Star.
London, England, 1831-09-16 00:00:00

ESCAPE OF LA VALLETTE.

After Bourbon vengeance had been set free by
the treasons of Grouchy, Fouche, Louis, &c. they
seized, and condemned to death Ney, Labedoyere,
La Valette, &c. but La Valette escaped under very
interesting circumstances by the intrepidity of his
wife, who was the neice of the Empress Josephine.
He has lately published the following narrative of
the circumstances, which we extract from the
Literary Beacon:—
" My hours were numbered ; I had no more than fray.
eight left, for only three days are allowed for convicts to
apply for mercy. Toe keeper of the Seals chose not to Fe.
sent his petition before the second day. The King had
already silenced the Duke de Richelieu on the subject.
All my friends were in despair. The turnkeys themselves
came no longer near me. Eberle, who was more especially
attached to my service, spoke no more to me. He wandered
about my room, apparently without knowing what he did.
It was on a Sunday evening. " They usually execute
criminals at a Friday ?" I said,—Sometimes on a Satur-
day," he answered, stifling a sigh. " The execution saw
rally takes place at four o'clock ?" " Sometimes is is
morning." Saying these words, he went out and helps
to shut the door. A female turnkey of the woman"
psi on was just going by at the time seeing me alone, she
rushed in o the room, seized the cross of the Legion of
&My I wore, kissed ii with transport, and ran away in
stns. This enthusiastic action of a woman I had never
mon but at a distance, and to whom I had never spoken,
told .00 at last my fate. My wile came at six o'clock to
tune with me. She brought with her a relation, Mademoi.
stile Dubourq. When we were alone, she said, " It ap-
pears but too certain that we have nothing to hope; we
must, therefore, my dear, take a resolution, and this is what
I propose to you. At eight o'clock you shall go out,
dressed in my clothes, and accompanied by my cousin.
You shall step into my sedan chair, which will carry you to
the Rue e.e% St. Pem,where you will find M. Bsodus with a
Cabriolet, who oiU conduct you to a retreat he has prepared
for you, Bud where you may await without danger a favour.
able opportunity of leaving France."
I listened to her and looked at her in silence. Her man-
ner was calm, and her voice firm. Site appeared so con-
vinced of the success of her plan, that it was some time be-
fore I dared to reply. I looked, however, upon the whole
as a mad undertaking. I was at last obliged to tell her so ;
but she interrupted me at the first word by saying—" I
will hear of no objections. I the if you die. Do not there.
fore reject my plan. 1 know it will succeed. 1 feel that
GOD supports me !" It was in vain that 1 reminded her of
the numerous turnkeys with whom she was surrounded
every evening when she left me; the jailer who handed her
to her sedan chair ; the impossibility of my being suffici-
ently disguised to deceive them ; and finally my invincible
reluctance to leave her in the hands of the prison keepers.
" What will they do," I said, " when they discover that I
am gone? These brutes, in their blind rage, will they not
forget themselves and perhaps strike you ?" I was going
on. but I soon saw, by the paleness of her countenance and
the movements of convulsive impatience that were beginning
to agitate her, that I ought to put an end to all objections.
I remained silent for a few minutes, at the end of which I
continued shus—st Well then, I shall do as you please ; but
if you want to succeed, permit me to make at least one ob-
tion. The cabriolet is too tar oIF. I shall be scarcely
gone when my flight will be discovered, and I shall most
undoubtedly be stopped in the chair, for near an
hour is required to go to the Rue des St. Pe-
res. I cannot escape on foot with your clothes."
This reflection seemed to strike her. Change," I added,
" that part of your plan. The whole of to. morrow is still at
our disposal : I promise to do to-morrow all you wish."
Well, you are in the right, I will have the cabriolet
stationed near. Give me your word that you will obey me,
for that is our last resource." I took her hand and an.
swered : " I will do all you wish, and in the manner you
wish it." This promise made her easy, and we imp-
rated.
At five o'clock Etnilie came, accompanied by Josephine,
whom I saw again with as much surprise as pleasure. " I
believe," she said, " it Is better to take our child with us.
I shall make her do with more docility what I want." She
was dressed ia a pelisse of merino richly lined with fur,
which she was accustomed to put on over her light dress on
leaving a ball room. She had taken in her reticule a black
silk petticoat. " This is quite sufficient," she said, " to
disguise you completely." She then sent my daughter to
the window, and added in a low voice, " At seven o'clock
precisely you must be ready ; all is well prepared. In
going out you will take hold of Josephine's ann. Take
care to walk very slowly r_ and when you cross the large
registering-room, you will put on my gloves and cover
your face with my handkerchief. I Lad some thoughts a
putting on a veil, but unfortunately I have not been accus-
tomed to wear one when I come here it is therefore of no
use to think ut it. Take great care, wit:n you pass under the
doors, which are very low, not to break the feathers of your
bonnet, for all wool.' be lost. I always find the turnkeys
In the registering wont, and the jailer generally hands me
to my chair, which constantly stands near the entrance door;
but this time it will be in the yard, at the top of the gtatol
staircase. There you will be met after a short time by M.
Baudus, who will lead you to the cabriolet, and will ac.
quaint you with the place where you are to rentatio concealed.
Afterwards, let God's will be done, my dear. lb exactly
411 1 tell you. Remain calm. • Give sic your heed, I wish
to feel your pulse. Very well Now feel mine. Does
It denote the slightest emotion ?" I could' petceive that
she was in a high fever. " But above all things," she
added, N let us not give way to our feelings, that would be our
ruin." 1 gave her, however, my marriage ring, and on the
pretence that if I were stopped in my journey to the from.
tiers, it would be advisable not to have any thing about me
by which I might be known. She then called my daughter

