The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-11-19

I'm the year 1903, on the 10th day OF 40.
yember, Marchiali, sged forty i've years or
theTeabouts, died at the Bastile. His body
was inferred in the burying place Of this
parish OF st. Paul, on the 10Th OF said month.
in the presence of M. de Rosarges, Mayor of
the Bsstile, aud NJ. Reilh, Ethe surgeon, who
aeeordirG,'y sigu tnis.n
Father GrlEet, in his "Traite de Preuves
qui servant pour etablir la Verite de rHis-
toire.' tays nothing can exceed the depend.
ence that may be placed on the journal OF
NJ. &c Jonca He adds that great many
circumstances relating to the pris )ner were
known to the officers and servants Of the
bastile when NJ de LaSnay was appointed
Mayor there; that NJ. de Launay told him
he was informed by them that Immediately
after the prisoners death his linen, clothes,
mattresses, and, in short everything that
bad been USED by him, were burned; that
the walls of his room were scraped and the
floor taken up, all evidently from the ap-
prehension that he might have found means
Of writing something that would have dis
covered who be was, and that VI. d Arsen-
son, who often came TO the Bastile when
Lieutenant General of the Police, hearing
that the garrison still spoke of this prisoner,
asked ore day what was said about him,
and, after hearing some of the conjectures,
observed: ''They will never know"
II is related by others that, besides the pre-
cautions mentioned by NJ. de Launsy, the
glass was taken out of the window of his
room and pounded to dust, the window
frame and doors burnt, and the ceiling OF
the room and the plaster of the inside CHM
ney taken down. Several persons have af-
firmed that the body was buried without q
head, and NJ. de st. f DIX, in his "Essais His
toriques," informs Us that a gentleman,
having bribed the sexton, had the body
taken up in the night, and found stone in
stead of the head.
IL a
| says: Some months after the death of Car
dinal Nszsrin, in 1861, there happened an
event of which there is no example, and,
what is no less stray &c, the historians of that
time seem to have been unacqusinted with
| it. There was sent with the greatest secresy
to the castle on the Island of Marguerite, in
the Sea OF Provence, an unknown prisoner,
rather above the middle size, young and Of
| graceful figure On the rosd he wore a
mask with steel springs that enabled him to
eat without taking 1T of. Those who con-
Quoted bim had orders to kill him If he
made any attempt to discover himself. He
remained there until the Govern of Pigne-
roe, an officer of confidence named st. Mars
| being eppoin ted Governor of the Bastile, 1896
| brought him thence to the Bastile, always
covered with a mask. The Marquis de Lou
vols, who went and saw him at ST Mar
| guerite, spoke to him standing, and with
that kind of attention that marks respect
| He was lodge at the Basti!e as well as that
castle would admit. Nothing was refused
him that he desired. His chief taste was for
lace and linen, arkably fine. He played
on the guitar. His table was the bsst that
could be provided, and the Governor seldom
sat down in his presence. An old physician
| of the Bastile, who bad often attended him
when he was indisposed, said that he never
saw his face, though he had frequently ex
amined his tongue and parts of his body;
that he was admirably well made; that his
| skin vas rather brown; that be had some
thing interesting in the sound of his voice;
that be never complained or let drop any
thing by which it might be guessed VINO he
was.
This unknown person died in 1903, and
was buried in the night, at the burying-
| ground in the parish OF St. Paul. What in
cresses our establishment is, that when he
was sent 10 st Marguerite no person of ion
| portance in Europe was missing. Yet this
prisoner certainly was of importance. See
what happered soon after his arrival there
The governor put the dishes on the table
himself retired snd locked the door. One
day the prisoner wrote something with his
| knife on a silver plate and threw it out of
the window toward boat that was drawn on
shore near the bottom of the tower. A
fisherman to whom the boat belonged took
up the plate and brought ii to the governor,
who, with evident establishment, asked the
men If be had read what YVES written on the
plate, or if any person had seen it He said
| that be could not read; that ne had Just
| found it, ana that no one else had seen it,
He was however, confined until the gov.
ernor was certain that he could not read, and
that no other had seen the plate. He then
dismissed him. saying: 1t is lucky for you
that You can not read.
The Able Pspon relates shat young lad,
a barber, having seeE one day something
white floating on the water, took it up. 1t
was a fine shirt, written almost all over. He
carried it to NJ de Saint Mars who, having
looked at some parts OF the writing, eSked
the lad with some appearance OF anxiety if
be had read it. He assured him repeatedly
that be had not, but two days afterWard the
boy was found dead in his bed"
NJ. de la Borde informs Us that NJ. Lin
guet, in the course OF his inquiries, found
that when the Iron Mask went to mass he
had the most ex press orders not TO speak or
show himself; that the invalids were COM
map6ed to fire on him If he disobeyed; that
their arms were loaded with bali, and that be
therefore took great care to conceal himself
and TO be silent.
Among the various con lectures respecting
the Iron Mask, the most prevalent opinion is
that he was the twin brother of Louis XIV,
born some hours after him, aRd that the
king, their father, fearing that the preten-
sions of twin brother might one day be
employed to renew those civil wars with
which France had so often beed afflicted,
cautiously concealed his birth and sent hi N
away 10 be brought up privately.