New-York tribune., 1911-01-29

days long departed, a study as beguiling
as II is valuable.
The earliest record associated with the
Hall is one of murder in the fourteenth
century. i'm the reign of Edward ii. 1t
tells the story Of the effort ofthe Earl
Of Warren 10 rob of wife and lands that
Earl Of Lancaster who helped to bring
about the death Of Piers Gaveston the
Kings favorite. This piece of treachery
was at the root of many tragedies 'l
violence. the most cruel of all being that
of the death Of one Young Lockwood. q
hunted man. who. when paying a stolen
visit 10 his sweetheart the lady of Can
non Hall, was set upon by band of his
enemies The lover bent his bowe and
manfullye defended hymselfe agenst
theym all a long tyne; then his Delilah
"soddenly louped unto hym and with her
knyfe she cutt his boustring and then she
rane fast from. hym." His chief weapon
gone. Lockwood presently surrendered
his hands were bound and they Sieve
hym very cruellye" Two centuries later
Cannon Hall passed into the hands of
John Spencer, a Royalist cavalier and
man Of raging temper, who added at
least one cold blooded murder of de-
fenceless man to the record. He was
hardened by Charles II. who, in still
existing document bearing the great seal,
orders that the murderer be set at liberty
IF for no oder Cause yowe detained
hym" Mrs. Stirling notes that this
cavalier had a curious sense Of humor
and of that humor she tells a grewsome
story: Riding one day past his former
habitation at Barnby Furnace he OBJ
served child newly fallen into the dam
there. He at once saw in the situation
food for an excellent jest, and without
attempting TO rescue the drowning in
fant. he rode on 10 the house Of a man
named Kaye. whom he believed TO be
it's father, and facetiously recommended
the latter TO have a care TO one Of his
spaniels which had fallen into the
dam In this instance. however, the
laugh turned against the jester, for on
the child being taken out of the water
whether dead or alive history does not
relate-a fact was discovered which Mr..
Spencer had been too much entertained
at the moment TO notice-it proved to
he Mr. Spencers own" Such was the
playful humor of the country squire Of
the seventeenth century.
In the time Of John Spencer's grand
son. William, Cannon Hall presented
scene of pleasant domesticity, as shown
in the family letters, so quaint in diction
and spelling, which are quoted in these
pages. Among them is a list of the
sQuire's household, the names being so
appropriate that il is hard to share Mrs
Strings evident belief that they were
genuine:
Mrs Pickle, the cook.
Mrs Comht, the housekeeper.
Peach the gardener.
Fisher and Shooter. the gamekeepers.
Saddler, the groom
Beat, the huntsman.
Spur, the groom.
Of the fair daughters OF William
Spencer who addressed amusing sheafs
Of domestic details to papa in London
beseeching that "Hon'd SIR TO bring
back condiments for the use OF Matty
pickle, the COOK, ana thanking MIN IOi
the white Gotten Stockings which af-
forded them considerable Satisfaction
and Fitted them as well as If they had
been made spechul-Nancy, the most
beautiful one, married Walter Stanhope,
a neighboring gentleman Of long descent
The husband died young and the widow
and her little boy b. came the cherished
charge OF her brother-in-law John Stan
hope, the Squire OF Horsforth. To this
worthy, a man Of strong character
unique IN his generation, the author de-
votes pages which are only tco few:
he came Of race which throughout
the centuries had brooked no contradic-
ton His power was arbitrary; 1t was
undisputed; 1t awoke an answering
chord in the rough natures with which
he had TO deal and bred fealty which
never faltered- Through the long street