and said to her, " Listen attentively, child to what I am
going to say to you, for I shall make you repeat it. I shall
go away this evening at seven o'clock instead of eight ; you
must walk behind me, because you know that the doors are
narrow ; but when we enter the long registering-room, take
care to place yourself on my left hand. The jailer is accus.
comed to offer me his arm on that side, and I do no• choose
to take it. When we are out of the iron gate, and r:ady
to go up the outside staircase, then pass to my right hind,
that those impertinent gendarmes of the guard-house may
not stare in my face as they always do. Have you under-
stood me well i." The child repeated the it structions with
wonderful exactness. She had scarcely finished when S:.
Roses curve to us. He had got introduced under the pre-
tence of accompanying Madame de Lavalette horr.e ; but
his real aim was to see me once more, for he was not in our
coisilden:e. His plumes would have been a geese messing
upon us. I took hint therefore asie, end said to hint,
" L ave us now, my friend. Emilie has as yet no idea of
her misfortune. We must let her continue in her ignorance.
Come back at eight o'clock, but do not come in if the sedan
chair is no longer there. In that case, go immediately to
her house, for she will be there."
" I embraced him, and forced him out of the door. But
there soon came another visitor. It was Colonel Briqueville,
whose wounds bad kept him at home for above two months.
He had not expected to see my wife, and he soon perceived
that his presence might be intrusive, though he was not yet
acquairted with the whole extent of my horrible situation.
So great was his emotion, that 1 was afraid it would become
contagious. " Leave us," I whispered to him : " this is
4;lt Last tine I see her. One moment's weakness may kill
her." At last we remained alone. I looked at Emilie; I
thought of all the obstacles I should find in my way, and
which would overwhelm us. A fatal idea crossed my mind :
" Suppoe," said I, ~ you were to go to the jailer and offer
him one hundred thousand francs if he will shut his eyes
when I pus • he will perhaps consent, and we shall all be
saved. She looked at me for a 11101111:71t in silence, and then
replied, " Well, I will go." She went out, and came back
' after a few minutes. I already repented the step I had made
her take. I was sensible how useless, how imprudent it
was. But when she returned, she said to me calmly," it is
of no use. I drew from the jailer but a few words, and chow
were sufficient to convince me of his honesty, therefore let
us think no more of it."

" Dinner was at last brought op. Just uwe were going
to sit down to table, an old nurse of ours, Madame Dutoit,
who had accompanied Josephine, came in very 111. Madame
de Leaden, bad left her in the registering-room, intending
to send her after when I should be gone; but the heat of
the German stove and her emotion had made her so W, and
she had so long insisted on seeing me once more, that the
turnkey left her in without the permission of the jailer.
Far from being useful to us, the poor woman only addM to
our confusion. She might lose her presence of mind at the
sight of my disguise ; but what was to be done ? The first
object was to make her cease her moaning., and Emilie said
to her in a low but firm voice, "No childishness. Sit
down to table, but do not eat; held your tongue, and keep
this smelling.bottle to your nose. In less than an hour
you will be in the open air."
This meal, which to all appearance was to be the last of
my life, was terrible. The bits stopped in our throats
not a word was ushered by any of us, and in that situadou
we were to pass almost an hour. Biz and three-quarters
struck at. last. " I only want five minutes, but I must
speak to Bonneville," said Madame de Lavallette. She
pulled the bell, and the valet.de.chambre came in; she
took him aside, whispered a few words to him, and added
aloud, " Take care that the chairmen be at their posts, for
lam coming. Now," said she to me, " it is time to
drew."

