The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-06-26

collins and from their leaden Cerements
where they had slept for long centuries, the
bones of the long lines OF the kings ana
queens of the Capet and Valois and Bourbon
stocks, who we're peacefully sleeping here,
and, on the plea that France wanted material
tor cannon and munition OF war, they
stripped the leaden wrappings off from the
moldering bones and flung them into quick
lime in the "fosse Commune" taking the
ancient ornaments and weapons and armor,
of which they found great store lying beside
the dead in the coffins-swords, scepters,
crowns, bracelets, necklaces, rosaries, etc, to
the melting pot, 80 that no one might
be able to cherish them as relics"
They found that the close wrapping of sheet
lead around the bodies had preserved some
OF them, such as PhiilPpe augustus, rIancis
I. and the heroic Bertrand du Guesclin, and
those OF some of the females, quite undecay-
ed and showing in lineament, figure and
hair and almost in expression, exactly how
they must have appeared in life. And l am
happy to say that on opening the collins OF
others, such a powerfully malignant and
penetrating odor issued that some hundreds
of those who were engaged in the ghoulish
work sickened and died-a fitting retribu-
ton But the tombs themselves were saved
by the exertions of a Jealous French an
tiquarian who took them to his museum,
until, upon the restoration of the Bourbons,
they were replaced In their original posi-
tons in the church, while the remains
disinterred from the 'fosse Commune,
and the bodies of all the Bourbons who
have died since the restoration are now
shown you in rows of massive, iron-bound
wooden collins. in the crypt below the altar.
The sculptured tombs are curious specimens
of the mortuary art of tygone centuries;
nearly all have the statue of the deceased
incumbent upon or kneeling above the cof-
fin; the features are almost always portraits,
h. Of l,o nari0
Antonettes, in bridal costume, presents the
best existing likeness of the unfortunate
queen, and Bertrand du Guesclin's shows
the wound in the eye which he received In
battle), while Catherine de Med and her
husband, Henri IL, lie dead stiff and stark
naked on top of their tombs, which 50 of
tended the imperious Italian that she had
kneeling draped statues substituted, but
after her death they put the other
ones here also. The older ones sleep
with a dog couched under their
crossed feet, the men in armor, the women
in colt ruff and long, tight fitting skirts, and
it is interesting to muse over them and to
see just how they looked and appeared as
they walked through history. The most Gu
rions of the magnificent gothic tombstones
have seen is here. that of Fredegonda, wife
of Chilperic, died 597, a Mosaic slab, with
thin lines of silver inlaId and interviewer.
Henri Quatre abjured Calvinism IN this
church. and here Napoleon was married to
the Austrian archduchess Marie Louise. An
geran standing by, was asked whether any
thing was wanting to the splendor of the
scene. Nothing bat the presence of the
million of men who have died to do away
with all this" was the reply. Much as de-
precate, 1 am not going to fercely
denounce the revolutionists for their
excuses here, as is customary, for
they were sorely provoked; recollect
that they had been regarded, treated and
called by their masters as carbon" And
they nearly all expiated their violence with
their lives. 1.-THE judgment of heaven was
upon them," says a Tory bishop; almost all
OF them came to violent ends" 49," re-
piled Ohm, did almost all the apostles"
And many of them from their tombs, even
now rule France more supremely than her
most absolute monarchs when alive.
Close adjoining the cathedral in the huge
old abbey once belonging to it, is Napoleon's
famous school for the education of the
daughters, sisters and nieces of members Of
theAegion of honor, once presided over by
the famous Nine Campau, and where q
great number of young ladies receive an ex-
collect education dress in black uniform,
and are disciplined with more than military
strictness.