Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-03-28
A NOTORIOUS RASCAL
Bold Exploits of Colonel Thomas
Blood In England.
TRIED TO STEAL THE CROWN

Attack on the Duke of Ormonde.
A daring, fearless scamp and one of
the most reckless ana brazen soldiers
of fortune that ever cut a swath in
England was the notorious Colonel
Thomas Blood.
This choicest of seventeenth century
scoundrels was born probably in Ire
land in or about 1913. During the civil
war he was active on the parliament
tary side, was made a justice of the
peace by Henry Cromwell and received
large grants of land. These were con-
fiscated at the restoration, and Blood
forthwith began his career as a des-
perado.
His first plot was to seize Dublin cas-
tie and the person Of the Duke of Or
monde, the lord lieutenant, in 1868. A
crowd was to be collected at the castle
gates, pretended baker with load
of bread upon his shoulder was to
stumble and upset the loaves, and in
the scramble which would probably en-
sue among the castle guards the gates
were to be seized, but the plot was be-
| trayed to Ormonde, and, although
Blood himself escaped, his brother-in,
law was arrested and executed.
After a period of seclusion among the
Irish hills and in Holland, Blood cross
ed to England and Joined the fifty mon
archy men. After one or two minor
deeds of daring he planned and nearly
carried out desperate stroke in 1910.
In that year the Prince of Orange visit
ed England and was entertained by the
| city Of London. In his train on the oc-
casion was the Duke of Ormonde,
against whom Blood nursed undying
hate The duke was dragged from his
coach in st. James street by Blood and
his son-in-law, strapped on horseback
to one Of the conspirators and hurried
| toward Tyburn. So determined was
the prime mover in the affair that his
enemy should die that he hurried on
toward the gallows to arrange the rope.
! The dukes coachman gave the alarm
! and followed his master with assist
ance, and a timely rescue was effected.
/ On May 8 in the following year Blood
. made his great attempt to carry off the
! Tower jewels. He set about the task in
! quite a modern style. Some three
weeks before the attempt he and a wo-
man whom he represented as his wife
his real wife being then in the north
of England-visited the Tower, where
the lady feigned sudden illness. She
and her companion were invited into
the private apartments of Edwards,
the aged keeper, that she might rest
and recover. y
Three or four days later they return
ed with present of gloves as an &C
acknowledgement Of the civility. Blood
was courtesy itself, admired every
thing, but especially Edwards pretty
daughter, and presently proposed a
match between the young lady and his
nephew" This was agreed to, and
the visitors at once dined with the fam
fly, Blood pronouncing an edifying
| grace. After dinner they were shown
over the house. Blood managed to rid
! Edwards of a case Of pistols by pur-
chasing them for friend, and it was
arranged that the nephew" should be
brought for inspection by his future
bride at Z O'clock on the morning of
May 8.
Punctual to the day and hour, Blood
appeared with three companions-Par
rot, Hunt and Holloway. Each had a
sword stick in his hand, dagger in his
belt and pistols in his pockets. Hollo-
way remained outside to guard the
door.
Blood, with q nice regard for the eti-
4 quette of the occasion, proposed that
they should await the arrival Of his
wife before joining the ladies and that
Edwards should show them the crown
jewels to while away the time. The
jewel room was entered and the door,
as usual, closed. Edwards was at once
attacked, gagged and bound, an iron
hook being even attached to his nose
shat no sound might pass from him
that way" In spite of threats he
struggled CALAMITY, was knocked down,
stabbed and left for dead Parrot put
the globe in his loose breeches. Blood
crushed up the crown and thrust it be-
meath his cloak, while Hunt began to
file the scepter in two before putting it
In bag.
At this moment, like a bolt from the
blue, appeared Edwards son, newly ar
rived from Flanders and eager to greet
his family. He went first to his moth
er and sister and the thieves slipped
out, but Edwards, regaining conscious
ness, managed to give the alarm, and
they were taken. Said Blood philo-
scphically, "It was bold attempt, but
1t was for a crown"
After this one imagines there would
be short shrift for Colonel Blood, and
we expect the march to Tyburn and an
edifying '1ast speech" But he refused
to plead unless in private to the king
and was admitted to an interview, got
ON the right side of the merry mon
arch, limited at accomplices by the hun
dred who would avenge his death, was
granted his forfeited estates and was
thenceforward frequent in the pres
ence chamber. Then he quarreled with
his patron, Buckingham, and was cast
| IN damages for SANDER on the duke.