The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1912-12-20

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name. Oates was TITUS OATES
the son Of an English weaver. He be-
gan life as a Baptist clergyman, was
driven out of his church for perjury
and became chaplain in the British
navy. He was dismissed from this
service for gross misconduct and went
to study for the priesthood in Jes-
nit college. Here he was found to
be vicious, hypocritical and worthless,
and was expelled in disgrace. Thus
in 1878, at the age of ffty-nine, he
was cast upon the world to pick up
living by his wits. Already he had
been branded as a BLACKBOARD, but
now his real career of deadly mischief
was beginning.
Hating the Jesuits for their just
condemnation of him, he went to
Charles H., king of England, and in
vented story of Jesuit plot to muir
der the king and to start a general
massacre. His tale was an absolute
lie from first to last, and it was
so awkwardly devised that the king
in few careless questions exposed it
as not only false but utterly absurd.
Oates was not discouraged. Failing
to convince Charles of the falsehood,
he went before a magistrate named
Godfrey and publicly took oath that
his charges were true. The govern
ment and the people at large seemed
to forget that Oates had already been
convicted of perjury and that his
whole life was that of a man whose
word was not to be credited. Panic
struck statesmen and populace alike.
They believed their kings life was
really threatened. No proofs to the
contrary nor appeals to their sanity
could check this belief The nation
waaSmade with excitement. Charles
alone-the supposed plots intended
victim calm and laughed at
the entire affair as a hoax.
Nearly 1000 innocent persons were
arrested on Oates false testimony as
members of the conspiracy. Brave,
honest, loyal Englishmen were tried
and linjustly put to death on the same
ridiculous charge. reign of terror
set In. No ones life seemed safe
when a convicted perjurer could swear
1t away. Plain citizens and high no
bles alike swelled the ranks of vic
tims.T Oates received large income
from the government and had suite
of rooms in the palace.
Then, as the turmoil began to die
down, Oates tried to revive it, by the
most atrocious charge of all. He ac-
cused the Queen-a meek, pious, gen.
tie little woman whom her husband
had neglected and ill-treated-of con-
spring to poison King Charles. The
public once more howled with fury.
Parliament tried to force the queen
to leave court. Charles had the de-
cency to put stop to this tale by de-
claring his wife innocent.
Later, when Charles H. died and his
brother, James H., came to the throne,
Oates was convicted Of perjury. A
strange sentence was passed upon
him. For state reasons it was deem
ed best not to execute this "conspir-
acy inventor" who had caused so many
better men to die. Instead, it was
decided to put him to death in anoth-
er fashion. He was sentenced to pay
a heavy fine, then to be clapped into
the pillory "a rude wooden contriY-
auce in which a captives head and
hands were fastened, while he was
kept standing for hours exposed to
public view, to receive a whipping,
and then to be imprisoned for life, be-
ing taken from his cell FIVE times a
year to be pilloried again. AS Oates
was sixty-five years old, it was thought
the terrific beating would kill him.
But he was tough He received ], 200
lashes Of the whip and was so mangled
that he had to be dragged back to pris-
on on sledge In spite of this treat
ment he recovered.
Three years later, in 1888, when
James II. was deposed and William OF
Orange became king of England, one
Of Williams earliest acts was to par
don Oates and to give him a royal pen
sion Of $500 a year.
1t is hard to understand how aDy
monarch, in the light of Oates crimes.
could have issued such pardon and
pension. Yet the fact remains. The
old perjurer lived on in comfort Cva.n-
~ trying to stir up new plots now
and them for the next IT years, dy.
ing in 1705 at the age of eighty-six.