The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-01-15
AN ANCIENT TRAGEDY
Recalled by the Sale of Old Books
in London.

How the issassins fthe Mayor Of
Favorsham Were Dealt With BY
the Old Timers.
At a recent old book sale in Lon
don some rare books were sold.
Among those that brought the high
est price were the third folio Of
Shakespare and arden Of Faver-
sham. The first named brought ST.
750, and the latter S6, ,050.
This Arden Of Faversham' is
doubtless the tragedy printed III 1872,
which was at first attributed to
SHAKESPEARE. 1t is the dramatlzation
Of one of the most terrible tragedies
in private life. and the play is now
attributed to George Lilo.
And this is the history: Thomas
Arden a gentleman Of Kent, was
Mayor of Faversham, in 1850. Ar
den's wife, Mistress Alice, young,
tall, we'll favored of shape and coun-
tenance, had a lover named Mosebye.
"a black, swart man." The unfalth-
full wife and the lover consplred to
put an end to the husband. They
employed as confederates John
Green, a tailor, George Bradshaw, a
goldsmith, and one BLACK Will" a
professional murderer.
The wicked wife laid a plot for
numbering the husband in his own
house and procured the services of
Mosebye's sister, Cicely Founder,
and Of two Of Arden's domestic ser
wants, Michael Sanderson and Eliza
beth Haford. On a day chosen for
the deed Black Will was hidden in a
closet in Arden's parlor. After sup
per, Arden sat down to play some
kind of game with Mosebye. Green
stood at Arden's back, holding a can
die.
At a signal in the game, Black
Will came out with a napkin in his
hand, threw it over Arden's face,
and strangled him. Mosebye struck
Arden with a tailor's pressing iron
and cut his throat with dagger. II
is added that Mistress Alice herself
with a knife, stabbed the husband
seven or eight times in the breast.
When Black Will had helped te
drag the body into the closet he went
to Cicely Founders house and re-
ceived eight pounds for his work. He
then left Faversham.
Cicely Founder then went to Ar
den's house and assisted in dragging
the body to a neighboring meadow
where they laid him on his back II
his night-gown with his slippers or
his feet. After this Alice and hel
companions says the chronich, dane
ed and played on the virginals anc
were merry.
By placing the body in the meadow
in his night clothes it was intended
to convey the impression that he hac
been murdered by some one while
the festivities were going on IN the
house. Next morning Mistress Alict
alarmed the town with the announce
ment that her good man was missing
and that she had fears for his safe
ty. A search was made by the towns
peopl and the body was found.
Some of the people saw q long rush
or two from the parlor floor (there
were no carpets in those days. stucl
between one of the slippers and the
foot of the corpse. This brought the
suspicion that Arden had been mur
dered in his own house. The detalli
Of the murder soon came to be un
raveled.
Then came the punishment, Mis-
tress Alice was burned at Canter
bury; Mosebye, Green, Bradshaw
and Cicely Pounded were hanged
Sanderson was drawn and hanged
Elizabeth Stafford was burned; Black
VIII escaped for many years, but was
at last taken ard burned on scat
fold at Flushing.
Now there was q fine oid-fashion
ed:treadgy Of Merry England in the
hancyon days of good Queen Bess
That this early copy of the play
Garden of Faversharn, should
bring s6,05O shows the unmitigatec
fury of the collector. 1t is doubt
full if any playwright of today vii
attempt to immortalize Harry Or
chard and his many murders. Per
haps if a mouldy volume of such
play should be III existence $50 years
from now there might be founC
some collector to give $4,000 for it.