The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-01-20

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3 "Comc on" replied DaumeniI, pointing to al
! immense powder msgoziue, 1--WE will go up
together" When the place was rendered to
the Bourbons, and during the "hundred days"
the Marquis de PUyvert was Governor. A.
soon as Napolesn returned from Elba, and
had resumed the reins Of government, Dau-
menil again took command Of Vncennes. At
the expiration Of the "hundred days." AID al
the entrance Of the combined armies after the
battle Of Waterloo, the foreign officers found
Daunenil safe at his post, and with large
and more valuable amount Of material in his
care then at any previous time. lie was
again summoned to surrender. The brave
General replied,"I shall render up Vncennes
when you have given me back my leg."-
Blacher then offered him million Of francs
to commit this cowardly act. But Daumenil
rejected the proposition with contempt, ad-
ding, "My refusal shall survive as an inheri-
tance to my children."-He was right not to
doubt the gratefulness of the country, for his
children are now well provided for. He was
willing only, asi in lsl4;to remit the place to
the king, which he did after Louis was placed
on the throne, and after the allied armies had
lett Paris. He thus saved the valuable mate
rial for his country, The Marquis dc Puy-
vert again became the Governor Of Vincennes.
and held the position till the famous revolu-
ton OF July, 1880, when, after captulaton
proposed by Gen. Gourgand, the friend of
Napoleon, and accepted by Puyvert, the COM
mand OF Nincenne was, for the third time,
contided to the brave Daumenil, who at last
died there from an attack Of cholera, in 1892.
DE Puyvert was for some prisoner in the
fort while Daumenl was Governor.
-
The DoNJoN, or tower, was commenced in
1888, BY Philippe Of Valois, and finished in
1865, by Charles V. 1t stands inside the cas-
tie walls, facing the chapel. 1t is square,
turretted stone building, one hundred and
seventy-feet high, sixty feet wide, with walls
seventeen feet thick at the bottom, gradually
diminishing to ten feet at the fourth story,
where platform occurs and another story
much lighter than those below. 1t is the
strongest building now existing in France,
and gives an excellent idea of the necessities
and habits of the times in which it was built.
1t is surrounded by ditch, proper to itself
and Independent oe the one outside the castle
wall, forty-sx # deep, twenty y-fve wide, and
so walled, that man once in it, could not
escape from it. On the outside OF the ditch
stands wall, thick enough to contain suites
ofrooms for residences, throughout their whole
circuit. Drawbridges connect this outer
wall with the small doors of the tower All
this has been somewhat changed of late
years, but the greater portion of the old ar
rangement still exists. One of the draw
bridges thrown over the ditch, dates as far
buck as Philip Augustus, in ll90, being then
used for another purpose. The small spiral
stairway, mounting from the ground to the
roof, in the interior ofthe southern wall of
the tower, has two hundred and thirty-seven
stone steps, and the stairs are so narrow as to-
permit two persons to pass with difficulty.
They were so constructed in order to be more
easily defended by the guard, from attacks
from without, or from the escape of prisoners
from within. The frightfully barred doors
opening OF these stairs as one passes up, need
no explanation as to the use for which they
were intended. The rooms are simple stone
cells, without other ornament than those left
on the walls by the many unfortunate priso1-
ers whom they have contained Each story
has large central chamber, with high vaul-
ted ceiling, and four corner rooms in the
round projecting turrets. Until the time of
Louis Al the Donjon was royal residence,
but under the reign of this monarch it was
| converted into prison of state, and has been
SO used ever since. On the ground floor is
room in total dqrknhss, called the Sale de la
question, or sinquisiton chamber. In this
chamber may yet be seen a hole cut in the
stone wall, just large enough to receive man,
which still remain, with heavy iron chains.
secured him to the spot and kept his limbs
motionless during the application of the tor
ture or "question."
The immense number OF persons of distnc-
ton who have been confined in this prison,
from about the year 1915 down to the year
1913, when it was last occupied by prisoners
sent here by Gen. Cavaegnac at the revolu-
ton Of June, mparts to it an historical in
terest of the highest Importance, and will
well justify some details on the internal ar
rangements for the accommodation of prisoners,
as well as the suferings Of certain individual
prisoners well known in history, and which
time has at length brought to light.
AS in all prisons of State, they practsed
at the Donjon, when not to crowded, the inso:
ation Of the prisoners. When it was neces-
sary for the prisoner to go before the Council
for "A hearing, or before the inqustion oI
State, the greatest care was observed that he
should not encounter d fellow prisoner. The5
were kept generally in the turrels of the tow
er. The cells are on the ground floor, and
are so unhealthy, that beasts which were
lately kept there exhibited evidences of its
nsalubriety. The chambers of the prisoners
were closed by three doors barred with iron
, the interior one was doubled by this metal
Two similar doors closed the principal en-
trance ofeach floor. The tower had bu: one
: ettrance formerly, which was defended by
three doors, each of them armed with tive
, enormous locks provided with three large
bolts retained BY holdfasts, At the windows
there are three iron CRATES, crossed scarcely
!, allowing any light to passa precaution, o
y rather barbarism, having been pushed to tn,
: extent of placing shades outside the CRATE
: I, windows, so that the unfortunate prisone
= = could neither see the heavens nor the earth