The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-07-26
COACHING HAT.

with box plat in center of back and
tuted Earl Arundel of Wardour lord high
chancellor of England, the Earl of Fowls
lord high treasurer and Sir William Co.
dolphin lord privy seal. An army of
POO, 600 men was to be raised for the pur-
pose of invading England and deposing
Charles H., and Of this army Eiscount
Stafford was commissioned lord general,
points brought out by Oates testimony
are enumerated in a document entitled
"A true and exact narrative Of the Bor-
rid Plot and conspiracy of the Popish
Party against the Life Of His Sacred
Majesty. the Government and the Prot
estant Religion
That Lord Finch had proper concep-
ton of the Importance Of himself and his
fellow peers seems evident from his adj
dress to Stafford. at the opening Of the
trial. In this. so great and weighty
cause he said, you are to be judged
by. the House of Peers, the highest and
noblest court in this. or perhaps in any
other part Of the Christian world. Here.
you may be sure. no false weights will
or can be found; here the balance will
be exactly kept, and all the grains of
allowance which your case will bear will
certainly be put into the scale. But, as
it is impossible for my lords to con-
denim the innocent. 50 it is equally i'm
possible that they should clear the gull
ty:' 1t is not recorded what Lord Finch
said when he found that Oates testi-
mony was false. and that this highest
and noblest" court had, after all, con-
demned an innocent man.
The trial Of Viscount Stafford lasted
seven days, during which time Oates
bolstered up perjury with perjury,
an was assisted by the testi-
mony of an obscure person named
Dugdale who swore that Viscount STAFF
ford had made visits in disguise to tryst-
ing places Of the Papists.
hen the evidence and arguments had
all been heard, the peers retired from
Westminster hall to the House of
Lords there, to pass judgment in the
absence Of the accused, as required by
the ., lazy Of the realm. The peers Of
England gave Judgment not upon oath,
nut upon honor. and the lord high stew
ard asked of each in turn his YER
dict. beginning with the youngest baron:
My Lord Butler of Weston. is William.
\lscount Stafford guilty of the treason
whereof he stands impeached. or not
guilty.! And my Lord Butler Of West
ms heart responded. Not guilty, upon
my honor.
Give Judgment on Honor.
Ihere were present eighty-slx peers,
ana when the question had been put to
each III due form it was found that thir-
| ty-one thought Viscount Stafford not
guilty and that ffty-6ve thought him
guilty. Again the prisoner was brought
to the bar. and Stafford at once claimed
the Deneht of statue of Edward Ill.,,
! which. If granted, would have caused
| MN TO be punished only by deprivation
OF ms seat in Parliament. While this
point OF law was being argued a mes
SenSer proclaimed the fact that the men,
| bers of the House Of Commons, headed
by their speaker. were on their way t.
| the House Of Lords to demand, in the
| name OF the commons of all England,
| that sentence be pronounced against Wis
count Stafford. The question Of law was
| nurrledly disposed, of by deciding that t.
of death would be preiudicial to his mai
esty the King, and both lords and conf
! mons again made their way to Westnlir-
ter hall.
And now. my lord" said the lord high
steward. when Stafford was arraigne
for sentence. this is the last time thar
can call you my lord. for the neyt
The Judgment of the law is. and TIM
court doth award that you 80 to the
place from whence you came: from
thence YOU shall be drawn to the place
| or execution upon hurdle. YOU shall b.,
hansed by the neck. but not until you
are dead. for you shall be cut down and
| Your bowels ript out and thrown into the
| fire before your face; and you shall then
be beheaded. and your body shall be Iii
vlded into four quarters. which will be
at the disposal Of the King.
Il believe that l may. with my lords
leave. tell you one thing further: That
my lords. as they proceed with rigoc Of
justice, so they proceed with all the
mercy and compassion that may be, and
therefore my lords will be humble suitors
| to the King that he may remit all the
punishment but the taking off of yorr
head" After pronouncing sentence the
lord high steward broke his staff. and the
assembly dispersed. Stafford was
marched away to the Tower. the edge of
the headsman's axe being this time
turned toward the prisoner.
The Execution.
! The sentence was to be executed at the
! pleasure Of the King, and soon otter
| wards Charles II. caused the lord high
chancellor to issue two writs. directing
Slingsby Bethel and Henry Cornish, sher-
ifs of London and Middlesex. to execute
Stafford on Tower hill, December 20,
1850. by severing his head from his body.
! The sheriffs were in doubt as to whether
these writs We're sufficient authority for
simply beheading Stafford, instead of
| executing the sentence to hang. draw and
quarter. and they petitioned the House
| of Lords to set the matter at rest. The
lords were of no mind 20 NEEDLE further
| in the matter, and they answered the ne-