The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-02-12
THE ORIGINAL BLUEeEARD.
Ruins of His Castle Still to lie Seen in the
Province of Brittany.

Ruins of His Castle Still to Be Seen In the
Province of Brittany.
We all of us as children heard and
shuddered over the story of the atrocious
"Bluebeard, but few know that the
prose romance, the children's tale and
the opera bouffe libretto were all based
upon the enormities of n man who really
lived. Louis Frechette, gifted Cana
dian who has been twice honored by the
French immortals, tells in the Arena
tho story of GILES dc Retz, once brave
soldier, but who after years spent in
pious hypocrisy took to numbering chill
dren in the most horrible manner, his
trial showing that he butchered more
than 14O little ones. He was the original
Bluebeard. The writer says:
On bright morning in May, 1887, |
left Anglers for Nantes, the metropolis
of Brittany AS was about to take the
train friend, who had come to see me
of, said with a parting haud-shake:
"By the bye, before you get to An
cenis there is station called Champtoce.
AS the cars pull up look to the right
and you will see the ruins of an old
chateau. Take them In we'll, they are
the remains Of Bluebeard's CASTLE"
"Bluebeard's castle! What Bluebeard
do you meanP"
Surely there Is only one. Perreaults
Bluebeard. Ofienbach's Bluebeard."
"Did he ever liver"
Certainly, In flesh and bone as you
and with this difference, that he was
hard case to begin with and Marshal
OF France into the bargain"
Really? What was his nameP"
"Gilles de Retz, descendant Of one
Of the Oldest families OF Europe. His
career was most extraordinary"
The name was not unknown to me. 1
had read Of it in the chronicles In which
Is handed down TO us the marvellous
story of the Maid OF Orleans. But what
could be the connection between 1t and
the bloodthirsty hero of Perreault's
celebrated tale?
l could see the youthful bride, led on
by curiosity, creep tremblingly, clutch
ing the little gold key, to the fatal door,
open it noiselessly, utter cry OF horror,
and drop fainting at the sight OF the
bloody bodies hung in row.
Then the sudden return Of the angry
husband to the castle, his fury on see
ing the little gold key soiled with blood,
his brandishing Of the deadly sword with
the infuriated cries Of "Prepare TO die,
madam"
could hear the pitiful tones of the
poor victim, during the short respite
granted her, as she called to her sister
perched up on the tower: "Ann, sister
Ann, seest thou no one come?' And
the lamentable reply: mo, l see moth
ing but the shining sun on the dusty
road"
And at last came the sigh Of relief OF
yore, as fancied could hear from afar
of the sounding approach Of the gallop-
ing rescuers.
The vision haunted me till We reached
Champtoce, where, sure enough, / saw
on the right, as my friend directed
about a quarter Of mile of, the jagged
form OF lofty medieval tower which
rose about heap Of ruins and clumI
Of stunted oaks, casting against the heav
ems Its vast and somber outline.
This was GILES de Retz's castle, Blue
boards home; or, rather, 1t was one o
his castles, for he had many, the whole
surrounding country which bears hi
name pays de Retz) having once beer
his.
GILES de Retz was condemned 0ctobe
25, 144o, to be strangled and afterward
burnt.
Now the whole population Of the tow
Of Nantes tasted three days to obtail
the remission Of his sins, and children
were whipped that they might neve
forget the memorable event.
The different monastic orders In tn
vicinity followed the criminal to tn
place Of execution chanting hymns an
dirges.
The strangled body was thrown on
woodpile, but not allowed to be burn
BY permission Of the Duke Of Britain
noble damsels-no less carried itaway
swathed 1t in burying clothes with thei
own hands-was IL not touching spe'
tacle?-and had IL removed TO the Ca
melite monastery, where 1t was interre
, in great pomp.
/ wonder what more could have bee
, done II, instead OF abusing and KILN
| 140 children, he had sacrificed 10000.
o, middle agesl To think there al
5 those In this nineteenth century WI
, sincerely revere ye, and regret ye al
: no morel
5 There still remain vestiges which r
|. call the trial and punishment Of ii
S malefactor. First, the Tower OF /
5 Bouffay, construction dating from Il
: tenth century, In which the dramat
scenes Of the famous trial were u
I folded; and next, small ruin Of
3 peculiar kind.
There is TO be seen at this day, at Il
entrance OF one OF the bridges of Ma
A tes, the remains Of an expiatory mon
, ment erected on the spot where Gill
do Retz was executed.
; Now, by what process did popular tr
4 dition identify the atrocicus slayer
r children with the savage baron, wi
killed his wives as fast as he marie
then2
II would be hard to say.
The historical facts are the Grim
aud execution Of GILES de Retz.