The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-04-17

CndL ne m1gnL De placed on trial Tor the
stealing Of the church plate. The lieu
tenant of the Tower refused to give up
| Woodvtlle, since he was to be tried
for high treason. Bradford insisted
that his demand be referred to the
queen Mary declined to consider q
crime against herself in preference to
one against the church. She ordered
that Woodville be sent to his native
county to be tried for sacrilege, but
that he be returned in case he was
not convicted, to be tried for high trea.
son.
The queens order must be obeyed to
the letter, and bringing Woodville
from the Tower would be of no avail
unless he were convicted. As soon as
he arrived he was brought into court,
and the person who had found the
plate In the accused mans home hay.
ing sworn to the fact, Woodville was
convicted and sentenced to be hanged.
No defense was made; none would
have secured the prisoners acquittal,
and it did not accord with Bradford's
plan that the trial should result in an
acquittal
An officer Of the queens household
had been sent with the prisoner from
London to bring him back in case he
should not be found guilty. This man
insisted that Woodville be hanged I'm
mediately, since he had orders not to
leave while the prisoner lived. But
Roger Bradford succeeded In getting a
stay while the condemned mans be-
trothed went to London to petition
the queen for pardon. The officer
yielded, though he assured the lawyer
that there was no hope of pardon.
Bradford, accompanied by Mary I'D
monson, at once set off for London,
and on their arrival the former went
to the Tower and demanded to be per.
mttted to inspect the statutes deposited
there. As an attorney he was not to
be denied this privilege, and, going to
the rooms where the rolls Of parch-
ment bearing edicts OF England's SOY.
ereigns were kept, he found one which
he copied.
The next morning he asked for an
audience of the queen, basing his re.
quest on the fact that If his client Rob
ert Woodville were hanged the execu-
ton would be Illegal. This excited al
once an interest in the queen, and she
granted the audience, giving permits
sion also for Mary Edmonson to be
present. q
AS soon as the two were In the
queens presence Bradford said:
May 1T please your majesty, this girl
Mary Edmonson, claims for her hus-
band Robert Woodville, sentenced to
be hanged for sacrilege.'
IF it pieases the wench," replied the
queen, ito marry man who is to die
she has our royal permission"
i hold in my hand" rejoined Brad
ford, "a copy Of an edict of his males
ty King Edward ". decreeing that Ii
any man sentenced to death within his
royal domain and a woman shall claim
him In marriage he shall go Free"
Have you seen the record of this
edict"
II have, your majesty"
"And it has never been repealed7"
II Has hOI, your majesty.
'Then Will repeal it,
'This may be your majesty's right OF
it may be only the right Of the parlia
ment. In either case 1t cannot be made
ex post facto"
do you alone possess a knowledge
Of this edict?"
80 far as know, your majesty"
The queen thought, might not 9th |
ers who conspired against me avail |
themselves of this method Of escapins
punishment"
Il viii issue a pardon in this case" |
she said presently. But If we hear OF |
this edict Of my ancestor and prede |
cessor before we are ready to take |
steps for its repeal you will incur oJiI |
royal displeasure."
When Mary Edmonson returned to
her home she bore a pardon for heI
lover.
Mary chose to be married on the
same greensward from which her be-
trothed had gone to support the cause
OF Lady Jane Grey. When they had
been pronounced man and wife she
said to her husband:
'This is better place for our wed
ding than palace. The Lady Jane
was welded in a palace"