The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-27

u
Mary Queen of Scots. was muir
dered and it was supposed by
James, Earl of Boutwell,. For state rea
sons, Mary had married her cousin, Lord
Darnley whoswas a big, awkward, stupid
fellow, whom Mary grew to despse. 1t
was when affairs were at their worst
that Boutwell, loomed up big on the po-
| ltical horizon. Though of high rank he
was a ruffian adventurer who had been
| more than once mixed up in reasonable
and other unlawful escapades.
Boutwell, helped to stir Mary's dislike
| for Darnley, and soon afterward the hus-
| band was assassinated. There is no
, doubt that Boutwell, caused his murder
or that Mary knew before hand what the
fate of the husband was to be- With
Darnley out of the way all was clear
sailing for Boutwell,. and directly after
the murder Boutwell, planned a master
| stroke in his game of courtship and state
craft. Boutwell, divorced his faithful
| wife and on May Is, 1861 he and Mary
were married.
The Scottish lords hated Boutwell, and
had no idea of accepting him as ruler.
They arose in arms and took Mary away
from him. But she escaped and joined
Boutwell,. Thereupon the Queens fol-
lowers deserted her and hemmed in and
| unable to escape she kissed Boutwell,
good-by and surrendered to her foes.
Boutwell,, seeing all was lost, deserted
! her and escaped to Norway, where he
| was captured, and he died insane in
Scandinavian prison.
| But following the murder of Darnley,
and before the marriage, Boutwell, was
tried for having been the ihstigator of
| the death of the King. The indictment
| read as follows:
You. James, Earl of Boutwell,, are
| indicted on account of the cruel and hor-
! rid murder of the most excellent, most
| high, and most mighty prince, the King,
| committed in the dead of night, at his
/ house near the Church of the Fields in
| this city. as he was taking his rest by
reasonably setting fire to great guam
! tity of gunpowder in the said house, by
| the violence whereof the whole house
was blown up into the air. and the King
himself by you killed, traitorously and
| cruelty, wifuly and by premeditated
felony. And this you did the 9th day of
February last past, in the dead of the
night as aforesaid, as is notorious, and
you cannot deny
! When the Earl of Boutwell, was called
before the court to answer to the indct-
ment, he chose as his advocates David
Borthwick of Lutchthll, and Edmund
Hay. George, Earl of Caithness. was the
chancellor or president of the trial. Many
witnesses were examined, but not one of
them gave sufficient evidence to support
| the indictment, whereupon the Earl OF
| Caithness said no one had proved the
! truth of the accusation, nor as much as
any part of it, whereupon the judges de-
clared the prisoner free, as far as they
| had any knowledge of the fact, with
| protestation that this might not be after
wards imputed to them as fault.
! Though the Earl of Boutwell, was ac-
quilted. yet, knowing that the world still
| esteemed him guilty, in order to clear
| himself further he set up paper in the
market place stating that "albeit he had
had been acquitted by law, yet, to make
| his innocence the more manifest, he was
| ready to try the same by single combat
with any man of honorable birth and rep
utation, who would accuse him of the
| Kings murder
| This challenge was answered by another
placard. set up Immediately after in the
| same place, to the effect that as the same
| Earl of Boutwell, had caused placard
| to bes-set up, signed with his own hand,
whereby he challenged any man of quail
| ity and OF fair reputation, who would
and dared to say that he was guilty of
/ the death of the King; adding that he
who said it, or went about to support
! that charge, should be forced to retract
| his words; gentleman of honor and of
| good renown accepted his offer and said
he would prove by the law of arms that
he was the principal author of that hor-
rid murder, of which the judges had
rashly acquitted him, for fear of death.
after SO much inquiry had been made
| into it.
'And whereas the King of France and
the Queen Of England required, by their
| ambassadors, that the said murder
might be punished, he also entreats their
majesties to insist with the Queen, his
sovereign lady. that. by her consent
time and place may be appointed in their
countries to combat the earl according