The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-09-04
THE BASTILE.

Il
Escape.
Although Roy was but fourteen years
old, he was a great traveller. He had
crossed the Atlantic in calm and stormy
weather. had seen the great pillows
rolling mountain-high. and had looked
over the vast expanse of water when it
was clear. smooth and blue as = lake
He had visited a number of noted
castles in Great Britain, Westminster
Hall and the Tower of London. had rid
den up and down the Champs Elysee
in Paris, and visited the Tuilleries and
Louvre. In fact, he had seen many
wonderful things far and wide.
| Now here is conundrum for your
solution. He had seen all of these
things. and yet had never been more
than hundred miles from his home in
Troy. New York. Impossible, you say.
No; it is as say; and he had escaped
a great deal of the weary labor which is
usually involved in sightseeing. Now
for the solution. as can not wait for
yours
His father haa q fine library. and,
discovering Roy's fondness for travel.
tried to satisfy his longings in that d.
rection as best he could. by Civ ng him
books and portfolios of engravings.
Then Roy had attended Prof. Stoddard's
and Cromwell's lectures, and spent
night after night in the very midst of
Europe.
At school to-day he had heard pro-
lessor talking to the senior class. and
he used this expression: las horrible
- the Bastile-"
"Bastile, BastileI' How the word
kept ringing in Roy's ear all day long!
What was the Bastile?" His father
never explained to him what he could
find out for himself But now he was in .
quandary. He did not know where to
begin his search. '.Was it in Japan or
Italy? What was it?" Strange to say
it never occurred to him to look in that
wonder-book. the dictionary. which
would have given the key to unlock the
mystery. His mother was absent from
home; so he had to content himself
| with waiting till his father returned in
| the evening. To be sure, there was his
sister; but then-well. girls never did
know anything, except what you didn't
| wish them 20. Uet me whisper aside
| to the girls that his sister only week
before had to write composition about
| the Bastile in school. her teacher had
read the class short account of it and
then obliged them to write in fifteen
minutes all they could remember.
Clara had received the highest mark).
Now l will tell you what Roy learned
about the Bastile when his father put
him on the right road, which road led
neither to Japan nor Italy.
The word Bastile or Bastel was used
in France to designate any fertilization
intended to withstand military force.
But when the Bastile is spoken of now
but one place is meant-the great
gloomy prison of Paris
The building of the Bastile was be-
gun in the latter part of the fourteenth
century. during the reign of Charles v.
and was not completed till many years
afterwards Il stood on an island of
the Seine, and consisted of four tall,
round towers connected by thick walls
with four other similar towers SO as to
form rectangular building. In the
center was an open court and there
stood an immense clock VIII oh could
be seen from the towers windows The
building was surrounded by q deep
ditch which had walls of solid masonry
and were filed with water when the
Seine overlooked.
Charles v. did not intend the Bastile
Tor q prison, but only as piece of
fertilization. 1t was not long, however.
before it was put to that use, and from
the beginning of the reign of Louis XII
it was used altogether for that purpose.
The prisoners were always those who
were supposed to be enemies of the
Government SO that at different times
many illustrious and royal persons were
confined there.
It was always an object of great
hatred to the Parisians, though not used
as general prison, and did them little
harm. But none were admitted within
its gates and everything was carried ON
in such . mysterious manner that they
| pictured its horrors much worse than
they really were. So when tie revolu-
ton of 1889 came one of the first places
attacked was the Bastile. Thousands
of people rushed along the streets cry
ing ITO the Bastile. Down with the
Bastile" After storming its walls for
almost q day, those in charge were
obliged to surrender. The people
rushed in, and the Bastile was soon no
more.
There are many curious and thrilling
tales connected with the Bastile. /
can tell you but one. A man was con-
fined there by the name of La Tude.
Some one in power, plying him in his
loneliness. obtained for him the priv.
lege of . companion ny the name of
Allegro. Together they planned way
OF escape It was to climb to the top
Of the chimney and descend to the ditch
BY means Of . rope. This chimney was
full OF gratings and bars which must be
loosened in order to make their ascent
possible. From the top of the chimney
10 the ditch was two hundred feet.
They fcand that there was . space of
four feet between their cell and the one
below. After tearing up = tile from
| thu 0r>nV t1.nrr <<,un>~foI - <h~~> Al 81