The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-11-14
Particulars Of BaZaine's Escape.

Marshal Bazaine, says the Pari
correspondent Of tho London Stan
dard, is turning his leisure to accoun
by supplying the newspapers witt
copy. He has favored an ingeniou
correspondent of the Figaro will
what he assures the world is tn,
'' true aud reliable" account of hi
escape. The ex-Marshal is just nov
staying at q country house neal
Liege, called the Chateau de Faven
bois. give you the plain, unvar
nished talo = Of Figaro as it stands.
The gate swung open, my carriage
drove rapidly up well kept avenue
bordered by noble trees, the growtl
of centuries, and drew up in front o.
a mansion of ancient and substantial
appearance. The moment it came tc
a stand, young woman rushed uI
from a meadow where five or six per
sons were playing cricket (he proba-
bly, means croquet.) I Immediately
recognized Ia Marechale, and told my
errand in few words. While we
were conversing together powerful,
square built man, tightly buttoned in
his jacket as q soldier in his uniform,
sauntered up to us. | recognized the
former inmate Of the Isle St. Margne-
rite. He looked to me less fat, un-
wieldy and fatigued than | had been
led to expect. La Marechale intro
duced me to her husband. set forth
the cogent reason which had induced
me to solicit from himself details cal
culated to throw light as to the OBJ,
scure parts of his escape. He will
lingly assented to crafty my curiosity,
which he considered perfectly natur-
al. We withdrew to kind Of arbor,
where we were not likely to be dis
and the conversation commenced.
NJ. Bazaine said:
81 had long been meditating es-
cape and preparing for it. l never
dreamed of getting away save by
means of q rope, down the rocks fac
ing the French coast. And as | knew
that l should require to put my phys
ical strength to severe test, went
regular course.of training,
alleging as a pretext that my health
stood in need of exercise. In order
to make my wrists supple | fenced
every day, carried about
pots full OF water, took to
furiously, digging up and
turning over and over again the few
feet of vegetable earth where I cul-
tivated beans and tomatoes. Every
lay, when felt sure no body was
ooking on, practiced vaulting over
he embankment of the terrace. Ina
word, | laid in q store of strength
.nd activity, in order not to come to
grief on that account at the critical
moment. A few months previously,
With the aid OF Villette, l had re-
moved the earth and rubbish OBJ
the duct of the gurgoyle
through which l meant to pass my
ope; and espe cially concealed it by
} thin layer Of earth, 50 that the
seepers might not see it. We took
,reat care to prevent any land slips,
IS that would have disclosed our pro-
ects. Two ropes were necessary
me to be fastened t., the gurgoyle,
nd another rope to be fastened to
hat to enable me to descend. We
to fix this first rope at
nee, hiding it by a covering of earth;
nd as we did not know how long
would have to remain there, we
sed for the purpose the rope of
ny boys swing, which being
lade of aloe fibre, could not suffer
rom the damp. It was, however,
My on the day before the escape
hat myself IN ade the rope fast. 1t
ias then 6:15 =. NJ. The Governor
+ the prison and the keepers were all
t dinner. Az that was the time we
sually devoted to gardening and
altering our plants, our movements
xcited no attention. Villette SNUG
led an iron curtain rod out of the
)ldier's quarters. To make it safe,
9 broke it in two, and having lashed
le aloe rope to it, passed the rope
trough the duct Of the gurgayle, pla-
ing the bar across the duct. We
overed the whole thingup with grass
nd earth, and spent the evening as
sual. The other rope, which was to be
'stened to the first, was much longer.
We ascertained the requisite length
trough an ingenious device Of my
life. She told her little girl that
hen she saw NJ. Marchi (the Cover
or of the PRISON. walking on the ter
lce she must insist on having her
Altering pot filed with sea water.
he child did as she was bid. NJ.
.archi offered to let the watering pot
own and pull it up again, and the
lstance to the water's edge was thus
scertained. In the afternoon of the
emorable Sunday, having observed
'e Italian steamer heaving in sight
trough my telescope, I told Villette,
l think it is for this evening"" The
'lonel, though so gallant a man,
'uld not surmount his emotion. If
le keepers had been more wide
wake his preoccupation must have
1T them on the qui uiue. As for me,