A part of my room was divided off by a screen, and
formed a sort of dressing closet. We stepped behind the
screen, and while she was dressing me with charming pre-
sence ofmind and expedition, she said to me, " Do not for-
get to stoup when you go through the doors; walk slowly
through the registering room, like a person exhausted with
fatigue." In less than three minutes my toilet was com-
plete. We went back to the room, and Emilie said to her
daughter, " What do you think of your father ?" A smile
of surprise and incredulity escaped the poor girl : " I am
serious, my dear, what do you think of him ?" I then
turned round, and advanced a few steps : " He looks very
well," she answered, and her head fell again, oppressed, on
lies, bosom. We all advanced in silence towards the door.—
I said to Emilie,_" The jailer conies in every evening after
you are gone. Place yourself behind the screen, and make
a little noise, as if you wets moving some piece of furni.
tare. He will think it is 1, and will go out again. By
tbat means I shall gain a few minutes, which are absolutely
=lfor me to get away." Site understood me, and I
e bell. " Adieu," she said, raising her eyes to
Heaven. I pressed her arm with my trembling bawd, and
we exchanged a look. If we had embraced we had been
ruined. The turnkey was heard ; Emilie flew behind the
screen ; the door opened ; I passed first, then my daugh-
ter, and lastly M. Dutoit. Af.er having crowed the pas-
sage, I arrived at the door of the registering room. I was
obliged, at the same time, to raise my foot and to stoop lest
the feathers of my bonnet should catch at the top of the
door. I succeeded ; but on raising myself again, I found
myself in the large apartment, in the presence of five turn-
keys, sitting, standing, and coming in my way. I put my
handkerchief to my face, and was waiting for my daughter
to place herself on my left hand. The child, however, took
my, right hand; and the jailer, coming down the stairs
of his apartment, which was on the left hand, came up
to me without hindrance, and, putting his hand on my arm,
said to me, " You are going away early. Madame." He
appeared much affected, and undoubtedly thought my wife
had taken an everlasting leave of her husband. It has been
said, that my daughter and I sobbed aloud : the fact is, we
dared scarcely to sigh. I at last reached the end of the
room. A turnkey sits there day and night, in a large arm-
chair, and in a space so narrow, that he can keep his hands
on the keys of two doors, one of iron bars, and the other
towards the outer part, and which is called the firer
wicket. This man looked at me without opening his
dean. I passed my right hand between the bars, to show
him I wished to go out. He turned, at last, his two
keys, and we got out. There my daughter did not mis-
take again, but took my right arm. We had a few steps
to ascend to come to the yard; but at the bottom of Inc
staircase there is a guard-house of gendarmes. About 20 sul-
diers,headed by their officers, had placed themselves a few paces
off to see Madame de Lavallette pass. At last, I slowly
reached the last step, and went into the chair that stood a
yard or two distant. But no esairman, no servant was
there. My daughter and the old woman remained standing
next to the vehicle, with a sentry at six paces from them,
immoveable, and his eyes hired on me. A violent degree of
agitation began to mingle with my astonishment. My
looks were directed towards the sentry a musket, 1:Ite those
of a serpent towards its prey. It almost seemed to Inc that
I held that musket in toy grasp. At the first mution, at
the first guise 1 was resolved to seize it. I felt as it I pos.
mimed the strength of ten men ; and I would moat certainly
have killed whoever had attempted to lay hands on me. This
terrible situation lasted about two minu:es. hut they scented
to me as long as a whole night. At last I heard Buttneville's
voice saying to inn, " One of the chairmen was net ponctual,
but I have found another."At the sante instant, I tent nsysdf
raised. The chair passed :ho, ugh the great court, sail, on
getting out, turned to the right. We proceeded us the Quai
des °deems, facing the Rue de Harlay. There the enair
stopped, sled my friend Battles, offering me his arm, said
aloud, " You know, 11441101, you have a visit to pay. to
the president." I gut out, and he pointed to a este:eget
that stood at some distance in that dark s.revt. I jumped
into it, and the driver said to me, " thee nit my whip,"
I looked for it in vain ; —he had dropped it. " Never
mind," said my compallior. A motion of the reins made
the horse start off in a quick trot. In passing by I saw
.Josephine on the Quai, her hands elapsed, and fervently of.
tering up prayers to OOD. We crossed the poor St. Michel,
the •Rue de la Harpe, and we soon reached the Rue de
l'aughard, behind the Odeon theatre. It was oat till then

• paper, on which the following sent& were written .
" Make no noise. Never open your window but in the
night, wear slippers of list, and wait with patience." Rev
to this paper was a bottle of excellent claret, several
volumes of Bloltere and Rabelais, and a basket containing
sponges, perfumed soap, almond paste, and all the little
utensils of a gentleman's dressing-box. The delicate wen-
dons and the neat hand.writing of the note, made me
guess that my hosts combined with their most generous
feelings elegant and refined manners. But why was I in
the Hotel of Foreign Afairs ? i had never seen the Hake
de Richelieu. Al. Bandits was indeed attached to that de-
partment, but in a very indirect manner. I could not have
inspired any interest in the Ring. Besides, in that case, it
would have been more natural to pardon me. if I was by
the connivance of the Minister, what reason could he have
had to violate his sacred duties, belie the loyalty he owed to
his sovereign, associate himself with the party of Bonaparte,
and protect a criminal sentenced for a conspiracy ?
••• • • _ ••• •••_ .•

