American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-10-10
The Escape OF Lavalette.


10
The Escape OF Lavalette.
THE escape of Marshal BaZaine recalls
the escape of another celebrated French
prisoner, the Count de L.valette, which
was probably both more unexpected and
more daring. Marie Chamans de Lava
lette was born in 1863. He entered the
army at the time of the revolution, served
with great distinction, by and by became
aide-de-camp to Napoleon, and married
the EmperOr's niece, Mile. de Beau
harnais. In 1912 he was appointed Post
master-General, lost his place on the
restoration of the Bourbons in 1914, but
was reinstated after the Emperor's re-
turn from Elba, and bestirred himself SO
actively in the imperial cause during the
Hundred Days that, after Waterloo, he
shared the fate of Ney and was
sentenced to death. 1t excited some
wonder that the Bourbons should display
such implacable severity toward a man
who, after all, was but of secondary
rank; but Lavalette welded great social
influence, ana NJ. de Talleyrand was
said to have denounced him as partisan
of unsupported genius and more danger
GUS than half dozen Marshals. So
Louis XVIII. refused to grant a reprieve,
and the execution was fixed for the 21st
of December, 1915. Now Lavalette was
confined in the Conciergerie, and the
Princess de Vaudcmont, the Countess de
Chassenon, and Nj. Baudus, friends of
Lavalette, comforting with the Countess,
his wife, decided that it would be posi-
BILE to save him by the Countess chang
ing clothes with him in his cell. Nine
de Lavalette was allowed to dine with
her husband every evening at five o'clock
and remained till seven. 1t is necessary
to remember that ladies' bonnets were
larger in those days and their cloaks
ample, SO that the idea of smuggling out
a man in woman's disguise under cover
of the darkness was much more practi-
cable than it would be in these times. At
all events the experiment was tried on
the evening OF the Goth of December, and
it succeeded; but the escape was one of
such hair-breadth kind that some
historians are persuaded that there was
more in the matter than appeared out
wardly
The Countess, accompanied by her
daughter Josephine, twelve years of age,
arrived in her husbands cell punctually
at five o'clock. Their dinner was a sad
one, as well it might be, and the pris-
oner's chances were almost compromised
at the last moment by loquaciOus turn
key coming in at half-past six o'clock to
offer consolation. He was not got rid of
till twenty minutes to seven, and the
next quarter of an hour was hurriedly
occupied in arraying the prisoner in his
wife's bonnet, black silk gown, boa and
shawl. Lavalette was short man, no
taller than his wife, and had once been
fat, but, luckily, confinement had thinned
him, and the disguise was SO complete
that when he emerged from behind the
screen where the change had been effect
ed his child did not recognize him. This
screen played a great part in the escape,
for without it nothing could have 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 not been
able to conceal herself for a few minutes
behind the screen the turnkey must have
Immediately noticed the prisoners disap-
pearance- As it was, the instant Count
Lavalette had fed from the cell, holding
his daughter by the hand and keeping
handkerchief to his mouth, the turnkey
came N as usual, but hearing the Count
ess rummaging at the toilet-stand behind
the screen, concluded the prisoner was
washing his hands, and withdrew into the
doorway, where he remained five min
utes Offering consolation as before, and
being answered by what he took to be
sObs. Meanwhile the fugitive had got to
the end of the first passage and had
passed five unsuspecting jailers, who
rose and barred their heads; but before
reaching the open air he had to go down
two more corridors, flight of steps, the
sale du CRETE, or office, an inner gate, a
large yard, and an outer gate-in all
about 200 yards of ground. He reached
the Office in safety; but here a dozen
turkeys were gathered round a stove,
and one of them, coming close to the
prisoner laid hand on his arm and said ::
Courage, madame" Lavalette had
drawn a gold piece for such an emer
gency; he dropped it, and the man in
STOPPING to pick it up allowed him to
sweep on across the gate and SO into the
courtyard, where twenty gendarmes were
lounging outside the guard-rOom. 1t was
almost miracle that the Sergeant on
duty did not come forward to identify
the yelled figure, but perhaps compassion
for the supposed Countess's grief with
held him. He ordered the gate to be
opened, and Lavalette, passing out into
the grand court of the Palace of Justice,
instantly entered the sedan chair that
was waiting But the chair porters were
not present! Two minutes, which must
have seemed two centuries, Lavalctte
waited, expecting every moment to see
the Conciergerie door open; but at
length the chair was suddenly lifted by
unknown hands, and the porters set off
at swinging trot for the Rue de Har-
lay, on the Quay DIES Orfevres, hard by
Here NJ. Baudus was stationed in cab.
Lavaletts sprang out, leaving his daugh-
ter in the chair, and was whirled away
toward the Point Neuf, pulling off his
disguise and dOnning "A servants livery
as he went. AT the Pont Neuf he
alighted with his friend, and both started
on foot for the Rue du Bac At the pre-
else moment when they were entering the
street six mounted gendarmes came
tearing along at full gallop. They were
the f1rst of detachment which had been
dispatched to all the gates of Paris to
give notice of the prisoners escape.
Layalette, in truth, had had but five
minutes start. Not hearing his prisoner
stir at the end of five minutes, the turn
key had peeped behind the screen, and
perceiving the Countess there, had raised
an alarm. But Mime. de Lavalette sprang
upon him, and during couple of min
utes there was desperate struggle be
tween thcm-the jailer only escaping al
last by leaving the sleeve of his coat in
the Countess hands. An instant after
ward the alarm was given, and so rap
idly was the pursuit organized that some
gendarmes overlook the sedan chair
bearing Josephine Lavalette before il
had turned off the quay. But the most
extraordinary part of the escape has YET
to be told During three weeks Lava
lette was searched for with unparalleled
ardor; price was put on his head n de.