The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1912-12-04

The man was W =
Colonel or Gap ~ ~ ~
tain" Thomas MZ2z14 IA
Blood. a soldier OF captain BLOOD
fortune, born In Ireland about 1923.
When parliament went to war against
King Charles Of England this young
adventurer Joined the Parliamentary
army and won a reputation for reck.
less courage. After parliament had
overthrown and beheaded the king
and had put Oliver Cromwell in charge
Of England's government, Colonel
Blood found himself without any oc-
cupation thrilling enough to satisfy
him. But his time came soon after
Charles II. (son of the beheaded mon
arch) mounted the British throne.
Blood then stirred up an insurrec-
ton in Ireland, planning to begin the
rebellion with the capture OF Dublin
Castle and the selling of the Duke of
Ormond, lord-lieutenant of Ireland. 1t
was clever plot. But it failed. Blood
escaped. Many of his friends and
fellow-rebels were hanged. Blood
vowed revenge upon the Duke OF Or
mond for these executions.
| He fed to Holland, but soon ven
| tured back to England. There he pro-
ceeded to work out his revenge Or
mond was driving home, on the night
| of December 6, 1870, through the dark
London streets, when his carriage was
surrounded by Blood and a party OF
| unknown men. Ormond was seized,
| dragged from his coach and hustled
OF in the direction of Tyburn Hill
(London's Official place OF execution
and the spot where some OF Bloods
friends had been hanged).
Blood coolly informed the duke that
they intended to hang him from the
gibbet on which the conspirators had
carried out then and there had not a
party OF Ormond's followers ridden up
in hot pursuit and rescued their strug.
Cling master.
Blood once more escaped unsus-
pected. His next plot was the most
daring Of all. Disguised as clergy.
man and followed by one or two &C
completes, he wandered into the Tow.
er of London. From room to room he
mouthed wonder at the sights, as any
party of simple country folk might
! have done. At length they came to
the apartment where the crown and
orb" and scepter and other roya
jewels of England were kept.
At a signal, Edwards, the guardian
of the treasure, was attacked. He de
Tended himself and was nearly muir
1 dered. Leaving Edwards bound OF
? the floor, Blood snatched up the lew
eled crown Of England hid it under
his long clerical cloak and strcue5
peacefully ont OF the room. One o
his followers stole the orb" and fol
L lowed him
/ But the alarm had been raised. Tht
e thieves were chased and caught. Thus
f England was spared the urspeak a biz
+ humiliation of losirg its royal crown
a by a thief. Blood was thrown int
f Jail No one doubted that he woult
be put to death at once. People won
dered what tortures would be intiictet
on the man who had dared to lay VI
IL holy hands on the royal regalia
y But Blood's luck held good II
Z lud0dSCu 70 get NOIu 10 hiDS Nn2TiS
II. that if he were executed Their
were hundreds Of friends who wouI
avenge his death. He is also said I
= have been in the secret employ OF tn
!, dissolute Duke of Buckingham, VIII
;. was a favorite of the king and VIII
: hated the Duke Of Ormond. 1t wa
! even whispered that Buckingham ha
:, inspired Blood's attack on Ormon
! and that he perhaps counted on pay
ing some of his own ducal gamblin
debts out of the sale of the stole
:. crown jewels.
= In any case, instead Of orderin
Blood's immediate execution, Charlie
II. actually visited him In prison. n
one knows just what took place du
ing the interview or what royal scar
dals Blood threatened to expose II b
r were killed. To every ones surpris
g Charles not only set Blood free, bJ
e placed him in high favor at court an
D. granted him a pension Of $500
z year.
L For the next ten years Blood was
parsonage of Importance in Londol
The thief and blackmailer waxed rio
NWnlIe poor EDWARDS was re1use
even petty reward for his plucky
ID tense of the crown Jewels) At las
re the lucky man went too far. h
Is spread scandalous stories about b
d. patron, Buckingham-probably /
81 way of blackmail-and was arrested
l He was released on bail. In A
le gust, 1880, he died under somewhI
a. suspicious circumstances while wal
ing to be tried