The morning call., 1891-09-06
TEE MAN With
THE iron MASK.
Captain Bakeries Fixes the Identity Of
The Mysterious One.
The Captain Claims to Have Made Discovery
in Solving Cipher Letter-A Statue to
Che Patron Saint of Journalists.
Special Paris Letter to THE SUNDAY CALL.

PARIS. Aug. is, 18el.-From time to time
we hear that the mystery of the "Masaue de
Fer" (the Man with the Iron Mask has been
solved, and that the identity of this mystic
rious parsonage, of whom novelists and his
torlans have written, is at last made known.
This prisoner has represented successfully
brother Of Louis XIV, the Duke OF Mon
mouth, Duke of Beaufort, Count de Yer
mandOis, Fouquet, Count Matthioli, EuStache
Danger, domestic, and now Captain Ba-
zerles proves c0nclusively that the hlaSque
de Fer was none other than General de Bu-
londe, who was condemned to prison for life
because. in spite of Catinats orders, he
raised the siege Of Conf, in Piedmont Cap
tain Bakeries informs US that his book, to
appear in fortnight and named IAN Au-
thentic Page of Louis XIV's Reign" will be
true history of the Masque de Fer.
Captain Bazeries amuses himself in his
leisure hours by studying cryptography,
and he is now well skilled in this arr. One
day, not more than two years ago, he saw
curious crypt0gram in journal, translated
1t with ease, and, when he discovered that
cryptOgraphy is veritable art, pursued the
study, until to-day he ranks with the mast
erS of the art,
Not long ago Captain Bakeries attempted
dispatches addressed to Catinat. During
three days and three nights Captain BAKERIES
devoted himself to the task, not an easy
one, because the dispatches were composed
IN THE DOUBTFUL FRENCH
VI the time and the same letter was repre-
scented In different manners. But Captain
BaZeries discovered that two of these dis
patches were dictated by Louis XIV, two
by LouyOis and one by Feuquieres. Those
of Louis XIV were made with the great
cipher used in the monarch's correspondence
with his ministers, and those of Feuquieres
with the little cipher used in the CORE
spondehce of Generals with Generals.
The great cipher comprises 5S7 numbers,
corresponding each one with letter, a Syl-
liable, portions OF word or an entire word.
Captain Bazcries says that the dispatches
are all very long, but thai one of them con-
tains not less than fifty pages. In these
dispatches Captain Bakeries discovers that
no prisoner wore an iron mask continually,
but that General Bulonde was imprisoned
for his cOwardice, and the order was given
to allow him to go out on the ramDar is on
condition that his face be concealed by an
iron mask"
Captain Bazeries' book, concerning these
dispatches, will throw new light on the reign
of Louis XIV; we have always considered
this monarch as allowing his ministers to act
with full power, but Captain Bakeries says
that from these dispatches Louis xiv was
thoughtful about the slightest details care
tul for his soldiers and that he weighed the
| pros and cons OF every military operation.
| The book will be intensely interesting and
| its publication is awaited with enthusiasm.
| But in spite of Captain Bakeries discovery
| we shall never be satisfied about the profile
matte
MAsQUE DE FER.
There will always be fables, even If the
| truth has this time been discovered. The
| first work in which there is question of the
| Iron Mask, appeared in 1745. and was
| called Memoirs to Aid in the History of
| Persia" This rhapsody would not have
! been noticed had not Voltaire, seven years
| later, written about the Iron Mask. Vol
| taire is responsible for all eonieetures and
| all the systems concerning this mysterious
| parsonage. One of the fables say that the
| Man with the Iron Mask was NapoleOn's
| ancestor, that the prisoner was married,
| that the male child, born in the prison, was
| sent by the Governor to Corsica; that he
| was cOnfded to a trustworthy person as
| coming from bonnie part GOOD souice), in
| Italian buUna parle.
That is fantastic recital, but another,
| not less startling, Is that M0lere was the
| Masque de Fer. Seven or eight years ago
appeared q work signed Made, to prove
| that the author of ''Tartuffe was the
| mysterious prisoner. He affirmed that
| LOuyois and J. b. Lulli were responsible
| for Moliere's Incarceration, and that Nine.
de Maintenon'S influence made the captivity
| eternal. Moliere is supposed to have died
| in 1913, ana, after his death, his comedies
| were not performed at the court of Louis
XIV. In these days legend like that of
| the Iron Mask" would have no oppOr-
| tunity tor birth, and | think II more proba-
| Die that there was not one Masque de Fer.
| but that several State prisoners were con-
| demned to hide their faces trcm all. even
| from their jailers
THE JOURNALISTS PATRON SAINT.
Catholic journalists in Rome have just
| made a proposition TO their colleagues all
| over tue world TO erect a monument in
| honor of journalists patron saint. Francois
| de Sales. French editors were astonished
| when they received this invitation: 1--WE
| have patron saintl Strange we did not
| know that factl" and they asked for in
| formation, and this is what they learned:
! In November, 1877, Plus TX raised Saint
| Francois de Sales to the dignity of patron
| saint The holy father chose the Bishop of
! Geneva, because Of his valiant polemical
| work, for in his letters St. Francois criti-
cizes in charming manner all the wrongs
| OF his time, and, well informed on every
| subject, he wrote in a clear, deliberate
| manner. st. Francois was an orator of the
| first rank, and his great talent was devoted
to the good of humanity. He died in 1922.
| and was declared saint in 1865.
| BARONESS ALTHEA SALVADOR.