I inust now return to the Conaergerie. I had scarcely
pawed the outer door when the jailer entered my room, and,
as I bad foreseen, retired when he heard a noise behind the
screen. But he returned about five minutes afterwards ; and
not seeing any one, though the same noise was once more
repeated, be took a fancy to remove one side of the screen.
At the sight of Madame Lavallette, he uttered a loud es-
ciamation and ran to the door. She caught hold of his coat,
and said to him—" Walt a minute; let my husband get
off!"—" You will ruin me, Madame," he said in a rage;
and disengaging. himself with so great an effort, that he
left a piece of his coat in the hands of my wife, be went
off calling aloud, " The prisoner has escaped !" With
these words be ran, tearing his hair, to the Prefect of Po-
lice. In an instant, all the turnkeys and gendarme' were
suit alma in all directions. Two of the former reached the
asietimheir, that was leisurely advancing on the quay.--.
They weed it • and finding no one in it but my daughter,
they left it. Soon, however, the pursuit began in regale;
order; and during the whole night, the houses of my friends
and acquaintance, and even of the pawns with whom my
late situation in the world could have given me the least con-
nection, were rigorously examined. TI e next day
the barrios were shut, and the joy of the whole capital
fa witnessing the despair of the Police was inex-
pressible. Madame Lavallette, a little cuter after half an
hour, began to get the better of her agitation • ' and she
would have enjoyed her happiness, if the brutal turnkeys,
who had left her door open. had not uttered against her the
most horrible abuse, and assured her it was impossible I
should not be retaken in a very sh wt time.
The arrival of the Procureur-Orneral, Bellart, put an
end to their abusive language. He sat himself gravely down
to examine het, and addressed reproaches ti her that were
only ridiculous. By his order, she watt treated with so
much severity, that, in the state of health in which she
then was, that usage became the chief cause of the disor-
der under which she laboured during twelve years, but
from which she has at last recovered. They plated her
in the chamber of Marshal Ney, where there was no chim-
ney, but a German stove, the suffocating heat of which
made her suffer a great deal night and day. Tire window
opened into the woman's yard. To hear the noisy
aies of those wretches during the whole day, and their
vulgar and obscene language, was agony to so delicate
a female. No person could come near her ; even her maid
was excluded, and she was attended by one of the female
turnkeys. None of bey letters could 0011 the threshold of
her prima, nor could any communication from her friends
reach her. She was for ever assailed with a thounnd dif-
ferent tenors, especially in the night, when the sentries were
relieved. She always imagined it was her husband they were
bringing back. During more than five-and-twenty clays
and nights, she did not enjoy one moment's sleep. I was
far from thinking she could be so unhappy. I had • been
told with the view of comforting me, that she was lodged in
the apartments of the lady of the Prefect of Police, treated
with the greatest attention and respect, and that she would
soon obtain permission to return home.
My daughter had returned to her convent in an eca'asy
of joy, and agitated with so strong an emotion, that
she could not explain in what manner she had 'con-
trived to save her father. But when, next day, the whole
business was explained, the Superior, who had just suc-
ceeded in obtaining the protection of the Duchess of Angou.
lame for her house, was seised with alarm : my daughter
was ordered to hold bee tongue ; and the nuns and some
of the boarders shrunk away from her, as if she had had the
plague. Will it be believed when I add, that the parents
of several of those boarders declared to the Superior, that
they would take their children home if Josephine Lavallette
remained in the convent? So that a virtuous generous ac-
tion, which ought to have been presented as an example to
be followed by young persons, was through fear, personal
interest, and perhaps also by meaner passions, regarded as
a son of crime sad a cause of proscription. Sin week's af
terwards, when Madame de Lavallette was set at liberty,
she hastened to take her daughter from the couvent."
The account closes with the following fact :
At last the health of Madame de Lavallette re-
covered sufficiently to permit me to take her home.
A deep melancholy throws her frequently into fits
of abstractedness, but she is always equally mild,
amiable, and good. We pass the Pumeber in a
retired country house, where she seems to enjoy
herself. 1 tare preserved my independence,' the
first of all mortal riches, without pension, salary,or
gratuity of any sort, after a long life consecrated to
the service of my country,offering up for her libei tv
prayers that will perhaps never be fulfilled, and
living with the recollections of a great period and
a great man.
LAGUIIIA, JULY I.7.—The affairs to the wind •
ward, headed by Gen. Mounts, has been settled
without bloodshed ; and the authority of Venesueii.
under her constitution sod laws, are again re-tstab-
belied. Every tieing and every part of Venezuela
is now entirely quiet.