HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN AND MRS STAUNTON.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 184, 18 January 1878, Page 6

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN AND MRS STAUNTON.

. ; «t>, . _. On the" Sunday preceding 1 the day■fixed, for the execution of- the Stauntons for. the Pcn #c murder (says the European Mail) the mother of the- two men travelled alone to Balmoral, in order to obtain. an.interview with the Queen, and. beseech clemency for hey wretched sons, so at. least says Touchstone! On reaching' Ballater, after leaving 1 Aberdeen, the lest station, some twelve miles froth Balmoral; the poor-woman sought, some conveyance to take her the. remainder of. the journey. Nothing" could be obtained, -and the people, on hearing the . melanch oly . mission of the unfortunate mother, showed their sympathy by ob-' tainino- for her a; seats on; the mail bap-" in the little, cart, which; contained only one small seat for the driver. .The mail

bag 1 \vaj £ thrown • into, the , .cart, and the poor woman .was. ullowed. to. seat- herself upon it. t Su ., she. ;rra veiled' through % the cold and dismal night the twelve dreary miles to Balmoral. On -reaching the Castle, , .. the nex r. ; , a n d formidable •. diffi -. cutty that met her was obtaining an aiiriiknce ofthe Queen:" After :explainirjg; the object, .of, her .journey; to. the. attendants,' 'she at last obtained ah interview : witli' ;l Sir Thomas '"•Biddu'lph, who, after, patiently listening 1 , to f what she . had to say, promised to let the Queen immediately knovvth'e' obj ; ect' ; of, her- being- fit the ; Castle. -With little' delay, the Queen, setting- aside alletiquette" and -"formality; entered the apartment in which Mrs ; Sbauntpn ,w;as seated, and with a true sovereign's and' woman's- heart listened to -the" ! appeal and humble prayer of one of her .subjects in her deep, distress. The poor petitioner prayed for mercy ! and that the lives of her children might be spared. The Queen, no doubt with an; aching 1 heart, couid only explain 1 that she; was entirely in the hands ot her responsible Minister. The. painful interview enfkd, * the 'petitioner, grateful ' for' the' condescension and sympathy of her Sovereign, sought how to. return to Ballater, heartbroken that the last hope of saving her sous had failed her. The .scry.ants ,inquired how she intended getting I . back ths twelve miles to Ballater. There was no- conveyance,, and; they plainly saw the poor woman was incapable of walking 1 the distance. Again the Queen, .was informed of thccircumstances,, and with the consideration so characteristic of her ; nature, she ordered that one of her own carriages should be got, ready to take Mrs Staunton back. Scarcely had the poor woman left the Castle when the mail bag 1 containing Her Majesty's" 'letters nnd' despatches -was opened, and, to the gratification and relief of the Q»ieen, the Home Secretary's dispatch, recommending the reprieve was amongst, the number. The lonely mother went on her way back, worn out, and dejected. The Queen at once instructed a special messenger to proceed on horseback and take "the glad tidings to her sister in sorrow. Such deeds require no comment, but raise the Monarch to the highest, emirier.ee. Mrs Staunton, on reaching, Ballater, was instantly informed of the glad tidings, and that the. mail bag on which she sat with a bleeding heart contained the reprieve which she had travelled so many miles to obtain. Such is the simple account of an episode in the Ufa of the Queen, well harmonising 1 with all that hnr subjects already know of her.