The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-02-12
TOWER OF LONDON
OLDEST IN WORLD
In Comparison the Palaces and
Prisons Throughout Europe
Are Modern Creations.
is CROWNS STRONG BOX
Everything of State Resalia Is There
With One Exception, the koh-i-
Nor, Represented by a
Crystal.

st. James Gazette: Possibly few per-
sons are aware that in comparison with
the tower the palaces and prisons
throughout Europe are modern creations.
Hepworth Dixon establishes this fact
clearly In his admirable history. The
Oldest bit Of palace 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 Vienna,
are OF the fourteenth century. The
seraglio in STEAMBOAT was built by Mo-
manned the Second. The Oldest part of
the vatican was commenced by Borgia,
whose name 1T bears. The old Louvre
was begun in the reign of Henry WILL;
the Tuileries in that OF Elizabeth. In the
time Of our civil. war Versailles was yet
a swamp. The sixteenth century claims
the Escurial; the eighteenth Sans Souci.
Jerusalem's Serial is a Turkish edifce;
the palaces Of Athens, Cairo, Teheran,
are all Of modern date. So 1t 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 arc
worth, 1t may be supposed, some three
million pounds. Everything of state re-
gala is there, with one notable exception.
The Koh-i-Nor is represented by a crys-
tai. Queen Alexandra wears the original,
on great occasions, as part of her per-
sonal Jewels. The tower has been the
sovereign's strong room for the storing Of
treasure ever since tower-dwelling mon
archs were. The old jewel house itself
was built simultaneously with the royal
mint, when that establishment was with
in the tower walls. The only attempt to
steal the treasure Is historic. 1t was the
feat Of that picturesque villain. Colonel
e& nIno1 H La lIa1 ~ orro -, tal ltp,ro1P b. u,tft,
the deputy keeper Of the jewels, had gone
30 far as to propose a match between his
ward and the daughter of the official.
All went smoothly. The bogus swain
turned 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
of, 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, dis
guised as a clergyman, had the crown
concealed beneath his cassock, and added
his voice to the hue and cry. stop the
villain" he roared. He had reached his
horse before the imposture was discov-
cred. 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, it's jewels were all
knocked out, and many Of them lost. An
apprentice found the great pearl, a scav-
enger the biggest diamond. well, 1t was
n gallant deed: 1t was to gain a crown"
was all Blood had to say as they carried
him a prisoner to the dungeons. But no
Ill befell him for this and other treason.
He had played for high stakes before, had
attempted to surprise Dublin castle and
capture the duke of Ormonde, and, that
failing, had coolly laid his plans to seize
and hang him when he returned to Lon
don. The outcome of all was that, con-
Tossing to having plotted to take his SOW
reign life, he was granted a pension,
and lived and died in the odor Of sanctity
at court.
All this took place In the Martin Tower,
which Is haunted to this day, you are de-
sired to believe. The ghost is that of
Harry Percy, ninth earl Of N~orthumber-
land. who spent fourteen years Of his life
a prisoner there. The Wizard Earl, they
called him. For his companions he had
Raleigh, working on his mystic prepara-
tons which he hoped would produce an
elixir OF life, and Herlot, Allen, Topper
ley, 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 Jupiter. When, at the end Of
his long imprisonment, the earl returned
to his home, he founded a library from
which half the learning of following years
had its inspiration. Only a sun dial, tlxed
by Hertots w hands, remains to COM
memorate that remarkable fellowship
which did SO much for the glory of Eng
uSh science.
-m-."