The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-11-09
PRETTY FAIR FARE
Was That Enjoyed by Prison
ers of the BaStiIe.
LATTER DAY RESEARCH
Claims the Right to Deny An
other Hoary Horror.

/ 2,
which forms the ninth volume OF the ex-
I tensve catalogue Of the manuscripts Of
the Library OF the Arsenal. the public
/ library which is second in importance in
Paris and ranks after the famous Ma
| tionai library. One Of the rooms Of the
old Bastile contained valuable collec-
ton of archives which had been forming
since 1859. There were to be found all the
documents concerning not only the pris-
oners. but all the persons VINO had been
prosecuted within the limits Of what was
called the generality of Paris, in virtue
! OF a ''lettre de cachet." Hundreds Of
/ thousands OF documents were carefully
| classified. After the storming Of the Bas-
! tile, the pillage of the archives lasted
! for two days, when II was interrupted
| by commissioners appointed by the con-
vention. Many papers had been pilfered,
/ burned, thrown in the mud. A huge pack
age fell into the hands Of ePter Lubrow-
ski, an attacile of the Russian embassy;
/ the documents contained in il are now in
the Imperial library at Saint Petersburg.
/ The Commune of Paris took care that
what remained of the archives should be
( transported TO the City library. They
were forgotten for long time, or rather
preserved in a heap, without any attempt
/ at classification. This ungrateful task
! (for there was no less than 5000 papers
/ in disorder) was executed only in our
/ day. The archives OF the Bastile. which
/ constitute a respectable whole, notwith-
standing the pillage of 1889. are now to be
| found at the library of the Arsenal, in
!
/ ters still bear the marks of fire and Ill
use. but everything has been catalogued
and there is hardly day when these
archives are not consulted and examined.
1t is with their help that NJ Funck-Bre-
tano has been able TO write his valuable
book. which substitutes history for leg
| end
The author has been fortunate in Undue
ing Victorien Sardou to write a preface to
his work:
81 viewed" says Sardou, with some
friends, at the great exhibition of 1883,
the storming of the Bastile, which every
body might have seen, and which, by the
by, was wei calculated TO give an entire
J ly false idea of 1t. Hardly had you passed
the door when you saw, in the dark, an
old man with long, flowing white beard
| lying on the traditional damp straw,
shaking his chains and making lamenta-
BILE signs. And the guide told you, not
without emotion: You see here the I'M
fortunate Latude, who remained in this
position, with his arms chained for thirty
five years / completed the information
by saying. in the same doleful tone: 1T
is even in this attitude that ne had the
cleverneS to fabricate the ladder which
was hundred and eighty feet long, and
which enabled him to make his escape
| The assistants looked at me with surprise
the guide with an angry look, and went
off. The thought which prompted me
to this utterance Is precisely the same
which dictated to NJ. Funck-Bretano
this book on the Bastne. in which ne
places things in their true light, and off,
sets the legends which everybody knows
with the truths of which many are ig-
norant.''
Notwithstanding tine works published
by several writers-M Raviasson, in his
Introduction to the Annals OF the Bas-
tile, Victor Gourmet Bord. Bire. Begis,
etc.-public opinion remains attached to
the legend which represents the Bastile
as full of iron cages and dark cells. Louis
Blanc. speaking of this melodramatic
Bastile, says eloquently. The man who
enters it ceases to belong to the world. q"
In 1859 the cells of the Bastile situated on
the first floor OF the old fortress had win
dows: for a century, there had been no
instrument of torture: the prisoner had a
large room, and could furnish Il as he
pleased with furniture from the outside:
he could wear any clothes ne liked and
mad no uniform: each room had a fire.
place. the prison furnishing the wood:
the prisoner could procure candles. II he
liked. as well as paper and ink. The
prison had a library where ne could get
books; he could have as many as he liked
sent 20 him from the outside. He was
allowed TO play on the violin or the flute
There Were concerts given in the cham
bers and even in the governors rooms.
Prisoners whose conduct was not disor-
derby were allowed to visit each other. 10
play at cards. chess. or tr.ccrac: in the
courts they could have games: they were
authorized TO take walks on the platform
of the castle. and from there they saw
the Rue St.-Antoine. The regimen OF the
prison Vas. IN fact, very lenient under
Louis XIV. and Louis XVI: whatever the
Bastile may have ,been in earlier Zines.
Il had become a prison chiefly for gentle
men who were Imprisoned, without any
preliminary triaXl. BY ue:tre de cactet.
This is probably what made the name OF
the BaStile synonymous with the abuses
OF the Old regime: !. was the prison OF
the "arbitraire." OF the bon plasir" TIE
downfall OF the Bsstile was the signal
OF a renovation. OF a revolution. History
takes on always p more or less SYMBOLIC
and legendary character; the legend %
the Bastle Will not easily be DESTROYED.
The old feudaI fortress. standing with lis
high towers, its moatS and d-awbridges.
in the midst OF a gay al dsctive capital.
will always remain an image OF the past.
and viii evoke the gloomy memory OF
detested abuses.
The two persons who contributed more
than others 10 propagate the legend % the
horrors Of the BastIle were the pam
phleteer LlnEuet and the famous Latude
L.inguet. in his pamphlet on the BastIle.
confesses that he had three good meas
Z day. they gave him such q QUa1tity OF
meat that he suspected 'ft was % poison
hims Wha, he does not say Is that the
governor. De Lauaey. sent him every
morning the menu Linguet regretted
perhaps. his renasts IN the Bastlle when
! he was imprisoned during the Terror BE-
fore being sent 70 the guillctine- Il Is
generally believed that the famous Ia
tude was imprisoned for tAi-ty-fve years
in the BastIiie merely because he had
sent 70 Madame De P0mpadour Parce-
OF inoneusive powder which was thouSht
70 be poison NJ FCnck-BreuIs-o has
taken The trouble % write a fuu bi0era-
ply OF this personase. with The hep o.
man ydoeuments- he vas arrested fOE