New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-07-30
The Chalk Rift Tunnel.


histories Of this strange century, and sem
! it to you tor What il is worth. During til,
| Christmas recess Of PaIliamer- a emile
man CT character and influence II am 10
sure, but think MIR. Butler Johns.one, o
! Canterbury, wac the person., called upOI
| the Home Secretary and SAID ne had Gem
mun!chtiOn to make to him Of the creates
| Importance to the country and The govern
| nenr, especially al that particular time
| Before be would impart what he had Il
| tell, however, il would be necessary to ob
| tain certain Piled yes from Mr. Disraeiil
government. ana from that OF Presiden
| MaCMahCE, that the parties IL possession
| CT the secret should not ne annoyed by
prosecutions C1 any kind, For b.
| scandailzed by unnecessary publicity
They were persons OF consequence
| responsibility and wealth, guilty OF ne
crime, and il would not be rational to ex
pect them to surrender this secret, whici
they were fully able to guard perfectly, IN
less they were fret assured OF entire im
munity from annoyance. They were moi
responsible for the uses this secret had beer
put TO- and should not be Injured in any
way by making surrender OF it. In fact
no crime at all was involved IL the matter
proposed TO be disclosed, but there had
undoubtedly been some heavy frauds upon
the revenues by means OF which .te preGe
ceseOrs of the present posseesors Of the
secret had gained great wealth. and theil
representatives. were enjoying the fruits OF
it. These frauds had ceased for some gene
rat!oDs, however, and the perpetrators were
all dead. Still, undue publicity would
scaEdalize theii memory. and this wac not
desired by the holders OF this secret, who
were yet sincerely anxious to surrender Il
to the two government interested.
Mr.. Gross received this mysterious com.
muB icaticn with some ditfdepce. out when
il was unotiiciaily hirted to him further that
the secret had to do with the proposed tun-
mel under the channel. he promised to con,
slider the matter. a few days later Queen s
messenger dispatched TO Paris on this bust
ness partly returned with unexpected
promptness with message from the charge
TO whose discretion the matter wac unoff-
cially committed. reporting that the French
government had shown very great eager
ness 10 possess the secret, and offered TO
give any reasonable pledges in the prem
ises strongly recommending the Home Sec
Rotary to DO the same. The charge further
reported that he had been communicated
with by the very efficient French ministry
OF public works, and that the chairman of
the commission then sitting TO determine
upon the feasibility of a submarine railway
told him that, from facts already in posses
sion OF the bureau and the commission, he
was satisfied that the secret proposed TO be
communicated was one OF great import
ance.
Mr. Cross sent for his Canterbury visitor
aud assured Lin that the possessors Of the
secret might feel perfectly safe in giving
the government any information of the
sort proposed. and after some tritiing delays
ard little more diplomacy, the Home Sec
retary was introduced to Mr.. Fleet wood
Hesld senior partner of the firm of Glyn,
Jansen, Gericault & Heald, bankers. Strand.
This house had been banking since 1929.
but before thai had been largely engaged
IN the importing business. Head was the
sole surviving partner of the old concern, a
man of much wealth and highly esteemed.
The Gyms we're out OF the firm long ago;
the Jansens, a Dutch family, had long ago
Withdrawn; the Gericaults we're dead. ex-
cept some JUNIOR members of the family,
who lived in Paris but still had some divi-
bends from the bank. Mr.. Head lived
chiefly in London, but was native of
Kent, and had been born in an old manor
house on the Downs OF Dover, which had
belonged to the Heads from time III.
memorial. Head is a man Of fifty five
wears old, and is described to me az a person
of strong character and great influence.
He is member Ct the City of London
Club, and has been several times solicited
to 90 into Parliament, hut always refused
Mr.. Fleetwood Head. on being intro
duced to Mr.. Cross. produced letter
dated q week earlier from Paris, and
signed by Gericarlt aine, saying in effect
that Mr.. Head had tull authority from
him, on the terms proposed, to make the
communication 10 the TWO governments
respecting the cavern called "Gericauits
Hope"
LAS l am the only other person inter-
ested," said Mr.. Head, this secret being
made known only to the eldest person of
each of our two families of Heald and
GoricauJ at a time, feel fully authorized
to communicate to the British and French
governments, through you, the rather
startling fact that a family of Kentish
yeomen and family of Picard mobiles have
been acquainted with secret route under
the English channel since the year 1896"
Rather startling, indeed. Mr.. Cross is a
gentleman OF the utmost aplOmb, but this
matter-ottact communication upset his
equanimity completely, and my informant
tells me- that the secretary was strongly in
pany of a mailman.
Mr. Fleetwood Head, however, quietly
went on to explain that he himself, though
proud to be the representative and descend
ant of long line of Kent farmers, whose
name he bore, was also descended from
some Of the bluest blood Of France, the de
Gericaults of SAINT Nicole-sur-mer, family
that had fought under Joinville and Fran
CTS l., under Henri Quatre and Condo, al
ways on horseback, and always with hcnor.
At the time of the League the de Gericaults
became Professionals. and continued to hold
that faith in the later time At the period
of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes,
the old tower and chateau of Gericault at
st. Nicole was owned by the Sieur jules de
Gericault bachelor, but his younger
brother, Armand, was lawyer IN Evreux,
prCcurateur du roi in the Provincial Parlia-
meEt, and q married man with large
family. His eldest son, JOscelin, an ardent
youth, fresh from college, had got into seri-
Gus difficulties with the authorities owing
to his active resistance to the dragOnading
brntaiitles practlced upon the Protestant
emigres, and his troubles finally eliminated
in an attempt to arrest him. He resisted,
and was SO unfortunate as to kill lieuten-
ant of the Kings Guard. Instant flight
was his only resource, and by his fathers
advice he took refuge with his uncle, the
old bachelor Jules, who lived solitary life
in the tower.
JOscelln's place of refuge, however, was
betrayed, and he was about to be captured
when his uncle hastily took him into the
cellars of the chateau, into q pit or cell
known as 1.-THE dungeon" He lifted a
stone from the floor OF this cell and dis
closed a stone stairway. Descend here"
said the Sieur. This stair leads you to
the most precious possession of the house,
the cavern of Gericault's Hope. 1t has been
known to one member Of the family ever
since the raids OF the Mortimer. 1t is
refuge and sheltering place in any great
and no one knows the depth of
it. 1t goes under the sea, that we know
Descend these steps; you have flint and