The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1879-06-24
THE NAN: WITH THE IRON
MASK.
New Facts and q Letter From fhe
Prisoner Now FIRST Published.


DEAR SIR. | beg leave To place at
your command. in the service Of pro-
gress, the inclosed fac smile 1T let
ter written BY the "lron Mask in a
strange character. together with n
history and trsslation Ut the same
into French. and from the French
into English. the latter hy La Baronne
Egbert lie Stein fAlten>tein of
Belgium. who has been kind enough
tn place them in INV hands. Also
Copies Of the records of Bss,ile, etc.
from Belgium imprint. These are
full nf interest. and doubtless will nv
most acceptable tn the readers of the
Progress. A reproduction Of the
fac simile. I think. would he service
able. Very truly yours.
EDWARD SHIPPEN.
Extrs-t from lie Lup,i-r. Ba,xs.''
The existence Of the prisoner in the
Bastiie, known ~ the ''Iron Mask" is
not u legend; it is u certain fact
Consigned nv history, and which none
can contest.
The mention made OF it in the regis
tiers Of the Bastile il As follows:
Thursday. 18th September. 1893.
at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. NJ. de
Saint Mars. Governors Of the Rasiile.
made his first entrance, coming from
his Government of the Isles Saint
Marguerite. bringing With him in his
litter a prisoner he had ut Pignerol.
winch prisoner is always masked and
whose name is always never mention
ed, and caused him to he placed. on
getting out Of the litter. in the first
chamber Of the Tower Bazemiere until
night, when, at 9 o'clock, NJ. de
Saint Mars. the Governor, COM
manded NJ. Dujonce. the Kings
Lieutenant Of the said Castle, AMI H.
ID. Rosarges, one IF the Sergeants
that the Governor had brought with
him. to conduct the prisoner to third
chamber Of the Tower Bertaudiere.
which NJ. Dujonce had caused to be
completely furnished few days be-
fore his arrival.
This parsonage was always served
nv the said NJ. Rorarges. aud was
seen by him and by NJ. le Governor
only.
H. vas treated with great care and distraction.
The prisoner ws- allowed TO go To- mass
Respecting his death. here is an ex-
tract from the Register Of the Castle
of the Basiile. Death If the Man Of
the Iron Mask
Monday. the 18th Of November,
1903. The unknown prisoner. always
masked with black velvet mask. that
NJ. de- Saint Mars, the Governor, had
brought with him on coming from
the Isles Saint Marguerite, where he
bad him 50 long in his keeping. was
taken slightly Ill Yesterday after macs.
He died this day about 10. o'clock at
night, without having had any great
sickness. He could hardly have had
lea. NJ. Grant, our Chaplain, re-
ceived his confession, and was sur
prised at his death The sacraments
we're not administered to him, but our
Chaplain said some words Of exhorta-
ton to him when on the poin: Of
death, and the prisoner guarded 81
long. was buried ON Tuesday at 4
o'clock in the afternoon. in the Gene,
terv Of st. Paul. his parish.
In the register Of the dead at st.
Pauls. the unknown name Of
Marchialy has been given to the
deceased. The Major de Roearge.
and the Surgeon Major Rheil signed
the register Of St. Paul's ut the burial
Note-All the clothes. furnitur,
and other effects Of the prisoner. an6
everything he made use Of. even Il
his bed. chairs, arm chairs. tables ant
utensils Of every description bav'
been burned or melted. and the Gin
ders thrown into the l.atrines.
Moreover. this prisoners chsmbe
has been entirely scraped and thel
wbitened.
Here. then. dear readers. is tn
. truth respecting the entrance Of tn
"Iron Mask" into the Bastile, and tn
manner in which he left it.
As regards these two establishe,
points there Is nothing mysterious. bu
; It is in the secret Of his birth an
} identity that obscurity and myster
! have always existed and still exist.
True it IL that this prisone
was treated with the respect due to
Prince, and that Marshal Of Franc
shut up in the Bastile would not hav
been the object IF greater consider
ton. 1t appears also from document
; Of that epoch that the Marquis d
y Louvais when visiting him spoke wit
4 him standing. hat in hand, and it
D we'll known that the proud Iowa
, uncovered his head only before Il
King.
Among many other details pc
feetly authenticated concerning tn
prisoner, We will cite the words of Il
King, Louis XIV. when he confid.
. this unfortunate man to the unworth
e St. Mars: "Your body will answ,
e for that Of this prisoner" said Il
e King-from document Of that epoc
After his death q number Of difieIe
u versions preoccupied the public mil
b that Of q State secret was mo
e accredited. Not being able to analy
4 them all. I have made q sacrifice
order to esquire the right. for Il
benefit Of my readers. of furnishir
: them with the autograph Of . very c
;. rious document attributed to the po
II "IrOn Mask"
One day. it is said. . few montl
before his death. that is to say in Il
!. month Of September. 1908. the do
. Of the cell Of Marchialy being open.
certain Jean Aumout received fu
lively. during few minutes absen
Of the jailer, q letter from the "Ir,