The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-09-19
ADVENTURES OF CROWNS.
On Four Occasions the British Royal
Diadsm Has Been In Pawn.


London Truth: In these peaceful
law-abiding days it is difficult to i'm.
agine any one daring enough to at.
tempt to make away with his majesty.
crown. Yet such thing has happened
II not exactly in our own day. Colone
Blood's desperate escapade to secur,
the crown of Charles II. is historic
from more than one point of view
Having contrived to ingratiate himsel,
with Edwards, the deputy keeper o.
the crown Of jewels, he one day intro
duced four companions, to whom he
asked the old fellow to exhibit his
treasures.
Suspecting nothing, the keeper com
piled, when he was at once gagged and
thrown on the ground, and but for the
appearance Of his son the thieves, in ali
probability, would have accomplished
their nefarious aims. AS 1t was Blood
made off with the crown, but was
promptly pursued, and after a struggle
in the course OF which the crown es-
capped from his hold and rolled in the
mud. was secured. Strange to say.
none of the miscreants was punished:
indeed, Blood, much to the astonish-
ment OF some people, afterward re-
cetved from the king pension of 500
pounds a year.
On four occasions the crown of Eng
land has been placed in pawn. The
most notable Is the occasion in 1885,
when Richard II. was driven to do this
to replenish his depleted treasury. The
crown, however, must either have been
Of comparatively little value or the
merchants of London to whom he
pledged it were adopts at driving a
shrewd bargain, for the amount re-
ceived, as vouched for by the kings
receipts when redeeming his regalia,
was but $4,000. Richard was but fol-
lowing in the footsteps Of his grand
father, Edward III, who, pressed for
money, did not hesitate to place the
symbol of royalty In pledge with the
Bishop of Winchester for the compare
lively handsome sum OF 100000 Henry
III, impoverished by his struggle
against the barons, and Henry W. by
his war In France, likewise hypothe-
Gated their respective crowns.
Napoleon l., too, some time after the
recovery of the regalia stolen from the
Garde Meuble, pledged the regent" TO
the Dutch government, from whom he
received money sufficient to consum-
mate his ambitious schemes. Suisse
quently, when he attained to power, he
redeemed the diamond, and afterward
carried 1t in the pommel Of his state
sword. The royal crown OF Spain was
carried into exile by ex Queen Isabella,
along with other Jewels. and, falling
eventually into the hands of her grand
nephew, the Prince Del Drago, was sold
by him to the Countess Del Castellane
for the sum Of R2s mn The iron
crown of Lsombardy owes It's fame to
the small band Of iron which runs
around the golden circlet, rather than
to its intrinsic value, though this lis
very great This iron band Ia three
eighths Of an inch broad and one tenth
of an inch thick. and is believed to be
one OF the nails used in the crucifixion.
which was given BY Pope Gregory /. to
Princess Theodelinda~
In 1905 Napoleon crowned himself
with this crown at Milan, and later 1t
was worn by two emperors OF Austria,
and then carried to Venice. Some time
after the year 1866 it was restored to
It's resting place In the church OF st.
John the Baptist. Ia Monza. where II
still reposes.