St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-26
NINE. RICHARD.
The Wife of the Concierge of tn,

The Wife of the Concierge of the
The concierge of the Conciergerie was
man of the people, who, in addition to
his Office of porter, combined the duties
of head turnkey or chief jailer, says an
article in the London Saturday Review.
In city like Paris, where the con-
cierge plays so important part in
every house and public building, the
this class of functionary. At
the conciergerie the Citoyen Richard
and his wife filled this office from 1890
to 1896, and have left very honorable
record of themselves. Beugnot, Beau
lieu, Route and other victims of the
reign of terror, who have written me
mors of their detention in the various
prisons of Paris, describe the Richards
almost in terms of affection. Richard
was tall, burlylooklng man of vulgar
manners, ard cursed with a violent
temper, which he sometimes exercised
very unjustly on his unfortunate pris-
onerS. But he was not devoid OF sense
of justice and humanity, and contrasted
most favorably with the monsters who
this epoch filled similar positions in
the other prisons of Paris.
Fortunately, Richard was entirely
under the dominion of his wife-a very
remarkable woman, who, it seems,
hailed from the Southern provinces,
possibly from Aries. She is described
as having been at one time possessed of
considerable beauty. Her firmneSs Of
character, her activity and kindness,
and her extraordinary tact proved in
eStimable blessings to the unhappy
wretcheS who were cOnfided to her and
her husbands care. So long as the his
tory of Marie Antoinette is remem-
bered, the name of Nine. Richard will
be honorably associated with that of
the queen, to whom she acted the
part of an angel of mercy. 1t
was Nine. Richard who got her
back her knitting needles, who
darned her sheets and mended her tat
tered garments, who obtained for her
pure water, fruit and flowers, and this
at the risk of her life, for the discovery
that the least attention was being paid
the unfortunate queen would have led
to Nine. Richard being sent to the gull
lotine and to subsequently worse
treatment of her illuStrious prisoner.
But she somehow or other managed to
avoid even suspicion, and there is not
one of the prisoners who has left
record of his stay in the dungeons OF the
Conciergerie who has not kind word to
say of this excellent woman. NOugar in
forms us in a note to s'L'Almar az DIES
Prisons ''that in 1875 the Cheyenne
Richard, so generally esteemed by all
the captives of the Concilegerie, was
asSassinated by prisoner who sud-
denly went mad, and who, while she
was giving him a cup of broth, seized
knife and stabbed her in the throat" 1t
is not known what became of the
Citoyen Richard, but most probably he
disappeared after the death of his wife
and died in obscurlty. History has re-
corded, however, the name of Nine.
Lebas. friend of Nine. Richard, and a
print dealer in the Marche Neufe.
This good woman secretly brought
Mime. Richard every morning fruit
and pure water for the queen.
Marie Anloinette sent lock of her pre-
maturely bleached hair, the only return
she could make her for her delicate at
tentions to her. Nine. LebaS' fate was
more happy than that of Nine. Richard.
Eight days after the death of the queen
she was seized and thrown into prison.
and would certainly have persisted had
it not been for La BuSSiere, one OF the
obscure but important personages OF the
revolution, who cOntrived to save a
great number of people from the scat
fold. After the restoration Nine. LebaS
was presented to the Duchess d'Angou-
leme, and received from her small
pension.