Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1919-05-14

the Y. NJ C. A. in an interesting let
ter just received recounts the expert
ences of three hours in London. A
portion of his letter follows:
We were told we could not get in
to see the Charterhouse as it was Sat
urday; usually it is because it is Sun
day or some other day, but | have
been told those tales on former occa-
sions. So we hung around and had
some conversation with the porter,
who finally told US to go in and see
Brother Bridger. We went across a
small court yard, through an archway
into a larger court. You must I'M
derstand that all one can see from the
outside is a high stone wall and inside
all these places are court yards, with
buildings about them, often beautiful
gardens and archways through the
buildings from one court to another,
but YOU would never suspect it from
the outside.
The grounds of the Temple, inner
and middle, are perhaps as large as
the old grounds around Delaware Col
lege. but they are all surrounded by
shops and high buildings, except the
part of the embankment-the drive
along the Thames, and that has low
stone wall and a high iron fence
above it.
However, we found Brother Bird
ger, who turned out to be the Librar
ian of Charterhouse and a most enter
tanning and kindly gentleman. He
regretted so much that as Saturday
was cleaning day and it was so diff
cult to get charwomen and it was
necessary for the stairs and floors to
dry before being tread on he could
not show US inside the buildings, but
he would do the best he could for US.
So he had US sit down while he told us
of the ancient place and urged US to
stay for tea. Calling in his good
looking young country cousin who had
come from her home in Surrey to go
to college in London, to hear the re-
cital and meet the gentlemen from
America.
He had lived, twenty years ago, in
Englewood, n. j., and man there had
been very kind to him and become a
great friend, so whenever he had a
chance to do anything for Americans
it was only paying back the debt he
owed to the man in New Jersey. So
We got some of the bread which had
been cast so long ago.
He told US that the Chartreuse
monks established a monastery there
some time in 1900 and had an Abbot
and "a monks. Henry VIII, the much
married one, wanted to take their pro-
perty one time when he was bit
hard up or perhaps out of luck, and
sent retainer to spy out charge.
All this boy could say about them,
after over two hundred years occu-
pancy, was that they spoke too freely
among themselves of the acts of the
King. Anyway he confscated the
possessions. Henry evidently had a
bit of a conscience somewhere and
wanted the Abbot and the monks to
sign a paper to say that he had a
right to take the property, John
Houghton, the Abbott, replied that
he had sinned against Gods poor and
Gods church and worst of all God
himself, and he wsuid not sign. Fol-
lowing the gentle customs of the time
the whole outfit was taken to New
gate, and had an iron band put around
their bodies and a chain fastened from
it to the wall So they had to stand up
right Every morning for twenty
four days, with their breakfast, was
brought the paper to sign, with the
promise of liberty and a pension, but
there was nothing doing.
Eventually they were released but
the Abbott and one of the monks were
taken to Tyburn, the execution place
of common criminals and there Johr
was strangled, then cut down and dis.
embowled, his heart was cut out anc
his head stuck on pike on Londor
Bridge. His body was cut into foul
pieces and an arm and leg were
stuck with tar on top of the gate thru
which We had walked In the night
the monks took down the pieces anc
buried them. Then they took rec
bricks and made design on the wal
/ (for j II and large cross for Johr
Houghton and smaller cross for thc
monk, and we could see those marker.
as we looked out the window of Bro
Their Bridger's room where We sat b,
his little fire and the kettle was boil
ing away for the afternoon tea.
| have an idea that this same Bro
therhood of Chartreuse Monks had
church on the site of the Cheshir