The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-11-24


| child of one of the turkeys, and
there also he was allowed to receive
visitors. The sight ef the two boys
I playiHg inspired La Tude with long
7 ings- for liberty, and reused his in
| gennity, naturally of asecFetive kind.
Exactly atstWo o'clock every day the
elder turnkey awaited him in the
| garden, while the junior unlocked
! his door to give him temporary lib
erty. La Tude commenced his
scheme by getting in to a habit of
running down into the garden before
Ethe jsniOI' turnkey had time to lock
| the upper door and follow him. On
the 25th of June, 1750, the plot was
| ripe. Tripping down stairs as soon
as the Junior turnkey came, La Tude
Instantly slammed the door at the
| bottom of the staircase, in order to
muf1ie the man's cries and to gain
time. He then knocked boldly at
| the outer gate, and cried to the SEN
tinel
| HDence take It'll above two hours
monsieur la cure has been waiting
| for the Able de ST. Sauveur." Gone
Of the ylsitors). 'Have you seen the
puppy pass this way? Has he been
gone long? 1 am on the hunt
after him, and he shall pay me for
this trouble"
The soldier at once opened the
gate and La Tude passed through.
Another soldier, to whom he put the
same hurried question, replied he
knew nothing about it, and let him
proceed. The third sentry, on the
further side Of the draW-bFidge, said
be had not seen the able. La Tude
ephed, ~ shall soon find him" and
capering like a schOol-boy, at four
PAGES from the last sentinel he set up
run and brushed by him, the man
not suspectihg a young and beard
less lad SO gay and careless, to be an
escaped prisoner. In the meantime
the turnkey. who was locked in thun-
dered at the door, and shouted to
his companion from the garden, who
instantly guessed the trick La Tude
had nut upon them. The first sem
try, being questioned, declared he
did not know La Tude by sight, and
had thought he was a friend of the
abbe's VINO had been to see the cure.
Six days after his escape, La Tude,
with perfect Innocence and trus tful-
ness, through the kind physician
in-ordinary, surrendered himself to
Louis the Fifteenth. He was imme-
diately conducted to the Bastile.
NJ. Berrier soon after came and told
La Tude thatthe confidence he had
placed in the kings clemency and
goodness of heart was not misplaced.
He had merely been sent to the Bas-f
tile in order to find out how he es-
capped from Vencennes, as only pFis-
oners of the first quality were sent
there, and it was important that the
guards should be faithful. The
young man describing his escape,
stem M. BeFrier condescended to
smile, and afrably asked La Tude if
he had not always treated him with
kindness. GAS a father" was the re-
ply: and NJ. Berrier then promised
to give him his liberty in a few days,
directly he had spoken to the mar
chiOness. But the POmpadour was
implacable In her hatred. She was
angry that La Tude had trusted the
kings compassion rather than hers.
She felt the story would be another
morsel for her enemies, and night
even make the king suspect her of
cruelty. La Tude was at once
thrown into q dungeon, and left
there eighteen months. At the end
of that time he was brought up and
placed in a common room with an
othervof the marchioness's victims,
named D'Alegre. Endless letters to
NJ. Berrier at last brought an answer.
The amiable Lieutenant of Police as
sured La Tude that his heart was not
Calious, that he sYmpathized with
his misfortunes, and that he would
have long since been set free but that
the woman held the reins entirely III
her own hands. Any indulgence
asked he would grant, and at the
first change of public events both La
Tude and D'Alegre were assured
they should be the first persons re-
stored to liberty, and compensated
for their loss of time and sufferings.
Two years and six. months already
in darkness and solitude had been
crushed out of La Tude's life, and |
these bland promises fell unheeded |
upon his ear. The POmpadOur, |
clever and witty, might retain her
hold over the king for another fifteen
years; By that time his life would /
behalf gone, and he would return to
the world bay in mind, no career
open to him, his friends dead, and
the world needless of one whom it
had forgotten. What hope could
tbefebef He was shut in By walls
six feet thick, and of enormous
height; four iron CRATES at every
window, and up every chimney sem
tries on every tower; deep trenches
full of stagnant water: he had no
friends to bring saws or files, no
money 20 bribe turnkeys.
From this cruel purgatory, with
walls like huge cliffs, and giTt in by
enemies, did La Iude resolve to es-
cape. 1t required an amount offOre-
sight, energy and perseverance al
most supernatural. No scissors,
knives, or edge tools were allowed to
a prisoner in the Bastile; nor, for
hundred louis, WOuI d turnkey have
brought a Culprit even a quarter of a
yard of thread. No news from the
outer world, not Of a kiT g's death,
reached the eight towers. The Off
GERS, surgeons, and turkeys of the
prison had but one changeless for
mGla: Woodworking GoOd-ev-
ening! Do you want anything? p
La Tude's father or brother might
have pined for years in the room
over his head, and he never would
have known it. A trunk of clean
linen was all ne had to help him to
/ liberty. D2Alegre laughed as he
pointed with a smile to that useless
store; but after seven years of
/ thought La Tude slowly hammered
out a scheme Stepsby step, inch by
inch, he resolved, with the patience
of coral insect, to work this scheme
out. He knew too well what he re-
quired; fourteen hundred feet of
cord, two oladders-One of wood, thir-
/ ty feet long, another of rope, one
I hundred and eighty feet. It woull