The English Crown Jewels.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 163, 31 July 1886, Page 9

The English Crown Jewels.

One of the most romantic and intere3tingincidents connected with the crown jewels used at coronations in England was the; nearly successful at'empt to steal them* made by the notorious Colonel Blood, in. . the reign of Charles 11. They were at the time in the custody of a confidential official and caretaker of the town, named Talbofc Edwards. Blood, in the disguise of a parson, obtained an introduction to him, and improved on the acquaintance by proposing to bring his nephew as a suitable match for Edward's pretty daughter. One day in May, 1671, he came early in the morning, with three friends, who expressed a wish to ccc the jewels, and what ensued ia recounted in the following narrative :—: — Blood told Edwards that they would nofc go upstairs until his wife came, and desired him to show his friends the crown till then ; and they had no sooner entered the room and a door, as usual, shut, than a cloak was thrown over the old man's head, and a gag put in his mouth. Thus secured they told him that their resolution was to havot the crown, globe and sceptre, and if ha would quietly submit to it, they would spare hi* life, otherwise he was to expect no mercy. He thereupon made all the noisa he possibly could, to be heard above ; they then knocked him down with a wooden mallet, and told him " that if he would lie quietly they would spare hia life, but it not, upon his next attempt to discover I them, they would kill him." Mr Edwards, however, according to his own account, was not intimidated by this threat, but strained himself to make the greater I noise and in coneequence received several more blows on the head with the mallet I and was stabbed in the belly ; this again brought the poor old man to the ground, where he lay for some time in so senseless ft state that one of the villains pronounced him dead. Edwards had come a little to himself, and, hearing this, lay quietly, conceiving it best to be thought so. The booty was now to be disposed of, and one of them, I named Parrot, secreted the orb ; Blood held ! the crown under his cloak, and the third was then about to file the sceptre in two, in order that it might be placed in a bag brought for that purpose, hut, fortunaely, the son of Mr Edwards, whQ had been in Flanders with Sir John Talbot, and, on his landing, had obtained leave to come away, post-haste, to visit his father, happened to arrive while the scene was acting, and on coming to the door, the perBon who stood eentinel asked with whom he would speak ; to which he answered he b«JJ longed to the house ; told him that if ho had any business with his father that he would acquaint him with it, and so hastened up to salute his friends. This unexpected^ accident spread confusion among the party, and they instantly decamped with the crown and orb, leaving the sceptre yet unfiled. The aged keeper now, raised himself on his legp, forced the gag from his moutb, and cried treason ! murder ! which being heard by his daughter, who waa perhaps, waiting anxiously for other sounds, ran out and returned the cry. The alarm now became genera], and young Edwards and his brother-in-law, Captain Beck man, tan after the conspirators, whom a warder put himself in a position to stop, but Blood discharged a pistol at him, and he fell, though unhurt, and the thieves proceedad safely to the next* post, where one Sill, who had been a soldier under Cromwell, stood sentinel, but /ho offered no opposition, and they accordingly passed the drawbridge, Horse 3 were waifc. ing for them at St. Catherine's gate, and aa they ran that way along the Towec wharf, they themselves cried out , Stop th.* rogues !" by which they passed on, unsuspected, till Captain Beckman overtook them. Blood fired another pi6tol at.hw head, but missed him and waa sefcecL Under the cloak of this daring villain waa found the crown, and, although he saw himself a prisoner, he had yet the impudence to struggle for his prey,,aud, when ifc was finally wre3ted from him, said, " Jttwwi a gallant attempt, however unsuccessful ; it was for a.orown 1" ?; v ; , ,