This Week's Great Day

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 211, 20 August 1927, Page 5

This Week's Great Day

Memoable Events hi the .Jiistofq of the Empire*

By

Charles Conway

The Murder of the Young Princes (Copyrighted.)

pOVB hundred and forty - four years ago, on the 17th August, 1483, King Edward V. and his younger brother. Bichard, Duke of York, were assassinated at the instigation of their infamous uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Bichard 111., who paved his way to the throne by perpetrating a senes of the most diabolical deeds recorded in the history of Britain.

When Edward IV. died in the mouth of April, 1483, his eldest son and heir, Edward, was on<y twelve years pt age, and the Duke of Gloucester was appointed to act as Regent during the minority of the youtuful sovereign. At first the Duke made a great show of loyalty and affection towards the two sons of his late brother, but after he had succeeded in removing tnem from the custody of their mother he discarded his mass of friendship. The boys were taken to the Tower of London, where, although installed in the royal residence within its walls with considerable pomp and ceremony, they were completely in the power of their unscrupulous uncle, who at once commenced his campaign to secure the throne for himself.

The Duke imprisoned or murdered every prominent person possessing the power or the inclination to thwart his design, and then made the false assertion that the princes were not the legitimate sons of his brother, a fact which, if it had been true, would have made him the rightful heir to the throne. His wicked scheme succeeded so well that the citizens of London soon begged him to become king, and he, after

making a show of cleverly-assumed reluctance, graciously consented. He was crowned in Westminster Abbey on the 6th July, after which he made a'royaf progress through tho country, and he was staying at Warwick wnen ne despatchea oiuers to Sir Robert Bracxenbury, the Governor of the Tower, that ne was to arrange to have the princes murdered secretly. Si r Robert refused to obey, and was subsequently order to hand over his keys lor one night to Sir James Tyrrell, the Master of the Royal Horse, who made no scruples about committing the foul deed.

On the 17th August Tyrrell took over the keys of the Tower, and in the dead of night proceeded to the chamber in which the unfortunate boys were sleeping peacefully. This chamber was situated in the Garden Toher, ever since known as the Bloody Tower, and while Tyrrell stood at the door to guard against interruption two hired assassins, Miles Forrest and John Dighton crept softly towards the bed where tho two princes were lying clasped in each other s arms. One of the boys awoke and raised a cry, but he was instantly smothered beneath a pillow while the other was stabbed to the heart as he slept. The bodies of the murdered boys were earned to the White Tow-er, where they were buried in a hole ln ,.^ e wail of the stone staircase, which was carefully sealed up, and there they remained hidden for a couple of centuries. During some structural alterations in the reign of Charles 11. the bones were discovered, and they were then removed to Westminster Abbey, where they were placed in a small stone casket in the beautiful chapel erected bv Henry VII. J