A" NURSE CAVELL" OF THE PAST.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 154, 10 March 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

A" NURSE CAVELL" OF THE PAST.

THE TRAGIC STORY OF LADY ALICE LISLE. (From "The Weekly Telegraph.") There is no blacker chapter in our history than that which tells the story of Lady Alice Lisle's martyrdom iu late Stuart days—a story which has had a strange parallel in the recent murder of Miss Cavell, the high-souled British nurse, who was so pitilessly and so crueilly done to death in Belgium.

In both cases the ill-fated heroine of the tragedy was a woman of singular sweetness of character and beauty ot life, who carried an undaunted heart to her death ; in both cases her "crime" was that she had given she'ter to fugitives from the enemy; and in each case the victim was denied all semblance of justice and was pursued to the end with an inhuman brutality. Although Ladv Lisle has been dust for two centuries and more, there are still few who can read her story without the tribute of a ear and a burning indignaton against the monster who hounded her to the executioner's block and gloated like a ghoul over her sufferings and her helplessness .

The period or this story was a fow months after Charles 11. had passed aw.ntfso suddenly and tragically from his splendours and his dissipations. James, Duke of Monmouth, his natural son, had landed at Lyme Key's, proclaimed himself King of England as James 11., and, with his rabble army, had been ignominiously routed by the Royal forces at Sedgmoor one June day in 16>o, such of his followers as survived flying for their lives in all direction.-, and not a few finding a refuge under friendly roofs 111 the surrounding country. A XIXFAMOUS JUDGE. And it was to punish t!us e rebels and those who gave them sh"'ter that Chief Justice Jeffreys, branded for ever as "Bloody Judge Jeffreys.' made his infamous tour ot the Western Circuit, sending 3UU of his victims to a horrib'e death, and three times as many to an even worse fat-o on the plantations. It was indeed an evil fate that sent sych a judge on such a nnss'on; lor Jeffreys was a fiend in the guise of a man. ''He hunted the accused," we are told, ''not with the object ot trying them, but with lie sole intention of securing a conviction and passing the capital sentence. lie jested with his victims like a tiger toymg with its prey,'' "he chuckled and gioatod over their fears and their agonies, and smacked his lips with ghoulish glee when lie sentenced them to lie burn: alive or to be hanged, drawn, and •.quartered." From such a monster none could expect mercy or even justice; least of ail, Lady Alice Lis'e - charged with harbouring two of Monmouth's runaways —whom, for some obscure reason, lie was so determined to send her to tier doom that, before he left London, he obtained a promise from King James that, if she were convicted (as he meant she should be) she should on no account be pardoned or respited. At the time of her martyrdom Alice Lisle had seen seventy years of life. The daughter of a Hampshire baronet, she l'.ad married, as a girl of six.een, John Lisle, an.eminent lawyer, who, as a reward for his services in the trial ot Charles i., had been made a Peer by Cromwell. On the restoration of the Stuarts her husband had fled for safety to Switzerland, where lie was shot fou.' years later by an Irish assassin; and some years after this tragedy, his widow, pardoned and restored to her estates, returned to England to spend her last years at Movie's Court—the house in which she had been cradled. JEFFREYS IX HIS ELEMENT. Here the sweet-faced gentlewoman had won all hearts by her many acts of kindness and charity. She was the friend of the poor, the ministering angel of the sick and sorrowing; beloved by all, from squire to peasant, and respected by all for the simplidtv an dnobility of her character. Such was the woman, who, in her old age, found herself haled before the most heartless and infamous Judge who ever wore ermine, on a charge of "giving refuge to one Hicks, a Presbyt. in minister, who had himself been guuty of treason by taking part m Monmouth's rebellion."

If Jeffreys had had a spark of human feeling in him, he would have been moved ot pity at the sight of the poor old woman staudiug in the dock before him —her snow-white hair, her pale, pathetic face, her frail bent figure, hei aspect of utter weariness. So weary was she that, we are told, she often fell asleep during the trial; she was so deaf that she could hear but little of what was said; and she was not allowed Counsel to defend her.

But the pitiful plight of the prisoner was a de'icious morsel to add to Jeffreys' enjoyment. He was never 10 thoroughly in his element as when • e anticipated the pleasure of sending t' is poor woman to her death; and it was with hypocritical unctuousness that he declared at the opening of the trial, after refusing the prisoner permission to say a few words, "'We are accountable not only to the King, but to the King of Kings, the Great Judge of heaven and earth; and therefore are obliged by our oaths and upon our consciences to do you justice: and by the grace of God we shall do it, you maydepend on it."

TERRORISING A WITNESS. The first witness called placed it beyond doubt that Hicks had been seen taking an active part among the rebels; and it remained only to establish that the prisoner had harboured him, knowing that he was a fugitive traitor. For this purpose a man called Dunne was called as witness—the messenger who had gone to Movie's Court, asked Lady Lisle to shelter Hick", and afterwards had guided Hick- and Nelthorp (a fellow fugitive) to her house. Before Dunne was allowed to give ins evidence. Jeffreys terrorised him by giving him a severe lecture on the sinfulness of lying, concluding with the words "If you lie on this occasion you will be dropped by the great God of Heaven and earth into the bottomless lake of fire and brimstone. And, further, if I catch you prevaricating in any tiie least tittle, 1 will be Mire '" punish everv variation from the truth you are guilty of." In spite, however, of the terrors held before him. Dunne wa* determined to shield Lady Lisle as far as nossihV Hevidence was that, after the battle of Sedgmoor. a short, dark man had ca'l-o-l upon lr'm. and asked h'ni to ask Ladv Lisle wbethe>- sh" would entertain' Mr. Hicks. He had accordingly rone fn "Movie's Court, and bad taken by the bailiff to -hr ladysbio

trim, in :in-\v.>r to l;i< roqunst, lm ' siid "<dio (lid nut know. ln:t si" micrlit. " "T rpfvrnpd lionio." lip <-ontintipd, l: :ind delivorod lior lndvsliin'answor to thp nnd told liim that upon Tnp>d;iv night tlipy m. n .y come to my lady's."

