. so one OF them said. hut
the other denied IT, elizabeth shall die;
she who behcld me captive" We're the
f.H trl, Il
that these were heard only by the ears
OF a frightened imaginatl ton.
Was IL Mary? Mary, the sad queen?
Ellzabeth had signed her death warrant
Elizabeth had sent her 10 the scaffold. and
she died the bittercst death that ever
queen died.
QUEEN MARY's TRAGIC DEATH
An old manuscript says:"Att last, while
one Of the executioners held hir strelghly
with one of his handles, the other gave
Two strokes with an axe before ne did
cutt of hir head,
'sher made very smale noysc uo part
stirred from the place where shce lay.
The executioners lifted up the head ard
bade God save the queen.
''Then hir dressings OF lawn fell from
hir headc. which appeared as gray as n
shee had been three score and ten yeares
olde. Ifir face was much alfred. Hir ippes
stirred MP aud down almost quarter OF
an hour after hir heade WAS quito on"
Was not this "a death that might inspire
rcstiersnefs In a ghost; Was Il any Won
der that such victim should punish her
SLAYER with ErewFonle warnings Al any
rate Elizabeth died within tho year.
n was the same WAY when James
died waiklngs and wailinEs were hoard
and 81 Msrch be surrendered the throne
which he had held
Then csfno Charles T. There were polit.
Zeal troubles. he was over brown. lie a.
naily stirred up a fresh civil war and q
Scottish Invasion IN 1913 and nis death
followed he was beheaded ou n scaffolo
outside tho windows of Whitehall aud
there ended his story.
The Christmas eve before his execution
q woman passing the Tower - london
hurrying home lat. iu the night. FOR shs
~as alone and flnid. heard 4 long. sac
cry from the top ~ ne tower
She could see no hght. and when she iu