Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-07-30
Though know may never win +.
THE BASTiIE.

| How. When and for What Purpose 1t Was
| Buiit-Its Destruction Remarkable
| Escape.
| Although Roy was but fourteen years
| old, he was 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 4 lake
/ He had visited a number of noted
| castles in Great Britain. Westminster
/ Hail 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 vet had never been more
than hundred miles from his home in
| Troy, New York Impossible. you say.
| No; ii Is as | say; and he had escaped
| great deal of the weary labor which is
| USUALLY involved IN sightseeing Now
| for the solution, as can not wait for
| yours.
| His father had fine library. and
| discovering Roy fondness for travel,
| tried to satisfy his lonCings in that d.
rection as best he could, by giving him
| books and portfolios of engravings-
| Then Roy had attended Prof. Stoddard's
and CromweI's lectures, and spent
| night after night IN the very midst of
| Europe.
At school to-day he had heard pro-
| fessor talking to the senior class, and
he used this expression; AS horrible
| as the Bastile"
.-Bastile, Bastile,'' 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 a
| Quandary. He did not know where TO
| begin his search WAS it in Japan or
Italyo What was it?'' Strange to say
| wonder book. the dictionary. which
| 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. {Let 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 / 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 Y.
| and was not completed till many years
afterwards II 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 10
form a rectangular building In the
center was an open court, and there
stood an immense clock which could
be seen from the towers windows The
building was surrounded by a deep
ditch which had walls of solid masonry
NS4S li1iS4 VIII " A&C1 "44Nd &4iN
Seine overfiowed.
Charles Y. did not intend the Bastile
for prison, but only as a piece of
fertilization. 1t was not long. however,
before it was put to that use, and from
the beginning Of the reign of Louis NJ.
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 illus.rious and royal persons were
confined there.
1t was always an object OF great
hatred to the Parisians, though not used
as a 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 1879 came one of the first places
attacked was the Bastile. Thousands
of people rushed along the streets cry
ing TO the Bastile. > Down with the
Bastile'' After storming its walls for
almost a 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 4 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 by the name of
Allegro Together they planned a 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
fun of gratings and bars which must be
loosened in order to make their ascent
possible From the top of the chimney
to the ditch was two hundred feet
They found that there was a space of
four feet between their cell and the one
below. After tearing up tile from
the floor, they concealed in there their
tools and material as fast as it was
ready Their principal tools were
made from the iron clamps of their Ia
bic and An old tin candlestick
For six months they spent all their
time in raveling out ali their spare
clothing and making it into a rope.
The bars in the chimney were ee-
mented. and the only way they could
be loosened was by squirting water
from their mouths into the holes as
they bored After reaching the ditch
ladder would be needed. This they
made from their firewood
AT last, after eighteen months of hard
labor. everything was ready. La Tude
assembled the chimney with both arms
and legs dripping blood. When he |
reached the tor. no Let down a hall of /