The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-08-05
LA BASTILLE Is FALLEN.

LA 40 a
The Story OF the Popular Revolt In Paris
July h, 15s0.
France, with its love for the spectacu-
lar and the dramatic, could remain
without a great National feast no
longer. The third Republic has fixed
on the anniversary of the fall of the
Bastile, the 14th of July, as the Ma
tional festival.
The term "Bastile'' was formerly
applied to any fortified building, but
after the destruction of all others of the
kind in Paris the Bastile which Hugues
Aubriat erected in 1869 at the gate of
Saint Antoine became entitled to the
appellation of "The Bastile." The
nucleus of this structure were two
massive towers, one on each side of the
gate of Saint Antoine. Six others were
added to these, and the series was con-
nected by thick wall between each.
The entire structure was surrounded
by moat twenty-five feet wide, which
in earlier days was kept filed with
fresh water which later on became the
common receptscle for its sewerage
The Bastile was from time to time
added to and altered inside, but exter-
nally it ever remained substantially the
same. 1t figures quite extensively as a
fortress in French history. When
Charles VII, whom Joan of Arc led
out of misfortune, retook Paris from
the English in 1896 his enemies took
refuge there, and if hunger had not
compelled them to capitulate they
would have been able to make q stub
boru defense. When in 1888 the Par
lament of Paris refused its adhesion to
the Catholic League, the Duke of Guise
shut the entire body up within its walls,
and when Henry of Navarro took the
city he made it his treasure house and
set the faithful Sully over it to guard
it. During the wars of the Fronde it
was subjected to a two-days' siege,
when it was briskly cannonaded for =
brief time. Its guns did good service
also In the famous fight between the
forces of Cande and Turenne at the
Porte st. Antoine. when the former
owed their safe retreat into the city to
Its well-directed fire.
The Bastile did not actually become
notorious as State Prison until the
reign of Louis Kill, although high
personages were confined in it from
time to time almost from its first exist
ence- in fact, if tradition is to be be-
ieved, the very noble who built it by
the Kings command was the first one
to pine away in its deep recesses. A
lettre de cachet from the King was all
that was required to bring any one
there, and once there it was no easy
matter to get out, for nothing but an
other order from the King would have
the least efect--it being to the interest
of the Governor to have as many pris-
oners as possible, as he was allowed so
much per head; and the scale of prices
was very liberal-so much so that the
post was looked upon as a very fat
berth for any one who had no objection
to doing dirty work. Not only men but
women and children found their way
into the Bastile, so that there was often
lack of accommodations The cells
were all in the high round towers,
where heavy iron grating and a pecul-
lar construction o ( the windows prevent
ed more than a modicum of the day.
light from entering. The dungeons were
slightly beneath the level of the moat,
and a narrow opening into the ditch was
all the provision for fresh air and
light. The foul odors, which were all
that the prisoner in one of these could
get as substitute for fresh air. soon
broke down his health, and unless he
was of very robust constitution he did
not live long. The building had accom-
modations for fifty state prisoners, but
when its doors were opened on the
memorable 14th of July, 1889. only sew.
en- were found, among them being q
man who had been q prisoner thirty
years, and who had become so weaken.
ed in his intellect during that time thai
he begged piteously to be allowed to re-
main-he was SO used to the gloom and
silence. Another bad been imprisoned
when q boy of IL, and though he was
now long past mans estate, neither he
nor anybody seemed to know why he
was there. On the wall were the
records Of others who had passed long
life times in those cells, either for some
real or imaginary trivial offense. The
Bastile was then to the people of Franco
a synonym of all that was despotic
cruel and contemplate in the Govern.
ment, and for this reason it was razed
to the ground, and consequently, nc
! doubt, the Third Republic has selected
the anniversary of that deed for specia
honor. ,..
..All morning since nine," says Car
lyle, in describing the events of that 14tt
of July, in that rhapsodic production
of his, "The French Revolution y
''there has been q cry everywhere-.Tt
the Bastiler Repeated deputations o
citizens have been here, passionate
for arms, whom De Launay, the Gov
ernor, has got dismissed by soft speech
es through portfolios. Toward moor
Elector Thuriot la Rosiere gains admit
tance, finds De Launay indisposed fo
surrender; nay, disposed for blowing VI
the place rather. Thuriot mount!
| with him to the battlements; heaps O
| paving stones, old iron and missiles Ii,
piled; cannon all duly leveled; in every
embrasure . cannon, only drawn bacl
| little! But outwards, behold, D Thu
riot, how the multitude flows on, well
ing through every street, tocsin furi
ously pealing, all drums beating the
generate, the suburb Saint Antoine roll
| ing hitherward wholly as one man
Que voulez-vous?' said De Launay
turning pale at the sight, with an ali
of reDroach. almost of menace. Mon
sieur,' said Thuriot, rising into the
moral sublime, What mean you? Con
slider if could not precipitate both o
us from this height'-say only hun
dred feet, exclusive of the walled ditch
Whereupon De Launay fell silent. Thu
riot shows himself from some pinnacl,
to comfort the multitude, becoming