Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1868-05-14
Secret Messages.

| In 1OOU, Wneu monsieur Qe
Louvois was French Minister of
War, he summoned before him one
day, a gentleman named Chamilly,
and gave him the following instruc-
tions
Start this evening for Basle, in
Switzerland; you will reach it in
three days; on the fourth, punctu-
ally at two o'clock, station your
selfon the bridge over the Rhine,
with a portfolio, ink and PEN
Watch all that takes place, and
make a memorandum of every
particular. Continue doing so for
two hours; and have a carriage
and a post-horse awaiting you,
and at four precisely, mount and
travel day and night till you reach
Paris. On the instant of your ar
rival, hasten to me with your
notes.
De Chamilly obeyed, he reached
Basle, and on the day and at the
hour appointed, stationed himself,
pen in hand, on the bridge. Pres
emily a market cart drives by,
then an old woman with basket
of fruit passes; anon, a little ur-
chin trundles his hoop by; next
an old gentleman in blue top coat
jogs past on his gray mare. Three
o'clock chimes from the cathedral
tower. Just at the last stroke, a
tall man in yellow waistcoat and
breeches saunters up, goes to the
middle of the bridge, lounges over,
and looks at the water, then he
takes step back and strikes three
hearty blows on the footway with
his staff. Down goes every detail
in De Chamilly's book. At last
the hour of release sounds, and be
jumps into his carriage. Shortly
before midnight, after two days of
ceasless travelling, De Chamilly
presented himself before the minis
ter, feeling rather ashamed at hav-
ing such trifes to record.
Monsieur de Louvois took the
portfolio with eagerness, and
glanced over the notes. AS his
eye caught the mention of the
yellow -breeched man, a gleam of
JOY flashed across his countenance.
He rushed to the king, reused him
from sleep, spoke in private with
him for few moments, and then
four couriers, who had been held
in readiness since five on the pre-
ceding evening, were dispatched
with haste. Eight days after the
town of Strasburg was entirely
surrounded by French troops and
summoned to surrender. 1t capt.
tulated and threw open its gates
on the 30th of September, 1851.
Evidently the three strokes of the
stick given by the fellow in yell
low costume, at an appointed
hour, were the signal of the sue
cess of an intrigue concerted be-
tween Monsieur de Louvois and
the magistrate OF Strasburg, and
the man who executed this mis-
sion was as ignorant of the motive
as was Monsieur de Chamilly Of
the motive of his.
Now this is specimen Of the
safest of all secret communications,
but it can only be resorted to on
certain occasions. Wien lengthy
dispatch is required to be forward
ed, and when such means as those
given above are out of the ques-
ton some other method must be
employed. Herodotus gives us a
story to the point. 1t is found al
so with variations, in Aulus Gel
lius.
"Histi@us, when he was anx-
ious to give Aristagoras orders to
revolt, could find but one safe way,
as the roads were guarded, of max
ing his wishes known; which was
by taking the trustiest of his
slaves, shaving all the hair on
his head, and then picking letters
upon the skin, and waiting till
the hair grew again. This accord
ingly he did; and as soon as the hair
was grown he despatched the man
to Miletus, giving him no other
message than this: "When thou
art come to Miletus, bid Arista.
goras shave thy head, and look
thereon" Now the marks on the