Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1870-06-02
Sclerte0 Aliseellang.
THE MIN IN THE IRON MASK.

THE NAN IN THE IRON MASK.
That Saint-Mars. on being transfer,eitIn
1898 from Exiles to the governorship OF ahe
Bastilie, brought with him 10 that fortress
q prisoner whose face was hidden beneath
a black velvet masks, and thai on the 29th
of November, 1908, the body OF this iils-
oner was carried to the church of st Paui,
the name inscribed on the register of bur
ials being AIarchially or Marchioly, are
facts which no one has disputed. On these
facts, as all know, has been raised n huge
mountain of romance and fiction, some IN
sisting that the man in the iron mask (tae
iron being confined, it would seem, to the
springs which fastened ii on the head Was
q brother of Louis XIV; others maintain
ed not less stoutly that he was the C0nnt
of Vermandois, or the Duke OF Beaufort, or
even the ill-starred James Duke of Mon
mouth, who died by the warrant of his
uncle, James III. BY others, again. he is
identified with Fouquet, also a prisoner OF
Saint Mars at Pignerol, or with the Arme
nian patriarch, Avedick. Nj. Topln be-
heves that he has not only set aside con
clusiyely every one of these suppositiODs,
but that he has proved beyond all doubt the
identity of The masked prisoner with one at
the many persons with whom conjecture
and Argument have been busy.
BY the treaty OF Cherasco in 1881. Richa-
lieu, while surrendering Piedmont and Sa-
voy, eontented himself with retaining pcs
session OF Pignerol as gate of Italy, but
though the ambition of the French Kings
had thus apparently received q check. not
very many years had passed before the sue
cessOr of Louis XIII, found much to en-
courage him IL the state of things ID Italy.
The death Of Charles Emmanuel ha6- lett
child as the Duke OF Savoy, under the
guardianship OF q mother who was neither
keen-siehted nor judicious. Mantua vas
in worse plight. Its Duke, Charles w.
had wasted his>substance and his health in
riotous living, and found himself III the
hands of the Jews, towhom he had pledged
his revenue for many years to come. One
mode alone remained If getting the money
which he must have to prolong ms plea
sdres. ami this mode involved Ho greater
sacrifice than the surrender OF one OF his
fortresses to the keeping of the King OF
France. For the privilege of sending some
troops to Casal, the capital of the Marquis
ate of Monferrat. Louis was willing to pay
a high price, and the Able d Estrades, his
ambassador at Venice, threw himself heart
lily into his masters plans. With Casal
and p snerol the French King would COM
mand the roads into Northern and South
ern Italy alike; and 1t remained only to
bargain, if the means for making 1t could
be found The ambassador came to the
conclusion that the scheme could not be
better carried ont than by the aid of Ercoie
Matthioly, the minister highest in the con-
fidence OF the wretched Mantua Duke. BY
means OF man named Giuliani D'Estrades
discovered the dislike which Matthioly
fell for the Spaniards, and urged on him
the advantages which would spnng from
the alliance and protection OF the French
King. Matthioly, lar from showing any
reluctance TO the plan, arranged an inter-
view between tie French ambassador and
tie Duke Of Mantua at Venice, and ON the
Sth OF December, 167S treaty was sign
ed, by which the latter bound himself to
admit French garrison into Casal, while
Louis was pledged to name the Duke Gen
eral in-chief of the French army, if one
should be sent into Italy, and % pay intwo
instalments the sum of a hundred thou
sand Gowns.
Thus far everything had gone smoothly.
Matthialy had received from Louis XIV. 8
letter full OF thanks and good wishes. dated
March 13, 1878, and after the signing OF
the treaty he had been personally welcomed
Monarch, who gave him costly diamond,
aud held out the prospect of far more splen-
did rewards as soon as the treaty should be
ratified. Two months later the terms Oi
the engagement we're known TO the Vene-
tian Republic. and the courts of Turin,
Vienna, and Madrid and Louis ieSrnt, as
much perhaps to his yexation as to his die
NAV, that the man who mad done more than
any other tn further his designs was the
man who had betrayed them. What the
motives of Matthioly NAV have been VIC
cannot tell; and Nj. Topin rightly insists
that with these motives we really are nol
concerned. 1t is unlikely that he was the
mere little minded cheat and knave which
Louis and his ministers would represent
him to be; it is at least not improbable thai
second thoughts may have led him to see
the dangers OF French occupation ia ligh
In which he had not viewed them before
and that under these feelings he may have
felt it his duty to do what he could Z,
eounteract the effects of his own work. II,
did no. choose to counteract them openly
French spies, as Nj. TOpin suggests, ma.
have rendered it almost impossible for hin
to do so. But he aseuredly made fals
step when he entrusted to the princess wh'
acted as Regent of Savoy the secret of a,
that had passed between himself, the ID ak
of Mantua, and the French KiDg.~Th
Du hess lost little time in sending the new
to Louis; but Matthioly remained ignore,
of this fact, and went on without N isgivir
in his double game. Louis also though
that the italian could still be made to tulfi
the obligations which he had taken upol
himself; but the karcn of Asfeld, who wa
sent to receive the retifcations. was arrest
ed at the instance of Matthioly, who faiie'
also to keep the appointment which he ha'
made for the same purpose with Catinat
Here, then, were important papers bearini
the signature of the French King and re
vealing bis designs ON Itsly. in the hand
of An Italian state man who was likely 4
use them as either his patriotism or bi
greed might lead him. Under these CIR
eumstances D'Estrades was not the mai
10 pause long in uncertainty. Knowing
the di sposition of the Regent of Savoy, ant
the necessities or perhaps even the secre
visbes of the Mantua Duke, he thought b
saw his way clearly for removing this OBJ
stacle at once and for ever from his mas
ter's path. This design he broached frs
in q letter of April 8. 1879, to NJ de Pom
ponne. whe in reply says that, vbateve
NAV be done with Matthioly. 1t is OF th
first consequence that the documents reiaf
inc 20 the cession of Casal should be re
covered. These documents it was SUP
posed that Matthioly bore about his owl