The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-08-18 00:00:00

ESOAPE OF MARSHAL
BAZAINE.

Between sunset on Sunday and sunrise on Monday
Marshal Bagaine escaped from his prison on the island of
Ste. Marguerite, near f 7anize, celeorate.l as the Dace of
confinement of the "Man with the Iron Mask." Madame
Bazaine had solicited from the Marshal President a coin-
nintation of her husband's detention to perpetual exile,
but was refused, and she seemt to have ilelibfrrafely
planned the escape. The children were removed to Ger-
many. Besides Madame Baraine only one other lo' 'n
was allowed to share the marshal's prison, hi. old aide de
ramp, Colonel Vilette. On Sunday afternoon Nladaine
Banana went ashore and the Marshal remained 1110110 with
Colonel Vilette. During the evening, in company with
the colonel and the governor of the prison. the Marshal
walked on the terrace until about 10 o'clock when he
retired to bed. It does not appear that Madame Bazaine
had returned to the prison. The night wan very dark,
there wan • stiff gale blowing, and the sea was dangerously
rough. Marshal Bazaine's bed-room windows looked out
on the .ernare, at the foot of which the tea appeat•ed to
preclude the possibility of escape. During the night a
sentry was kept on ditty on the terrace with strict orders
to shoot the prisoner if he attempted to escape. The
night, however, was no dark and the rain was no heavy
that the sentry was probably safely ensconced in his
sentry-box. However that may be, when the sentry was
relieved, at five o'clock in the morning, it was broad
daylight, and Baraine was gone, effecting his descent
from the t -nice by means of a knotted rope, upon which
bloodstains were diacernible. Madame Bazaine and a
cousin of the late prisoner. had hired a boat of an inn-
keeper in the neighbourhood of St Marguerite. Madame
Bazaine herself rowed. and quickly sweet:deft in reaching
the inland. The ex-Marshal must have got Ind, of his
room, and having fastened a knotted rope to the parapet
of the terrace, let himself down into a boat in which his
wife was waiting for hint below. To achieve the descent
in safety would be an undertaking of no small difficulty
for any man on a windy night: hut it must have proved
especially trying for a man trod fM, and no fat as the
en-marshal. Once down, the boat would convey I to
the ship in the utfiog, • steamer with unknown colours,
but resembling a vessel of the Freycinet Company, having
been lying off to windward of the cliff shire the previous
i evening. It s believed that the stestiner went in the
direction of the roast between Vintimille and (ten"
where the ex.marshal and his wife probably landed.
keys and sentries were parties to the canna
Another version of the escape is that a couple of turn-
: thatt he
knotted rope was fastendeil to the parapet to throw the
authorities Mr the scent, while the Marshal quietly left
the prison by the staircase and the postern,
and then got
into a boat waiting for him at the landing-Plafv. The.hore
is not far off, where he could get into a rarriale and
quietly drive to Monaco, from whence he could readily get
to Genoa ond Turin.

The event has created a profound gen:nation in Franee.
It is stated that, acting upon the principle of locking the
stable door after the steed has been stolen, the French
Government has rtnelved to act promptly Alla energetically
in the affair.

limel Villette, formerly aide do ramp 10 'Marshal
Martine, and who voluntarily shared the captivity of
chief, has been arrested at hlarsoillen