The Washington bee., 1911-02-18
A Vision
"Are you Ill, sir ?"
By F. A. Mitchell

for was engaged in getting my bear
ings.
This is the TowerY' l asked pres
entity.
Yes. sir"
was sitting on a bench in an open
court in the Tower of London. Before
me was a piece of pavement different
from the rest, some fifteen or twenty
feet square and in its center a plate
on which was an inscription. | re-
membered being the evening before
in the quarters of one of the Tower
officials, and that was all. How l
came to be seated on the bench in the
early morning have never to this
day fully determined. At II | had
started for my lodgings in oxford
street, but could not remember going
there One Of the Tower attendants,
commonly called 'beefeaters," had
reused me-
If how l came to be there is a mys-
terry. what | saw there is a still greater
one. | had been sitting a long while.
OF that / was fully conscious. Whether
it was night or day / have no recollec-
ton. but the scene | Witnessed seems
to me to have been enacted in the day.
My first remembrance is hearing
shouts Of Long live Queen Mary" but
they seemed to come from without the
inclosure. Within a few persons hur-
ried by silently, as if in preparation
for some momentouS event They were
all serious. and one o. two Of them
were in tears.
Then / was conscious Of a number
Of persons sitting with me about the
square bit of pavement. though the
seats on which they sat were of rough
hewn wood The men wore trunks,
hose, dOublets and hats decorated with
feathers, the women StOmachers and
large Tuffied collars Covering the
square place on the pavement l have
mentioned was a platform on which
rested a rectangular block of wood
about two feet high and followed at
the top on both sides. Beside it, lean
ing on a huge ax. was tall figure in
tight fitting costume. Those about the
platform, which was plainly a scaffold,
wore serious cOuutenanccS. WithSut
the Tower inclosure | heard sounds in
dicating commotion: The dukes fin
iShed; death TO all traitors" \ man
sitting next me whispered to another,
It's all over up on the hill"
A horror crept over me- | would
gladly have gone away. but had no
power to move. Looking down toward
the other end of the court where there
were buildings for dwelling purposes.
| saw a lovely apparition at a window.
a young girl apparently from seven.
teen TO twenty years old. At the
same time | heard the rumbliDg Of a
cart Two young girls attendant on
the one at the window tried to draw
her away, but she would not go.
1T is the body Of her husband" l
heard some one say. He's been exc
cuted on Tower hill"
When the cart had passed there
was an interval that my memory fails
to fill. but the next scene was the
opening of the door under the window
at which the young lady had appeared,
and she came out with an officer at
tended by the two girls | had seen
with her and a priest She came to-
ward the scaffold reading from a book
and praying When she reached the
Scaffold she aScended the steps with
as much cOmpOSuTe as il she were
going to her chamber and stood wait
ing for silence. When it came she
spoke to the people. but | have no
remembrance OF what she said There
she knelt. prayed and asked permis-
sion Of the priest to say a psalm.
These religious features ended, she
took off her gloves and her kerchief.
which she handed to one Of her maids.
and lOOSened her gown. The execu-
toner knelt before her and asked for
giveuess for what he was about TO do
The girl then tied a handkerchief over
her eyes with her own hands Crop
ing for the block. she asked, Where
is it?" Guided to it. she knelt and laid
her neck on it, saying. Lord. into thy
hands | commend my spirit" The last
| remember was the ak swinging over
her.
Have you been sitting here all
night. sir?' asked the attendant.
II don't know. have a vague recOI-
lection gradually coming back to me of
having followed last night when
started to go home a figure dressed in
e{nU,1lar costume
At that moment my eyes rested on
the plate in the center Of the marked
square. / saw the name Lady Jane
Grey. | read that she, Anne BoleyD
and Catherine Howard were all exc
cuted there. My horror Of the night
before returned. rose and was stag
gering away when the attendant, put
ting his arm through mine. assisted
me, taking me to the gate and calling
q cab for me. / was driven to my
lodgings and did not leave them for
fortnight.
When | got out l had a longing to
know something OF Lady Jane Grey,
but dreaded to bring back my expert
ence Of that grewsome night After a
few months had passed | mustered
courage to read her life. / found
events attending her execution the
same as | witnessed in my vision. my