The Republican journal., 1874-10-08
The Escape of Lavalette.

Iht Fail Mall Gazette says u lie eS-
cape vt Marshal Bazaine recalls the escape
vi another celebrated French prisoner. the
Count tie laValette, which was probably
both more unexpected and more daring
Marie Chamans de Laralttte was born in
l7C9 He entered the army at the time of
The revolution, served with great distinc-
lion by and bv became aid-de-camp to
Napoleon. and married the Emperor's
niece MI dc Beauharnais. In 1912 he
wa appointed Postmaster-G General, lost
Ms place IN the restoration OF the Bour-
bun~ In lol+. hut was reinstated after the
fmperor's return from Elba, and bestir-
f-d himself 50 actively in the imperial
ause during the Hundred Day that, after
Ny aterloo be shared the fate of Ney and
W;ss sentenced to death 1t excited some
wonder that the BOurbons should display
~ucA lmplacabe severity towards a man
VITO after all. was but OF secondary rank
mt Layalette welded great social in
taeuce. and NJ. de Talleyrand was said to
nave denounced him as a partisan Of I'M
inspected genius and more dangerous than
ua.i i dozen marshals So Louis ANlll
reiusrd II grant reprleVe, ana the eX-
rcul.Ju was fixed for the , ST OF December,
I~I. Now LaValette was confined in the
G. III iergerie. ana the Princess de Naude-
mont. the Countess de ChasSenOn and Nj .
b.udu> friends OF LaValette, comforting
n .tA the Countess, MS wife, decided that
I would he possible to save him by the
countess changing clothes with him in his
GEL Nine de LaYalette was allowed to
tllr with her husband every evening at
me o'clocl, and remained I'll seven 1t is
liece~-ar, IN remember that ladies' bon
-.rt, were larger in those days and their
,;As ample. So that the idea of SNUG
mg oUt a man in woman's disguise
-ldcr cover Of the darkness was much
more practicable than il would be in these
shines At al events the experiment was
-rrd uu the evening of the 10Th OF Decem-
Hrr. aud +, succeeded; but the escape was
Ile ut such hair s-breadth kind that some
historians are persuaded that there was
A0re IN uie matter than appeared out
,ArllN
The Countess. accompanied by her
daughter J0>cphene twelve Years of age,
arrived III her husbands cell punctually
five o'rlocN Their dinner was a sad
.l.t- a. Well Ill might be, and the prisoners
4auce~ Were almost compromised at the
LAST moment hy a loquacious turnkey com
a.r In at halt-pa>I six o'clock to offer con-
rllation He va, not rot rid OF till twenty
N.lNut,~ L. seven, and the next quarter OF
q. hour was huniedly occupied in array
lg line prisoner in his wites bonnet, black
- gown. boa, and shawl LavaIette was
IL short luan, no taller than his wife, and
lst once becn t:lt, but. luckily, contine-
Iucnt had thinned him and the disguise
was so complete THAI when he emerged
tulm behind the screen where the change
lad been effected his child did not recog-
.iza him This screen played a great part
.u the escape. Ton without it nothing could
ua5l been done 1t was the custom of the
turnkey 10 come into the prisoners cell
every evening Immediately after the
Countess had left and if the Countess had
uOt been able 10 conceal herself for few
minutes behind the screen the turnkey
must have Immediately noticed the pris-
ouer'> disappearance. As il was, the in
slant Count Layalette had fled from the
ceN holding his daughter by the hand and
keeping a handkerchief to his mouth, the
turnkey came in as usual, but hearing the
Countess rummaging At the toilet-stand
behind the screen, concluded that the pris-
uner was washing his hands, and with
drew into the doorway, where he remain
ed five minutes offering consolation as be-
tore. and being answered by what he took
ID be sob> Meanwhile the fugitive had
got To the end of the first passage and had
PASSED five unsuspectlng lallers, who rose
aud barred their heads; bnt before reach
ug the open air he had TO 60 down two
more corridors, flight OF steps, the sdlte
da 9rcfi, or office, an inner gate, a large
ward, and an outer gate-in all about two
hundred yards OF ground. He reached the
office in safety but here dozen turkeys
were gathered round stove, and one of
Them coming close to the prisoner, laid
a hand ON his arm and said Courage,
madame" Lavalette had drawn a gold
piece for such an emergency; he dropped
Il. and the man in STOPPING to pick it up
allowed him TO sweep on across the gate
and 50 into the courtyard, where twenty
gendarmes were lounging outside the
guard-room Ii was almost a miracle that
the sergeant on duty did not come forward
10 identify the yelled figure, but perhaps
compassion for the supposed Countess's
grief withheld him. He ordered the gate
To- be opened. and Layalette, passing out
INTO the grand court of the Palace of JUS
tee. instantly entered the sedan chair
that was waiting. But the chair porters
were not present! Two minutes, which
must have seemed two centuries, Lava
lette waited, expecting every moment to
see the Conciergerie door open; but at
length the chair was suddenly lifted by I'M
known hands, and the porters set off at
swinging trot for the Rue de Harley, on
the Quay des Orfrevres, hard by. Here
NJ Baudus was stationed in cab. Lava
lette sprang out, leaving his daughter in
the chair, and was whirled away toward
he Pont Neuf, pulling off his disguise and