New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-03-23
MADAME RICHARD.
From The SATURDAY Review.

The concierge OF the Concergerie a man Of thu
people. who IN addition 10 his Office Of porter. CON-
imcd the duties Of head turnkey, chief jailor In
city like Paris. where the concierge plays so i'm
portant part In every house and public building the
representative OF th, class IF functionary. At tho
Concicrgcric the Citoycn Richard and his wife filed
this Office from 1890 to 1906 aud nave left very
honorable record Of themselves Beugnot Beaulieu,
Route. and other victims Of the Reign Of Terror who
prisons OF Paris. describe the Richards almost In terms
Of affection Richard was tall. burly looking man.
Of vulgar manners. and cursed with violent temper
which he sometimes exercised very unlustly on his
unfortunate prisoners. But he not devoid Of
Of justice and humanity. and contrasted most
avorably with the monsters who AZ this epoch llled
similar positions in the other prisons Of Paris "Oncc
tn G Ig az SaS gnsSeS bs Ia
OF the Concer-eric and bent himself nearly double TO
get through the marrow door which led him into the
presence Of the Citoyen Richad he found himself. so
to speak. confronted by that Jupiter Tonans OF
prison life His wellheins during his Incarceration
rested entirely In the hands Of this PARSONAGE who
usually occupied enormous armchair at the left.
hand side Of very small table: During the Reign #
Terror. Richard his sub ailorS omnipotent,
and relatives and friends had 10 pay them the most
a->iiuou> court II they wished TO communicate with
the pri>cncrS-to make Richard -alaan> almost to tho
ground and even present him with gifts whcrewih
to propitlac and obtain his favor
minion of his wife-a remarkable woman. who.
4 seems. hailed from the southern provinces. possibly
time possessed Of considerable beauty Her firmness
OF character. her activity and Kindness. and her cx-
unhappy wrctches who conided ~ her and her
husbands So long the history OF Mario
Anolnctte + remembered. the name of Nine. Rlchard
Will be hOnorahly associated with that OF the Queen,
toward whom She acted the part Of angel Of mercy.
Ii Nine. Richard who got her back her knitting
needles. who darncd her sheets and mendef her tat.
tered garments. who obtained for her pure water. fruit
and flowers and this At the risk ~ her lifc for the
discovery that the least attention was being paid -
the unfortunate Princess would inevitably have led
~ Nine Richard being sent 10 the guotinc. and to o
subsequently, worse treatment Of her illnstriOus pris-
oncr But she somehow other managed Ia avoid
even suspicion. aud there l. not of the prisoners
" no has left record of his in the dungeons Of
the Concicrecrc who has not kind word to say Of
tins excellent woman. Nougar informs in note
10 the work above quoted l. Almanac dcs Prisons
"that in 1896 the Citoycnnc Richard. generally
esteemed hy all the captivcS ~ the COnccrgcrie,
a>Sa>,inatcd 10y a prisoner who Suddenly went mad,
and who. whilst She was giving him cup OF broth.
seized 4 knife and stabbed her In the throat, II Is
not known what became Of the CltOycn Richard, but
most probably he disappeared after the death Of his
wife. and died in obscnrity. History has recorded,
however the name of Nine, Lebas. friend Of Mime.
Richard and print dealer I'm the Marche Neuf. This
good woman secretly brought Nine. Richard every
Antoincttc her lock Of her prcmaturcy bleached
hair the only return she cOuld make her for her
delicate attentions to her. Nine. Icbas's fate was
more happy than that OF Nine. Richard. Eight days
after the death If the Queen she seized and thrown
into prison. and would certainly have persisted had
been for La u>sicrc. one of the obscure but I'M
pOrtant pcr>onagcS the Revolution. who contrved
fo save great number Of people from the scafold
After the Restoration Nine. Lebas was presented To
the Duchess d'AngOulcmc. and received from her q
small pension.