Daily national Democrat., 1859-01-08

EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION OF BONES AND
MUMMIEs-EvIDENcE OF DREADFUL DEATHS
lie CgOcbler de Saint Michel ct son Cayeau-Is
a fine hexagonal belfry, or tower, near the
Church of ST. Michael. 1t was built about
1916, and is now 17S feet high formerly. il
was nearly 500 feet in height. Beneath this
tower is a vault (Cdvedu-shown on pavment
of half franc,) in which, besides a great
quantity of bones, are about fifty human
bodies standing boltupright in a grim circle
about the wall, and well preserved by the
dry and antiseptic qualiti of the vault"
Portions OF their grave.clothes are still hang
ing about them. They are about the color
OF leather, and so well preserved, that eun
tie last expression Of their faces is yisiJle.
have endeavored to obtain some history
OF tins strange group, but all can find (part
OF which translate,) is in a short note CON
tanned in little pamphlet sold on the spot.
1t seems that the tower and church were built
IN an old cemetery, and probably the bones
disturbed 10y building were collected and
placed IN this vault, for the pamphlet says:
Beneath the floor on which one walks is
SIX metres (lS4 feet of human bones" But
no reason is assigned oOhy fifty should have
the rest decayed, except that above men
]
(and the history of most of these "mummies"
has been preserved, it seems, in the records
of the church is eight hundred years. This
historian says: Among the inhabitants of
this dwelling of death is found group of
four persons of the same family, poisoned
they say, 10y mushrooms. The traces of pain
(douteur) which are still read upon their fig
ures, leave no doubt as to the manner of
death, which was terrible for these unfortu
nate persons The father seems to be one
who suffered least, or perhaps the one who
struggled WI h the most courage against the
tortures which devoured him. As to the
mother and one child of about IA or 5 years
there is upon their features the traces of a
suffering, whose deep grief leads one to think
how much and how terrible must have been
the last moments of their existence
The Duet counts, also, one victim in this
gloomy dwelling. General de Preissac, killed
in single combat by NJ de Lachalottais. Pro-
cureur-G General to the Parliament of Rennes,
is there standing with his high stature, carry.
ing upon the right side of his breast the
place which the iron made when he fell un-
der the blow of his enemy"
zone remarks still young person, about
IA or ) years old, who recounta to all
frightful drama. His contorted position-his
body racked by most violent pain one of
his arms raised against the stone which
covers him, the other forcibly borne down
to aid him in making last violent effort in
order to break the obstacle which enchained
him in his narrow prison-indcate that this
unfortunate person had been buried dliUe,
and that, reviving in his coffin, he summoned
all the strength he possessed to seize again
the life which had only been suspended in
him. His hands are shriveled, and upon his |
form, more expressive than one likes to see,
are printed the traces of terror and of the
most cruel despair"
L have made these extracts because | Sdw
the persons named therein; and | must con
tess that their faces and forms still bear evi-
deHce of the grief and terror of their last mo
ments. 1t is strange sight - strange
group. Men, women and children standing
upright, corporeally immortal, in the pres
ence of mortal man and bearing upon their
faces the marks of passions which eight hun
fired years have not been able to efface ?
They furnish, in their undecayed forms,
sort of dead contradiction to the motto which
is traced upon one of the low windows of the
vault: Iu es poWsiSere, et tn retonrReras en-
pouSSiere f
The above account is from the pen of a
Californian in Bordeaux, France who writes
to the Bulletin, under date of October 20th.