The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-05
STEALING CROWNS
SEVERAL OF THEM HAVE BEEN
TAKEN AND OTHERS LOST.
How Edward is Treasure House
Was Robbed and st. Stephens
Iron Grown Of Hungary was
Reft, and How Col. Blood
Stole the English Crown
and was Pardoned.

now and the coronation ceremonies next
month; for if anything Is care1ully
guarded 1t Is probably that rather uncom-
Portable article of headgear. But twice
in the past that crown or one of Its pred
ecessors has been in danger from robbers,
and other crowns in Scotland and Hum
gary have been stolen from their Keep
ers.
The first time that a crown was In
danger, an actual crown. not merely
throne, occurred in London in 1893. In
that year King Edward j. was marching
to Scotland to fight William Wallace. and
the palace at Westminster was deserted
BY all the men who usually dwet near
the King. Only the Queen and her. at
tendants and the monks of Westminster
were in or near the palace.
In the Chapel of the Pyx, between the
palace and the Abbey Church, was stored
the royal treasure, heaped up by Ed
wards predecessors and added to by him
to provide for his Scots war. There was
more than 10000 pounds in money, equal
to more than 100000 pounds now. be-
sides the regalia of many Kings. Saxon
and Norman-a treasury large even now.
and in those days enormous.
The knowledge of this treasure, so
much of 1t in money and jewels easily
to be taken away and converted into
money, led Richard de Podelicote, a deal
er In wool, cheese and butter, who had
losses, to think of recouping himself from
the Kings treasury. He saw that the
little door leading from the palace to the
Abbey was not watched since the King
had gone, and inspecting the premises he
decided to make an illegal raid on the
treasury. Carrying ladder. pretending
probably to be workman repairing the
abbey roof, he entered the precincts and
waited until the place was closed for the
might. Then he placed the ladder against
window, climbed up and tying rope
around his body dropped into the Chap
ter house. Thence he made his way bold
ly into the cloisters. The first time he
visited the place he was oontented with
the silver cups in the aumries or cup
boards in the refectory of the abbey; but
having found how easy 1t was to rob he
decided to carry out his plan and to rifle
the treasury itself. Now he needed as
sistance, and he seems to have obtained
1t from those who should have guarded
the treasury; the monks of the abbey
How many aided him We do not know;
all the monks were arrested when the
robbery became known and some of them
were hanged. But 1t is not likely that
the forty-one monks and the thirty-one
lay brothers were engaged in the attempt.
Pedelicote In his confession took the en-
tire blame on his own shoulders; but he
was too loyal TO his aeeomplices, for he
said that he worked on the chapel of the
Pyx from eight days before Christmas
1902. to April "A, 13OS-more than four
months. that is. He may have done the
breaking and entering alone; but as he
had to work in an open and frequented
passage between the Chapter house and
the cloisters, to take out stones. lift and
did the actual work alone he had friends
in authority in the abbey who knew when
not to see the traces of his labors.
At all events he said that he entered
the chapel of Pyx on April "A, the eve
of St. Marks Day. He stayed there all
that night, and all the next day, and the
night after that, choosing and arranging
what he would take; and the night of
April 2s he committed the robbery. taxi
ing out his plumber and hiding 1t in the
ground back of st. Margaret's Church,
just east of the abbey. He took pitchers
cups with feet. pouches of jewels and ves-
sells of gold and silver, a crucihx of gold
known as tina cross of Meath, dishes and
saucers, spoons, rings. brooches, crowns
and girdles, stones and money.
But despite his confession 1t was proved
that some Of the monks did more than
merely keep their eyes shut. The sa-
cristan was strongly suspected. Another
brother sowed hemp-seed in the cloister
garth, that when 1t grew up it might Of
fer a hiding place for small articles; an
outsider, not a monk. suddenly bought
horses and arms and fine raiment Will
liam de Paleys, who guarded the palace
gate. let the burglars in and out. Under
his bed were found the jewel case in
which the golden crucitx was kept, and
other valuables taken from the treasury.
The Kings crown the burglars did not
touch, though they took other crowns and
things that they could melt down and
break up. These they sold in London and
other towns. How the robbery became
confederates betrayed Pedelicote and his
accomplices. The King was very angry
and ordered searching investigation.
All the monks and their assistants were
sent to the Tower and after the ringlead-
ers had been hanged were kept there for
nearly two years.
This is the first unsuccessful attempt
on crown. The first successful attempt
was made in Hungary in 1883. Albert,
Duke of Austria and King of Hungary.
had died suddenly, leaving his widow ex-
pecting to become a mother. The Hun
garians almost at once invited Wladslas
of Poland to marry the Queen and take
the crown of their country: but the Queen
of Hungary determined that she would
not wed until her child was born, and
that even if VIA islas accepted the offer
he should not he crowned with the sacred
crown of St. Stephen. Once so crowned.
she knew that her rights and those of
be regarded. Elizabeth decided to steal
the crown of ST Stephen. and hide it
until her child was horn: II 1t should he
a son, she intended to have him crowned
at once, and trust thereafter to the 10y
atty OF her people: Thus deciding she
took one of her ladies. Helen 'Ketterer.
into confidence and the two planned the
attempt. With chosen friend, a Hun
garian knight, Helen went to Vissegrad,
in the castle of which city the crown was
kept. under the charge of Ladislas Won
Gorda, Queen Ellzabeth's cousin When
the Lady Helen arrived she found that
the buggraf was i'll and unable to sleep
as usual in the room outside of the vault
where the crown was kept. But that fact
heIped her little, for the count had sealed
the door of the vault with black cloth
and his own sgnet.
Helen Ketterer, when the castle was
asleep. gave the signal to her assistant.
They met outside the jewel room, Helen.
the knight and his servant, the latter
bound by an oath, and having also the
same Christian name as the night-an
additional proof of his loyalty. As softly
as they could they removed the COVER
nor's black cloth and seals. Helen Way-
ing as she worked. When they came to
the padlocks on the door the knight pro-
duced files from his boots and they cut
through the bolts and chains. AS they
worked they heard a noise, whereat the
Lady Helen vowed under her breath to
make q pilgrimage to St. Maria of Zell,
IN Syria, n the Virgin would hear her
prayers and grant a successful outcome
OF the attempt, and till the pilgrimage
could be made to forego every Saturday
night my feather bed
At last they were in the vault where
the crown lay. But they had no time to
file through the lock of the jewel chest
so the knight burned away the wood and
opened the Golfer. There before them
lay the crown of St. Stephen. To carry
it away unseen Helen took much of the