Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-11-25
JOnsenist cure,
with his pupils,
quis Of Chatelc

vnliu OF one OF the turnkeys, and
there also he was allowed to receive
visitors. The sight CT the two boys
playing inspired La Tude with long.
lngs for liberty, and reused his in.
genuity, naturally ola secretive kind
Exactly at two 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 habit OF
running down into the garden before
the junior turnkey had time to lock
the upper door and follow him. On
the 2jth Of June, 1850, the plot was
ripe. Tripping down stairs as soon
as the junior turnkey came, La Tudc
instantly slammed the door at the
bottom of the staircase, in order to
mufle the msn's cries and to gain
| time, lie then knocked boldly at
the outer gate, and cried to the SEN
tinel: ...
| "Deuce take 1t! above two hours
monsieur la cure has been waiting
for the Able de ST. Sauycur." Zone
of the WsitorS). Have you seen the
puppy pass this way? Has he been
gone long? | 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 bridge, said
he had not seen the able. LH Tude
ephed, IL shall soon find him." and
capering like q sChool-bOy, at four
PAGES from the last sentinel he setu
a run and brushed by him, the man
not suspecting 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 put upon them. The first SEN
try, being questioned, declared he
did not know La Tude by sight, and
had thought he was Il friend of the
abbe's who had been to see the cure,
Six days after bis escape, La Tute,
with perfect innocence and trustfuI.
| ness, through the kind physician
in-ordinary, surrendered himself to
Louis the Fifteenth lie was imme-
diatcly conducted to the Bastilc.
NJ. Berrier soon after came and told
La Tude that the confidence he had
placed in the kings clemency and
goodness of heart was not misplaced.
He had merely been sent to the Bas-
tile in order to find out how he cs-
capped from VenCGnnes, Us only pris-
oners of the first quality were sent
there, and it was important that the
guards should be faithful. The
young man describing his escape,
stern NJ. Berrier condescended to
smile, and ailably asked La Tude if
he had not always treated him with
kindness. Gas a father" was the re-
ply: and N. Berricr then promised
| to give him his liberty in a few days,
directly he had spoken to the mar
chionoss. But the Pompadour was
! implacabe in her hatred, She was
angry that In Tudc had trusted the
kings compassion rather than hers,
She felt the story would be another
morsCl for her enemies, and night
even make the king suspect her Of
cruelty. La Tude was at once
thrown into a dungeon, and lett
there eighteen months. At the end
of that time he was brought up and
placed in common room with an
other of the marchioness's victims,
named D'Alegrc. Endless letters to
NJ. Berrier at last brought an answer.
The amiable Lieutenant Of Police as
sured La Tude that his heart was not
callous, that he svmpathizcd with
his misfortunes, and that he would
have long since been set free but that
the woman held the rcins entirely in
her own hands. Any indulgence
asked he would grant, and at the
first change ofpubllc%ysAts both La
! fu6 and D'Alegre were assured
thcv should be the first persons re-
stored to liberty, and compensated
for their loss of time and suterings.
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 bis ear. The Pompadour,
clever and witty, might retain her
hold over the king for another fifteen
wears by that time his life would
be half gone, and he would return to
the world by in mind, no career
open to him, his friends dead, and
the world needless of one whom 1t
had forgotten. What hope could
there be? lie was shut in by walls
six feet thick, and of enormous
height; four iron CRATES at every
window, and up every chimney SEN
tries on every tower; deep trenches
full of stagnant water; he had no
friends to bring saws or files, no
money to bribe turnkeys.
From This cruel purgatory, with
walls like huge cliffs, and girt in by
enemies, did La Tude resolve to es-
cape. 1t required an amount of fore
sight, energy I'd perseverance NJ
most supernatural, No scissors,
knives, or edge tools were allowed to
! a prisoner in the Dastile; nor, for a
hundred louis, would a turnkey have
brought a culprit even quarter of a
ward of thread. No news from the
outer world, not of a kir g's death,
reached the eight towers. The Off
GERS, surgeons, and trakeys of the
prison had but one changeless Tor
mula: "Go0d-morning! Good-ey-
ening! Do you want anythingF Z
In 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 he had to help him tC
liberty. D'Alegre laughed as he
1jointed with a smile to that useless
store; but after seven years o.
thought La Tudo slowly hammered
out a scheme. Step by step, inch by
inch, he resolved, with the patienc'
of coral insect, to work this SCHEME