The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-26

and dramatists, mixing up the real with the
imaginary, applying to the Bastille
lege DIS and facts which belong to other
/ ICrresSes, have kept alive the public spirit
/ or curiosity and LEGISLATION. After the
| prison was demolished its memory contin-
7 ued TO haunt the minds of the populace, and
! hsng no longer able to reflect on the
/ fortress itself, they ccntented themselves
with making its history. Being no longer
IN fear OF it they proceeded TO speak of it
/ with pleasure, wove a romance about and,
I IN default of facts, contented themselves
with lugubrious fictlons.
! ITS ARCHITECT ONE or IT'S VICTIMS.
1t was during the regency OF the dauphin.
/ aftarward Charles V, while John was
/ prisoner IN England, that Etenne Marcel
found 1t Indispensable TO fortify the town
or Paris IN the direction of Nincennes.
/ About 1851 the provost of the merchants
I bullt the Bastille Saint Antoine; the two
| towers, de la Chapellen and "Du Tresor, ="
we're added later, and 1t was between these
two towers that Marcel himself was put to
death on Aug. l, 1855, by Maillard, when he
was about To admit within the gates of
Paris the besieging troops of the king of
| Navarro.
When the dauphin became king he made
man named Hughes Aubriot provost,
whose first care was TO render the Bastille
{
the project, and on April -, 1870 the first
stone of the new fortress was laid. IL had
four towers connected by walls, the two
already built aud two new ones The fort
! was surrounded by moat crossed by a sin
gle awbridge. On the four sides of the
parslielogrnm created by the fort were built
four other towers, making eight in all. to
which names were given. Those at the
corners we're called respectively "du Coin"
de la Chapete," "du Tresor" and "de la
Comte," those on the sides ''du Puts ode
Ia Liberte," de la Berthaudlere" and de
la BeZiuIere."
Inside the circuit of the towers were two
courtyards separated by "A wall running
from the tower of la Chapele to that of la
Lloerte. The first courtyard was about 81
feet long by 80 feet wide. Here was the
celebrated clock Of the fortress, whose dec
GRAFTON consisted of two human figures
chained by the neck, the middle of the body
and the feet. The chain wound about the
clock face and was tied In a knot at the bot
tom. This cruel alegory served TO remind
prisoners that their days, like the hours of
the clock, were eucircled by chain which
no power could break.
HORRORS OF ITS DUNGEONS.
Both courtyards were open to the sky,
and in the summer the heat was welI-nigh
insupportable. The second court was onIv
bad as the Black Hole of Calcutta. Not
outstanding this, prisoners eagerly ac-
cepted permission to exercise in it. They
were allowed to walk for one hour at
time. The prisoners who obtained
this miserable relaxation we're strictly
enjoined not to allow themselves to
be seen by any one passing the gate. and a
sentry constantly on guard was ordered,
upon the approach Of person going to or
coming from tDa town n about "a
which was the signal for the prisoner in
stantlv TO hide himself. This order was en-
forced throughout the prison, and there is a
story told which shows how hideously even
an accident which permitted a prisoner to
to see any person from the outside world
wa punished.
TAe governors daughter. in going to take
her daily bath, had to pass the door of IA
prisoner who was allowed his Inodicum of
liberty at the same hour as she invariably
passed. Anxious AZ he was to get out, the cry
cabinet" always detained him for a few
precious moments. One day, however, as
the young lady was passing, the sentry
forgot to give his usual warning, and the
prisoner, coming out, caught a glimpse of
her. She reported him. His eyes were
burned out with red-hot irons aud the sentry
was sentenced to eight days. incarceration
for neglect Of duty.
The towers were built in several stories
containing on each a cell which was only
about 10 feet in diameter by 10 in height.
In the top OF each tower were the cdloites,
| rooms which were refrigerRtors in winter
and furnaces in summer. AS for the
cochojs, Of which so much has been said
and written, they were frightful dungeons
nineteen feet below the foundations of
the fort, the damp earth was their sole
| flooring, aud blocks Of stone were their only
furniture. The air was seldom renewed,
and In the darkness and humidity no pris-
| oner could possibly live more than a short
| time. 1t may be we'll TO state here that it
is now known, on the very best authority,
that for many years preceding the destruc-
tson of the Bastille, in 1889, these cdchots
wore rarely used.