The evening times., 1895-10-30
wORLD-FAMOUS JAIL.
Appearance of Chateau d'If, where
DANES Was Confined.

Appearance of Chateau d'If, where
Dantes Was Confined
Who thinks OF the Chateau d'Ir thinks
of Edmond 3antes, who is in some ways
more real in Marseilles than he is to those
who read the great romance in all the
other quarters OF the world.
In other ways of less personal and touch
ing interest, the fame OF Edmond Dantcs-
far as can be ascertained by converse with
the learned, Dantes is not, and was not. ever
a Marseilles name-is kept alive in TIE
town. There is house still pointed out,
and still believed in By some people Of such
simple faith and fine instinct as Angelin"'s.
as the very house in which the elder Nor
rel dwelt before the fortune of his argcses
failed min. In what remains OF the -Ca,a-
lans" quarter there are several caharetS.
which lay claim here TO being the Identical
tavern in which the letter of accusation
was written, there the wine-shop in which
Dantes was arrested.
When the garden is ready you go under
the conduct of that excellent old soldier who
looks like Il sublimated Col. Dumas and
speaks beautiful French into the Chateau
itself, passing through n little picturesque
court yard. with well in the center and a
terrace running round it, from which open
the cells with the names of the most G.s-
tinguished prisoners who inhabited them
on labels over the doors. The Abbc Faria's
cell is the first shown, and is remarkable
chiefly for some curious marks on the wall,
which represent, or are supposed to repre-
sent the calcula tinns with which he amused
his enforced leisure.
1t is not without n curious look under
lying a grave demeanor that the garden
shows the remains of the tunnel constructed
between Faria's cell and that of Edmond
Dantes, the which, it is fair TO add. finds
no place beyond this passing reference in
the information which the garden bestows
upon US. tThe date of Faria's impriSon-
ment given by Dumas is correct. and it is
fact that he died in PRISON. The Abbe's
night quarters were in yeritable cachot,
with a small grating In the door between it
and the day cell.
From among other cells / pick out
some of the most interesting. Alberto
del Campo, poisoner, was imprisoned on
December 4, 1888. and burned at Aiken
Provence on December 16. Prince Casimir
of Poland was imprisoned at his brothers
request in 1888, and afterwards set free;
and in the same year one BenartIot,
negociant of Marseilles, was imprisoned on
an accusation ''of intrigue against the Car
dinal," and starved himself to death. In
1856 brief time was passed here by
the Man in the Iron Mask. The legend as to
his being the Kings brother is dismissed
lightly by the garden. 1t may be added
that recent researches of a French author
have made him out to be certain colonel
or general OF artillery whom it seemed ad-
visable to keep out of the way.
The Comte de Mirabeau was imprisoped
on September 90, 1774, and Philippe d Or
leans was committed to the Chateau d'If on
April z, 1898, and through the bars of his
cell there Is, and no doubt was, an excep-
tionally good view of Marseilles, a poor
consolation at best, and more probably
an aggravatiou of wretchedness Just be-
fore him were imprisoned two high way rob-
9ers and murderers named Martel, who
were executed at AK. Lajolais, one of the
followers Of Georges Cadoudal, was inl-
prisoned in August, 1904, and died in the
Chateau in 1908, possibly as others of
his party were supposed to have died in the
Temple.
The cachot for those condemned to death
is dark and grisIy place, from which it is
agreeable to emerge on to the roof, where
is an ancient donjon, long used as a chapel
and afterward as a place of detention for
political prisoners in 1S4S and 1871.
These prisoners, especially those of 1s4S,
have left traces of their sojourn in various
cravings and inscriptions on the stones
which form the plateau.-EngIsh Illus
trated Magazine