TRAPPED. hi aa instant Jeffreys had pounced on the inconsistency. The witne-s, after declaring that Lady Lisle's answer was, "she did not know, but she might," had admitted that she had said "ti:ey might come on Tuesday night" — thus not only consenting, but specifying a time. Dunne was caught, and ho knew it. He stumbled and hesitated, and tried to gain tune. At last it was wrung from him that the prisoner " gave directions." Then ensued a terrible time for the witness, who was as helpless as a mouse at tli,'_' mercy of a cat. The judge alternately bullied and browbeat him, and jeered at his confusion and distress. He called him "Liar.'' ''vile wretch," "a prevaricating, snuffling, shiffling, snivelling, lying rascal," and reduced him to such a state of terror that he contradicted himself again and again.

J*or n v.uole hour lie tortured the poor nun, intor'arding blasphemous appeals to the " God of purity, holiness. and truth," with sueh abuse «s

"Thou wretch! what hope can there be for such a profligate villain as thou art?" until at hist Dunne, reduced to an abject state of terror and bewilderment. me.de a full confession. Then Jeffrey; turned up his eyes to Heaven and said he would pray to the Almighty for His forgiveness.

Dunne admitted that the fugitives were received by Lady Lisle, who knew who they were —by name at least: and that, during the meal which he shared with them at Movie's Court, there

"was some talk of fighting." There \v«« ~ti'l no evidence that the prisoner know that slip was harbouring fugitive robe's—that she kivnv any more of Hicks than that ho was a minister in search of shelter. But this was quit* enough for Jeffrey*. Her doom was scaled. LADY LISLE'S DEFENCE. When the prisoner was call-nl upon to sav v.lint she could in her own defence, si!' 1 declared in a feeble voice that she had no knowledge whatever that Mr .Hicks had anything to do w'th tlio fighting. She knew him oniv as a Presbyterian minister: and, as such only, offered him hospitality. As for his companion, Melthorp. she cl'd not even know that he was eominn. She declar/vd that she "abhorred hotli t!;e principles and practices of the late rebe'iion." "I know,'' she said, "that I owe all f have in the world to the King, my Sovereign, and f should he tiie most ungrateful per-on living had I played the traitor to him. If T could have fought for him myself, T would have done s i, hut as I could not I sent n.iv son to fight on his side." Hecr the old ladv paused, "We!!?" hrutaMv demanded Jeffreys. "have you done?" "Yes, my lord," the prisoner whispered, clinging to the dock-rail for support. Then fo'lowed one of the most disgraceful addresses to a jury ev € r made I,v any judge. Pious expressions of gratitude to the Almighty for suppdessing the rebellion were mixed with horrid imprecations upon the rebels, whom he called "Lions and '"vipers" and miscreants." l'rom the outset he assumed the prisoner's guilt, reminding the jury that her husband had been one of the murderers of the late King, and thus the vilets of traitors to the Stuart cause; and he concluded his harangue with an appeal to the jury to remember that "the life of the King, the safety and honour of our religion, and the discharge of our consciences as loyal men, good Christians and faithful subjects arc at stake. But the jury showed themselves very reluctant to sacrifice the aged gentlewoman. They osked th<? Judge whethei she could be convicted of receiving Hicks as a traitor before he had been convicted of treason. W hen he icplied that she could, they returned into Court after a long absence to say that they were not satisfied of her knowledge that Hicks "had taken any part in the lighting.'' Whereupon Jeffreys flew into" a violent rage, called them "traitors," and "false jurymen who ought to be hanged"; and after terrifying them out of their wits, ordered them to return a verdict of guilty. A FIENDISH SENTENCE. The foreman, thus cowed, stood up; and in the awed silence of the court the Clerk of Arraigns spoke, "Alice Lisle, hold up thy hand. Gentlemen of the jury, look upon the prisoner. How say ye? Is she guilty of the treason whereof she stands indicted, or is she not guilty?" When, in a scarcely audible voice, the foreman answered "Guilty." the Clerk continued, "Look to ho!\ gaoler. She is found guilty ot high treason. And" "turning to the prsonerl "prepare yourself to die. Jeff revs then, his face beaming with triumph end rubbing his hands in glee, complimented the iurv on their wise and just verdict, and acded, "It I had been among you. and she had been my mother, I should have found her guiiOn the foilowng day Lady Li.s.e was placed m the dock, and, without a trc-mor. Iht iiod oyes fixed on the jud. ( it\ listened to her sentence..." You will no convevel from hence to the place from whence vou came, and from thence you are to lie drawn on a hurdle to the

plate of execution, where your body is be be burnt alive until you are dead. And the Lord have mercy on your soul!'' Such was the riendish sentence, every word of wh'ch Jeffrey.-, openlv gloated over as lie uttered it. "The King.'' he continued, 'has given me a di-c-et'on a s to the tine of execution of those who are obstinate and unpen 1 ., tent. Tue Sheriff will therefore prepare for you:- execution this afternoon.'' So L'reat, however, was the indignation of the people of Winchester, and the c'erizv remonstrated so forcibly with the 'Chief Justice, that he consented to give the doomed woman four days' E;r;we. Meanwhile a petition was ■<< lit to King James, who was graciously to remit the burning in favour of beheading—and litis sentence v.as carried out in the Winchester mar-ket-place am d the groans and tea's and execrations of the thousand, who witne=sed it.