Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-03-23

days., but II Is useless to try TO go when the
rough. The only wharf of the island Is a
natural one of rock. and in rough weather
4 they tried to make a Ianding. ~
Castle diff was built in 1924 for a state
prison. and has held many distinguished
the Count Of Monte Cristo. The fame that
I he51ne MASK sHui could ual'i Eve i it. Dumas Due sasn gave an int It
with his pen. And IL 1t was as hard for
prisoners to get out of as it is for visitors
prison in the world. There are no obstruc-
tions In the way of red tape; no permits to
be obtained or passports shown; the OBJ
sible stone stairs to climb. fields Of broken
mandant of the place has had sufficient
energy to make a safe path to the landing
place.
A slippery Route to h Cell.
AS the boat approaches the rock the
water is seen to be as transparent as the
crystal water of the Caribbean sea. Every
rock on the bottom. every cluster Of marine
growth. every rusty tin can. is distinctly
visible. 1t is twenty or thirty feet deep
at the landing place. but so clear 1t seems
as il you might reach down and pick a
pebble from the bottom. The boatmen put
out II plank and you step upon the slippery
rocks. and after picking yourself up once
or twice and enjoying the anger of the
make your way cautiously to the foot of a
set of crude stone steps, and go slowly up.
a heavy stone wall pierced with slanting
Sits for musket firing. till you come to a
gate, which stands open. Passing through
the heavy gateway, you climb a long series
stairs. SO that you can step from one to
the other. but separated by steep inclines
or six feet wide-so that after ascending
one step you crawl up an incline like a
steep and slippery rock before you come to
the next step. At the top Of this is another
solid gate, also standing open; and once
within this second gate you are fairly In the
precincts of the castle. Then 1t Is only
necessary to climb over a few rocks and
you reach the last three or four steps.
which carry you to the drawbridge.
The moat is deep and broad. but there
water: it could not well have. cut in the
rock fifty feet above the sea, without
the aid Of a steam pump. But crossing the
which stands open like the rest, and pass
through a little tunnel into the stone paved
courtyard Of the castle. This court is. per
curb in the middle; and when you look over
the edge Of the curb you see that it leads
to an immense tank. capable of holding
eround floor Of the Castle. On every side
are solid wooden doors well studded with
iron. and every door leads to a dungeon:
MOI a SuDleTranedn QunSeOn OI tue hllU
that imagination usually pictures to US.
with snails and lizards crawling through
the slime. These dungeons are all above
ground U d., and THE the floor Of Of eve every AEON one a Is as ,S Sey
would be simply good large cells II they
had some light. But the outer ones have
only a little slit in the wall about four
inches by twenty, and the inner ones have
no opening at all but the door.
In Monte CristO's Dungeon.
Nanv of the duppeon doors are labeled
with the names of prisoners who have
lived within: and as you enter by the big
portal and turn sharp to the left. you see
the doorway labeled Monte Cristo." 1t
is a little lower than the other doors. and
find yourself in a dark room. perhaps
twelve feet square and about eight feet
high. floor. walls and ceiling all OF stone.
wall. and so dark that a candle is neces-
sary. This. however. is only the anteroom
to the dungeon. In the further corner, to
the left. the stone floor slopes down three
or four feet. and so makes access to a
door leading to an inner room. The inner
room is smaller. lower, and much darker.
Without a candle you could not see your
hand before your face in it. But this is the
Monte Cristo dungeon. Turn to the left
and hold your candle down, and you see
near the floor a small hole in the wall.
On the floor beneath it lies the big stone
that was taken out to make the hole. That
is the stone that Monte Cristo removed to
give him access to the cell of Father Faria,
the wise priest who told him the secret
Of the millions hidden N Monte Cristo
island. If You are adventurously, inclined.
you can crawl through into the priests
cell. Wishing to leave a little surprise for
you when you come yourself. I did not go
through.
This is all exhibited by the attendants as
how Monte Cristo dug the big stone out
with a fish bone. l think. too, that they
really believe it. 1t would be too much
to ask of them that they should know
that Monte Cristo never lived anywhere
but in the brain Of Alexander Dumas. He
was a real person to them; If you doubt
the story. there's the hole. Dumas evil
IDENTIFY visited the place before writing his
book. for he gives an accurate description
of it in every respect but one. After
Dantes had been refractory in his first cell,
he was removed to the dungeon.
He descended fifteen steps. and the door
of a dungeon was opened, and he was
thrust in"
Other Famous Prisoners.
If his cell was in the second tier. opening
of the stone gallery. hat description would
answer. He could then have descended fif-
teen steps to the ground floor. down the
deassMds The eI part r4f 1 have b. been G'd Describing PTbSa is
the ground floor of the castle. the main
floor. and all above ground. There are no
low the surface of the rock except the
water tank. Those ground floor dungeons
are tomb-like enough, without going lower.
But what struck me particularly about
them, aside from their gloom. was the fact
that they are all perfectly dry. There is no
moisture on floors or walls. A man could
| spend years in one of them as BEAUTIFULLY
| as in most cells.
The stone gallery 1 mention is reached by
a solid stone stairway on the side of the
court opposite the entrance It rests upon
iron beams and has a heavy wrought iron
rail. but is floored with stone. This con-
| ducts to the upper and by far the better
| part of the castle. The score or more of
heavy doors open into large stone apart
ments that a little furnishing would easily
| convert into handsome rooms. The one &C.
l cupied at one time by Louis Philippe, Duke
| of Orleans and father of the king of the
| same name, is twenty or twenty-five feet
square and very lofty. 1t has a chimney
| and fireplace, and the mantel was evidently
handsomely carved. but the stone has
crumbled. The upper rooms apparently
were kept for prisoners of distinction Some
of the doors bear the names. besides the
one marked Louis Philippe. Of Albert del
Man in the Iron Mask. the Count de Mira
beau, Able Peretti and Desmazures. Some
of these were taken to Paris to be gull
| lotined: but others. and many more besides.
were aroused In the dead of night and con-
| Quoted to the little death chamber below.
| an interior cell about five feet by ten. and
hardly high enough to stand upright in.
where the guillotine stood ready.
The Professional Worrier.