Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1892-12-29
SOME TENNIS HISTORY.
STRANGE AND ROMANTIC
FACTS ABOUT THE GAME.
IL Caused the Death of Louis Hutin, King
of France, and Charles VIII Lost
His Head in Watching
Game of Tennis.

Tennis is an Anglicized form o
tenez which is the French equivaien
OF our ready. 1t points back 10 the
time when the ball was struck witt
the hand. By and by people begar
to wear gloves to protect their hand'
when they played. Then they found
f. better to have the glove open over
the palm and stretch tight cord:
across. So the racket was gradually
evolved. But in Henry Wis time
believe. games were played in which
the hands were still used. sometime:
even against a racket It's men
toned in the romance about King
Arthur but that is an anachronism,
for it couldn't have been known In
England quite so long ago as that
Really it began to be played in Europe
Mt some period in the Middle Ages.
first In open courts and in the parks
of castles and aFterward in walled
courts. II was in vogue among the
princes and great lords for long
time before it descended to the com.
mon people. There are some queer
historical facts connected with tennis.
Once upon time it proved a rather
fatal game TO royalty Let's begin In
France with Louis Hutin.
Hutin means the Fretful. lie was
the tenth Louis OF France. and the
eldest OF the three brothers whose
reigus closed the Capet Dynasty
Louis Hutin's death was supposed at
the time to have been caused by POI.
soning. but I've read somewhere that
it was more probably the result OF
getting ovcrheated at tennis which
he had been playing. In that case
there's one instance OF the fatality
spoke OF.
Then Charles VIII, OF France
He lived much later than Louis Hutin
in the fifteenth century-and was
the son OF that Louis NJ. that you
get so excited over in Quentin
Durward." lie was never very
strong. but his death was caused BY
his striking his head as he passed
through low door to watch Il game
OF tennis. He paid little attention
10 the blow at first but few hour:
later he fell down suddenly and never
rose again.
Then there was James l.. OF Scot.
land.
lie got a frSt.rate education dur.
ing the years ne spent as a prisoner
in England and he proved to be an
able ruler when he went back &c
Scotland. Only he won the enmity
OF the lawless robbers whose power
he tried to break, and. as you know
they finally murdered him in Perth
Monastery, whore he had been pass.
ing the carnival time with the Queen
that Same Jane Beaufort-and the
court You know tho story o!
course and how. before tho cons pira,
tors burst in. Queen Jane and her ladies
concealed James under the planks OF
the floor. There had been an open
ing from his hiding place leading to
the tennis court but few days be.
fore the King had lost one OF his
balls through it and had had il
closed.
So now there was no escape. and il
was not long before the conspirators
found him aud dragged him out You
will have to recall your French his.
tory for this last instance takes US to
France again, but 10 France Just be.
ore the great revolution. The Tiers
etats or representatives OF the COM
non people, having in vain urged the
lpbe5 and the clergy to JON them
Pc hold the deliberations OF the
Nates general in common boldly dis.
,arded the name states general and
called themselves the national assem-
bly,. When they were not allowed to
meet in the hall they rushed to the
Tennis court OF the palace and there
look an oath not TO dissolve until
they had made constitution for the
country.
They kept the oath. too. 1t was
one incident OF the revolution that
proved fatal not only to the king and
queen but to the monarchy itself.
There! I've come to the end OF my
list