The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-22
orArH OF LOUIS XIV.
The King Died OF the Most virulent Form
of Smallpox.

Vi smallpox.
Marie Antoinstte as Dauphine', "a tho
oitle OF an article by Miss Anna l.. Bick-
nell In The Century. Miss Bicknell saws.
On April 2S, IVA, Louis XIV felt the
irst symptoms of illness while mt Trianon.
his iayorite summer palace adjoining Yer.
sailles, to which he returned Immediately
during the night of the goth the charac-
teristic eruption of smallpox appeared i'm
It's worst form. With admirable devoted
ness the kings daughters came TO his bed
side, notwithstanding the dreadful danger
OF contagion, and remained there day and
night till his death. Marie Antoinette
had asked admittance to his room. bur.
Tor very evident reasons, neither the heir
apparent nor his wife was allowed To
breathe an atmosphere so dangerous that
more than 90 persons took the SMALLPOX
merely from having crossed the gallery be-
lore the door of the kings room. Nj. dc
Letorleres took the disease fatally, merely
through having opened the door to look at
the king for two minutes.
Regardless OF danger, the archbishop of
farls came to Versailles He was anxious
TO secure the means of repentance and "a
christian death to the wretched sinner
Dut, at the same time, he declared that he
would not allow the last sacraments of
the church to be administered TO the diving
man unless Nine. du Barry were previous
~ dismissed from the palace On the
arm OF May the DGchesse d 'Aiguillon took
ner 70 a country house belonging TO the
Duo q Aiguillon. There was consequently
no further obstacle to the administration
OF the last rites of the church. Shortly
afterward his condition became more
alarming and IL was evident that the end
was at hand.
The courtiers crowded in the large room
called the "Salle dc pQil dc Bnuf,"
where they habitually awaited the kings
pleasure. The carriages were in readiness
to take the royal family to Choisy. A light
eel candle placed in the window of the
kings apartment was to be extinguished
as the signal for departure, which the fear
OF contagion, in addition to other consid-
erations, caused to be impatiently expect
ed.
The candle was extinguished. The great
clock was stopped at the fatal hours
p IN. 1t was the 10th of May, l774. The
rush of the courtiers, with a noise like
thunder, as they FASTENED to pay homage
to the new sovereign, was the first an
nouncement of the great event TO the
young heir and his wife Louis XVI and
Marie Antoinette burst into tears and with
joint impulse fell on their knees, OK
claiming: God help us and protect us!
We are too young to reign'' The king
was not yet 20; the queen was in her nine
teenth year.
Nine. dc Noailles came into the room
where they had remained together in Sc
clusion and anxious expectancy and adj
dressing them by their new titles, begged
them to receive the dignitarics who had
come to pay homage to the king and
queen. The queen appeared leaning on
the kings arm; weeping bitterly, she re-
ceived the first visits of the royal family
and the principal officials, but the physi
clans urged the necessity of immediate de-
parture. The carriages were ready and
the whole court set off for Choisy, leaving
the wretched remains of the late sovereign
to the care of servants and workmen. The
unfortunate man who soldered the lead
coffin died within "a hours. The body
was taken to ST. Denis, the burial place of
the kings of France, during the following
night with military escort followed by
the execration of the populace loudly ex-
pressed on the way. The scandalous reign
of Louis XIV was ended new reign was
beginning.
lie roi est mortp'
"Vive 10 roi!'