Daily Los Angeles herald., 1880-07-15
The Bastillo.

The Bastille, the state prison ant
citadel of Paris, was begun In 1855
by Charles ". enlarged in succeed
ing reigns, and destroyed by thu
people In 1889 Situated at thu
gate st. Antoine, it had, wher
completed, eight huge round tow.
ers, connected by curtains of mass
i've masonry, and was encircled BY
n wide ditch 25 feet deep, which
was usually dry. This ditch was
surrounded by high wall, tC
which was attached a wooden gal.
lery, called "the rounds,'
accessible by two staircases
and guarded by sentinels
The administration of the Bastille
in the 18Th century was vested in q
governor, royal intendant, a
major, a majors aid, surgeon and
u matron. The garrison was com
posed of 100 men, commanded by
two captains, u lieutenant and SER
geanis. The cells were situated in
all the towers, the walls of which
were at least twelve feet thick, and
at the base thirty or forty feet.
Each cell had an aperture in the
wall, defended by three iron graf
ings, the bars of which we,e
au inch thick and SO arranged
that, although the openings in
each grating were really Of four
inches, only two inches were left
uDobstructed. The dungeons were
nineteen feet below the level of the
courtyard and five feet below that
of the ditch, with no opening but
II narrow loophole communicating
with the ditch. The Bastille could
contain fifty State prisoners in SOL
itary cells. When a greater mum.
Der were placed within its walls,
they were confined In cells opening
on the bitches which carried off the
Ordure and sewerage of the prison
amid odors insuffsrabIe. They
were miserably fed, but this was
owing rather to the abuses Of the
Governor than to the Government,
which paid enormous sums for the
maintenance of its state prisons.
Bonneville asserts that In his time
Bernaville, who was then Gov
ernor, had u great number Of pris.
Oners at all prices, up to 25 francs
n head per diem, and that their
daily subsistence did not cost him
on an average 20 sous. There was
u regular tariff of expenses for the
table, lights and washing of all
prisoners according to their rank.
Thus, a prince Of the blood was a :.
lowed 50 francs per day; u consid-
cradle burgher, or an advocate, 3
francs; and the members of ail iu-
ferior Glasses, 2 francs and ~ sOus,
the same being the rates allowed
for the guards, wardens and sell
wants of the PRISON. The inhuman
treatment to which prisoners In
the Bastile were subjected has few
parallels in the history of penal
Quietly. Put there without trial OF
accusation, on u simple iettre de
c0chet, allowed no communication
with friends, their final fate
was dependent upon the caprice OF
despotism aud unknown to the
world. Up to the date Of the ac-
cession of Charles XII. the BastiIle
continued to be merely a royal
fortress, when it became a State
prison under the government of
Thomas Beaumont, who was in
command when in AIS the popu-
lace broke into its precints and
massacred the house of Armagnac.
Within the walls of this prison
died Charles de Goutaut, Sieur ne
Blron, Marshal Of France, for
treason against Henry Nv.
Here also were imprisoned Bias.
som pierre, Marshal Richelieu, Vol.
taire, Latitude, who in vain made
an extraordinary escape, and thai
victim of Louis XIV, known a.
the Man in the IrOu Mask, whose
identity has never been absolutely
established. After the death o
Louis XIV, the Bastille degener
ated from being place of incarcer
alton for suspected princes, pre-
tenders to the throne, and subjects
too powerful for the state, into
common Jail. The imprison
ment of Biaziot, the King
Librarian, by the minister d.
Breteuil, nominally at the King''
order, brought to light the who'll
) system of inquiry, Biaizot was de
livered but DE Breteuil was no
. punished. Ga July IA, 1889. afte
u brief defence by DeIaunay, thel
governor, aud the guard consist NJ
:. of eighty-two invaiids and thirty
two Swiss, the Bastille was cap
, tured by the people, ransacked an
: /. on the following day its tower
. RACED and its dungeons file
with the copings of its battlements
Seven persons were found in II
cells and dungeons: One, til
= Count de Solage, prisoner sine
his 18th year; another, Travenie
: who, after 10 years at the Marguel
: rite Islands, had passed thirt
!; years in the Bastille, and who re-al
!. peared, on his liberation, bewi
! dered, with broken intel!ec
n like u man awakened from u sleel
V Records Of horrors, even wor
= than this were found inscribed
=, the registers OF the prison.
= On It's site now stands the colup
Ill a.. 4. t.I In. ~