Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-05-03
Queen wilhelmina's

lIIlpICSSlOu VI &oSNtA " .
capital.
The next morning we started out,
walking aimlessly, just to see the city
as a whole. The sidewalks were so
narrow that often we had to walk In
the streets, and many chose the I'M
evenly paved streets as preferable TO
the foot and a half sidewalk We
went into the cathedral but as 1t was
over-crowded and not specially at
tractiye, we continued our walk past
the royal palace, until we were for
tunate enough to come to the Spanish
prison, lust at the hour when they
allowed visitors.
1t was the prison of the Spanish In
uuisition. We saw all the terrible IN
struments of torture, which were useo
with such barbaric atrocity. There
was the cell in which the prisoner
spent the last day Of his life. when ne
could order anything he wanted to eat.
Above there was a chamber where they
starved prisoner to death. 1t was
SO arranged that the smells Of the
cooking from tie kitchen below reached
him and must have tantalized him be-
You'd measure. In one cell there was
priest who had turned Luthuran mad
made with his blood.
The room which most interested us
was that where Cornelius de Witt was
SO unjustly confined. At first he occu-
pied the room where the sick were put,
and we saw a picture OF his mouse III
Dordrecht he had carved. and also one
of his brother Jeans home at The
Hague. Both were true patriots. Jean
endeayored to save his brother, but
his efforts were useless. Both were
seized by the mob and killed August
90, 1872 In Cornelius room bookcase
still contains the comedies OF MOllere
which he was reading when the mon
entered, while his brother Jean seated
On the table was reading the Bible
Too late did William of Orange know
that they were two really great men.
That afternoon we went to the park
to watch the Dutch people, but we did
not find much pleasure in it, as the
women all looked old and care-worn
before their time We pitied them, for
they seemed to be finding life so hard.
From their faces we should judge that
little enjoyment came their way. No
music fastened their tagging footsteps,
except the perpetual claque-claque OF
the wooden shoes on the pavements.
We found few in the city who could
speak French or German, so that we
had some difficulty in getting around.
The next morning when we wished to
visit the House in the Woods, we
bought a ticket beforehand, then when
we We're in doubt concerning our way,
we showed the ticket, finger pointed
to us the direction, and by that means
we were able to find that miniature
palace hidden as it is in the depths Of
some stately woods.
Inside of the palace everything is
in exquisite taste. Valuable presents
have been given to the Dutch rulers
by the other foreign powers. There
was one room fitted up with Chinese
furnishings, another with japanese,
where there is a cabinet which took
one man a life time to make. One
room was lined with silken tapestries
that had been presented to the former
queen by Chinese princess. The back
part of the palace opened into some
beautiful gardens, while the front was
comparatively bare, facing with
stern front that vast extent OF WOODS
Here it was that the last queen of Hol-
land lived, but Queen Wilhelmina only
visits it for a day occasionally.
This palace was built in 1910, and
strangely enough, pupil of Reubens
painted a picture representing the en-
trance of Ieace on one of the doors of
the Oranje room, where formerly they
had balls and receptions, and where
way UP at dizzy height the orchestra
played. In this picture god and god
dess are holding the doors open for
Peace to enter. This pointing was
done to celebrate the peace between
the Dutch and the Spanish, and in this
very room the last peace conference Of
the world was held.
AS we could not find the tram-car
we had to walk back to the city. Our
way lead us by the parade grounds,
just at the time when the Dutch
soldiers were displaying their military
tactics before an admiring. crowd.
The soldiers were dazzling in their
dark uniforms splashed with red and
gold Mounted on horseback they
looked brave indeed as they dashed
through their maneuvres.. So long as
Queen Wilhelmina is protected by such
troops as these, she need have no fear
for her kingdom.
MABEL FRANCES KNIGHT.
[Letter No. s Some of Hollands By
ways and Water Waysl.