The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-04-15
Princess De Lamballe.
A Heroine Of the Reign OF Terror.

MUGS Honn lhe iatai times OF the great revo-
luton, when Marat and Danton held such
fearful sway, tell us the ill-starred Princess de
Lamballe was woman of no great power of
mind, but of spotless reputation and with an
affectionate heart, who, although she kept
herself free from political intrigues of the
time, became victim through her firm friend
ship and devoted attachment to her queen,
Maria Antionette.
When the Tuilleries was taken, she,wthout
hesitation accompanied the king and queen to
the temple, and remained with them, cheer
ing and comforting her royal friend and mis-
tress, until the brutal order came to exclude
all the friends of the fallen monarch from his
prison. She was not however, set free, but
sent to another prison, called La Force, and
while there heard, to the minutest details, of
the fearful butchery of the royalst prisoners,
the number Of which is stated to have amount
ed to nearly seven thousand, counting the in
mates of all the prisons.
Their destroyers, who were of the lowest
class OF people, were absolutely hired at so
much head by arrangement with their chief,
but SO great was their belief in the retribu-
tive justice of their acts, that no temptation,
however liberal the offer, could move them
to pity or mercy.
But their leaders were not always inaacessi-
BILE to great ransoms in the form of gold, Jew
els, or any gain which would enrich them, and
impoverish, If not ruin the fortunes of those
whom they thus saved from the pixies and
sabres of their would-be assassins.
But the unfortunate Princess de Lamballe
r,nt fnrt la-
sure, and the iudges-Herbert and L'Hulier-
It's said, wished to save her, fate was against
her, and cry ruined her-she fell between
the tribunal and the street.
She was the youthful widow of the son of
the Due de Penthievre and princess of Sa
voic Cariguan.
Her charms of mind and exquisite beauty
had secured to her the deep affection of Marie
Antionette and the pure and good princess de
Lamballe had excited the odious suspicious Of
the people by her noble devotion to the cause
of her unfortunate friend; and that devotion
increasing with the rapid downfall of her
queen, it had given her untold pleasure when
she was allowed to follow to the temple her
royal friends, and equally bitter was her grief
when torn from the arms of the queen to be
thrown into La Force.
Her father-in-law loved her as his own
daughter, and strove to save her by a secret
agent OF his house, who was furnished with q
hundred thousand crowns, and was sent to
Paris to buy from one of the principal agents
Of the commune the safety of the Princess de
Lamballe.
The Due de Penthievre lived in retirement
at his Chateau de Bizy, in Normandy. pro-
tected in his old age by the love of his people.
Other agents and private friends tried to
insinuate themselves into the good graces of
the fearful men who roamed the prisons
through, and to keep watch over the unfortu-
nate princess.
She was one of the last who appeared before
the tribunal. She had been spared the day
and night of September the second, as if to
give the people time to satiate themselves, be-
fore robbing them of the coveted prey.
In chamber high up in the prison, shut up
with her sole attendant, Madame de Navarro,
she heard from there, during forty hours, the
blows of the assassins, the ceaseless tumult OF
the people, and the heartrending groans OF
the dying, and among the din she heard voic-
es calling upon her name Sick and convuls-
ed with terror, startled by dreams hardly less
windows, she tainted continually.
At last, four O'Clock, two national guards
entered her chamber, and ordered her, wit
pretended harshness, to rise and follow them
to the Abbaye. She was scarcely able to stir,
and begged her benefactors to leave her where
where. One of the men leaned toward her
bed and whispered in her ear that her life de-
pended on it. At this she begged the men to
retire from her chamber, when she hurriedly
dressed and descended the stairs supported by
the national guard who seemed interested in
her safety.
The Judges, Herber and L'Hulier were
waiting for her. At the sight of the sinister
figures before her. and the appearance of the
ruffans with arms stained with blood, half
ODapnO the door NJ tho xub tba xr;n
TINS were heard falling. she swooned again.
but slowly returned to life under the gentle
care of her attendant or waiting woman.
Swear" said her judges, "love of equality
and liberty, and hatred to the kings and
queens"
1 will take the first oath, willingly" said
she: "hatred to the king and queen cannot
VOW, for it is not in my heart"
"Swear all!' said one of the judges, leaning
toward her with a significant gesture. 'if
you do not, you are deadl''
She bowed her head but closed her lips
"Well, go out" said they to her, land when
in the street cry ViUe Ia Nation'" One of
the chiefs OF the massacre named Trenchon
the acolytes sustained her on the other. On
appearing at the threshold, and beholding the
mutilated bodies, and forgetting the saving
cry recommended to her to utter,-"Oh," she
exclaimed, what horror!" Trenchon, the
chief, put his hand over her mouth, and COM
K
about halfway down the street Russian bar
Der named Chariot, infamed with wine aud
carnage, raised in barbarous Jest with his
pike, the heavy cap which covered the head
of the Princess de Lamballe. The pike di-
rected by an unsteady hand, grazed her fore
head; the blood gushed forth and covered her
face.
The assassins then thought that the victim
was given to them, and threw themselves
upon her, and one villain named Grizon laid
q fQaf xuitH Nf 10 ol.xk.
Chariot who had first assailed her, seized her
by the hair and cut off her head, and they car
ried it to neighboring wine-shop, and plac-
ing it between the glasses and bottles on the
counter, forced those present to drink with
them to celebrate her death. Then they walk
ed in numbers, bearing the head to the Tenn
pie, to terrify the queen. The king3 was in
vited to show himself to the people, so that
they might display to him their dreadful tro-
ply; but kindly commissary placed himself
between the king and the window, but not be-
fore he had caught a glimpse of the CHASTITY
object and recognized it. The queen hasten
ing forward, was caught in her husbands
arms, so preventing her from viewing the spec
tacle prepared for her.
When night came, an unknown friend fol-
lowed the fearful procession, and with much
gold, bought the head of tie princess from her
murderers, and cleansing it and the beautiful
long hair, which it still retained, secured it in
leaden Golfer, and had it conveyed to the
Duo de Penthievre, who awaited it in an
guish. The funeral service was performed in
chamber hung with black, and many time
after the old noble would say he often fancied
he saw her sitting in the window of her favor
lite study, working from morning to night, at
the labors of her sex, for the good of her poor
and less favored sisters. He would say she
never had thought that was not for her
queen, himself and the unfortunate; and with
these repinings for his beautiful and good
daughter-in-law and faithful friend until
death, he passed away to join those he had
loved so well and mourned so truly. This is
only one of the many sad Examinations to the
good and noble lives which fell sacrifice to
those frightful times.
One Source of Crime.