The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-23
THE TOWER OF LONDON.
Older Than Any European Palace
The Jewel Room.

Inc level hOOm.
Possibly few persons are aware that
in comparison with the tower the pal
aces and prisons throughout Europe are
modern creations Hepworth Dixon
establishes this fact clearly in his adj
mirable history The oldest bit of PAL
ace in Europe, that of the west front OF
the Burg in Vienna, is of the time OF
Henry VIII. The Kremlin in Moscow,
the Doge's palace in Venice, are of the
fourteenth century The seraglio in
STEAMBOAT was built by Mohammed the
Second. The Oldest part of the vatican
was commenced by Borgia, whose name
it bears. The old Louvre was begun in
the reign of Henry VIII; the Tuileries7
in that of Elizabeth. In the time of our
civil war Versailles was yet swamp.
The sixteenth century claims the Escu-
rial; the eighteenth, Sans Souci. Jerusa-
lem's Serial is a Turkish edifice; the
palaces of Athens, Cairo. Teheran, are
all of modern date. So it is, too. with
the prisons With the sole exception OF
st. Angelo in Rome, all are OF modern
date as compared with that one from
which Ralph Flambard escaped in the
year HOO, the date of the first crusade.
The crown jewels in the tower are
worth, it may be supposed, some three
million pounds. Everything of state re-
gala. is there with one notable excep-
ton. The Koh-i-Nor is represented by
a crystal. Queen Alexandra wears the
original on great occasions, as part of
her personal jewels. The tower has
been the sOvereign's strong room for the
storing of treasure ever since tower
dwelling mOnarchS were. The old Jewel
house itself was built simultaneously
with the royal mint, when that estab-
! lshment was within the tower walls.
The only attempt to steal the treasure
is historic. 1t was the feat of that PIC
| turesque villain, Colonel Blood. He had
/ inc a ted himself with the deputy
keeper of the jewels, had gone so far as
| to propose a match between MS ware
and the daughter of the official All
went smoothly. The bogus swain turn
ed up to be inspected; with him three
| others and the colonel. They beat and
gagged the old man, secured the crown,
orb and scepter, and were just making
1 off when, by the strangeSt coincidence,
| the son of the jewel keeper arrived from
| Flanders.
The scene which followed would do
credit to the. dramatist. The colonel,
| disguised as a clergyman, had the
crown concealed beneath his cassoek.
| and added his voice to the hue and
cry stop the villain" he roared. He
had reached his horse before the i'm
posture was discovered. When they
made for him he turned and fired in
the face of the men nearest him. The
pistol missed fire, and the crown was
saved; but not uninjured. Trampled in
the mud, its jewels were all knocked
tice found the great pearl, a scavengeT
the biggest diamond. well, it was a
gallant deed; it was to gain a crown, .
was all Blood had to say as they car
ried him a prisoner to the dungeons.
But no i'll befeIl him for this and other
treason. He had played for high stakes
before, had attempted to surprise DUB
lin Castle and capture the Duke or
Ormonde and, that failing, had coolly
laid his plans to seize and hang him
when he returned to London. The out
come of all was that cOnfesSing, to haV-
ing plotted to take his Sovereign's life,
he was granted pension, and lived
and died in the odor of sanctity at
court.
All this took place in the Martin Tow
/, er, which is haunted to this day, you
are desired to believe. The ghost is that
of Harry Percy, ninth earl of Northum-
berland, who spent IA years of his life
| a prisoner there. The Wizard Earl,
they called him. For his companions
he had Raleigh, working on his mystic
preparations which he hoped would pro-
! Torperley, his Magi, as they were
known This little coterie discovered
) sun spots before the alert eye of Calico
had detected their existence, and was
the first to detect the satellites of Jup1-
ter When, at the end of his long i'm
prisonment, the earl returned to his
home he founded library from which
half the learning of following years hao
it's inspiration. Only a sun dial, fixed
> by Heriots own hands, remains to COM
memorate that remarkable fellowship
which did so much for the glory OF
English SCIENCE st. James Gazette.