New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-20
THE FATE or DUBOURG.
A HORRIBLE STORY OF THE LAST CENTURY
From The Cornhil. Magazine

From The CornhiE Magazine
IL Is difficult 10 know, to imagine, what
a"iul surerinss individuals may have undergone az
put OF celebrated suffering that come within the
Snowieuge or an ordinary man. the fate OF the Come
w eIidne, called Duhourg stands out as me most
excruciatng and horrible. He a Dutch journalist
louis %v nsd nS ser 70 @ he
pompadOur BY composing and publishing few
gifted woman cultivated all the arts but never forgot
ar injury. She was not satisfied till her royal para,
az any cost And in defiance OF the law OF nations he
was seized by the emissares of Louis XIV while sleep
taken by sea to the fortress rock OF St MicnaSl
sandy bay OF Avranches II is an isolated place, and
was then as unknown land. The whole OF tne
architecture OF which is as delicaely magnificent as
but one, where the sandy channel dividing the rock
rises with astonishing rapidy across the saflus a
comes tapping and slushing round the roch! MhIis'
after his long round in The vessel from the Dutch
coast Al all hours ana seasons the cohtIas.. Io
building and his own irreversible doom must have
been terrible. one cannot know If at such ne IL
the heart in thinking Of it, The first strong gae
passed there would he nothing Ss p ,be outside world
agony on Fechters face when he was arrested on
his wedding day in the first act OF Monte Cris'o.
The actor had reproduced the consconsiiesa "a
Then at the top OF many stairs, he passes wn h1
another strong door. hustled and hound between ms
the advent Of new prisoner would even be received
when brutazed by the custom OF rs ,- sense
hand Of the less occupation hath the dailei Somnd
There he would vaguely earn ,a ~ HE cnirv and
for the and the date ana nour "a l' ,aI down
the particulars OF his reception wouid De tah - ,od
Sn -e stJ From this moment he existed not But
strange 10 say and awful to contemplate l. ~ las
from N that moment Of agony his trembling nerves
the delicate membrane OF MS Hesn aba ndon IT, hfs
power receive The PrsssiGhs OF yanr for rare
visitatons which took hours and hours 10 c9 9d
after he had begun 10 wait ior tnen eniS,irs cod
existed and for absorbing The impression OF pr
voting smells. and for suffering the u nv s,ening
With eXasseraied Intensity under such ccndiii4ns
The INCOMING of fhg rose Mn al times to the level Of
bis dungeon
But about six weeks from the date Of that Al, eye even.
Ing reception. allowing for me SLOW 6nf0re the
Comte de Casteane called Duoourg Wa a., n NAM
With his own awful and Infinite tapaeity 69T S1sa
years of suffering? About that tirne i,,ed and
Si Ighy gfed IarqGse e Pompadou would aP
sstrtsf writing the vers de societe Of his day IN
such sort as TO raise smile againf would
light those refined features That az nedS in me
we'll where was he ae b aSo ses fS him there That
was we'll and two lines Of vindictive hafnilr,SSs
GTd d T5 from qP the 9er Of hs esn
And orders had been given Of the stricttst tha'
under no circumstance should the man ever AGAIN
under any pretence, emerge living rom i nTu lr
those bars SHOW me The o re bov ne t., yq hdr and
again would come upon the fair face the marc
ABSORPTION of the details Of the mans plac,ee, Of
torment the messenger would be uSHlSS RI IN ~
merson in variety Of state pleasures and occ ecu
FOR aH ny pBr arts ri Occupied that light
living but not hrutalized woman s Trqm TINE tho Io
watches Of the night the memory Of her reye ne
would not uns%eey TO her Aq bevd
that he was forgotten. Her sustained vindictive-
sible thai had not III health ana anxiety for her
self the Pompadour forget Duhours ne
relaxed But he was forgotten or deliberately
pursued with vindictveness, and he lived on ana
He was taken at once with such clothes as he
had on when landed from the vessel. and hauled
from the guardroom down several flights OF steps
Teen u" feet long and four feet vide on level win
the sand and ase Gns fd o S T cdse Whou
window. in the solid external rock Of the fortress
enter and about halfway up IT, is opening
which can best be described nv suggesting three
rooms is solid piece of furniture. Of which the
centre space is hooW ana IN TINS u fe b. POLICY ce
trial hollow would represent the opening. except
d ea' em GleT IF You place yoursc opposite
most modern hreplaces the upper outline Of the
The fiat base Of it and the semcircular lop would
about represent the poor man cage. me dtptn
Of the cage from the passage into me wall IS
about four feet Again. most people have seen
church. In these tombs the lower space has gen
orally semicircular outline, or. at least. the out
dsnn IS W Shs hat be could neither
lie down nor stand up sit upright without
crouching in each attitude he must hudd!e him
] suppose the dimensions Of the cave. which Is
entirely OF stone are about fogr feet for inches In
under three feet az the highest point OF the arc
the fr2nt part OF hG cave so oeN WITH ne bTsasf
which things could Doe passed but rendering
so-calied and the wood lattice has been destroyed
ToTn prnees xsed t IN g mgr
Mme de Gen raed In% dr IN 9oggs nasns
s sum the authority 10 cut away the Wooden
latiice-work which they did on the spot
can zane with he qn 91.
would have been asking TOO much OF officials sixty
question the authority Of princes But 1t is thou
Any authentic record Of old-fashioncd should
be preserved and there never was better occasion
the Of Byron's powerful words
For the, app.ai from tyranny NY to Cd
Dubourg was always entirely in the dark EXCEPT
when his jailer came TO him: There chnk in
the outer wall. through which ii happened thar IN
the circing OF the mighty cosmos ray OF light fell
into the passage during hour OF the wenty-four
The cell s. believe slightly below the level OF the
sands and the sea, 50 thai this ray must have
from above and smitien diagona.y downward There
Is now window at the end Of the passage, but it
not there in Dubourgs time
In the outskirts Of the fortress there j. a wax
work museum. representing some of the scenes Of
suffering and OF pageantry which occurred in IT,
These exhibitions tawdry; but when. a in this
case, dimensions are faithfully kept, they are most
useful 20 the Imagination, and his wax efigy helps
70 recall the surerings OF Dubourg. Conceive the
man with his Clothes gradually rotting upon him
from the awful cold and damp conceive an that is
involved in their never being changed and In his
clinglng TO them still, because they alone stood be-
tween him and cold. The horrors cannot be written
His fare was probably little beyond the meagrest
bread and water. Conceive his awful and hopeless
and long continued howlngs in the night and In the
dav for day night TO him. iei thinks