The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-16
ROYAL RELICS FOR NEW YORK.
Stolen Bones of French Kings Said
to Be Coming Here.

Courier des Etats-Unis.
In the last years of the second Empire
a portion of the Ledru collection OF royal
bones and other relics was secretly sent
to England and preserved in London by
Thomas Sherbroke. Now 1t Is coming TO
the United States.
Mr.. sherbroke repeatedly offered his
collection to the French government, but
evidently his offers have been rejected.
because the remains Of the Kings OF
Franc arc now destined to ornament the
show cases of some New York museum
instead of being sent to Musee Ciuny, 70
Charnavalet, or to the Church OF st.
Denis.
The story of this collection Is curious.
In 1850 at Fontenay-aux-Ro Roses, In little
house that formerly belonged to the poet
Scarron, there lived one Ledru, son OF
the conjuror, Ledru. who was called Co
mus. and a relative of the famous Ledru-
Rollin.
In his childhood this Ledru was present
at the violation Of the tombs OF st. Denis
In August, 1883, he stood by the side OF
Alexandra Lenoir. when the mob rushed
into the church and tore the collins out
of the vaults. He picked up several SOU
yenirs and formed an ossuary which ne
concealed for many years in the granary
attached to his fathers house.
Later on, under the Empire, he pub
lished the story of his collection and OF
the tragic events of which he was an eye
witness, OF this story in the form OF a
letter to NJ Nieuwerkerke, there now oniT
remain a few leaves reprinted In 1872.
The bodies of Henry w, of Louis XIII
and of Louis XIV were in a marvellous
state of preservation, he says. Henry ~
looked as IL he were merely asleep. The
face of Louis XIV. although otherwise in
tact, was discoiored.
The collins of Philip Of Valois. of
Charles the Handsome. Of King John and
Of Charles v contained each one the royal
crown, the sceptre and the hand of Jus
tice. In the coffin Of Jeanne de Bourbon,
the wife of Charles the Wise, were found
besides a giided distaff, large gold ring
and pointed shoes embroidered In silver
and ornamented with precious stones.
The collins of Charles VII and OF
Charles VIII contained only bones and
portions of ornaments. The other cofnns.
when broken open with axes, exhibited
merely dust or skeletons that crumbied to
dust on being removed.
The body of Turenne would have been
tossed into the Potter's Field. like most
of the remains of the Kings II doctor
had not claimed 1t. on account Of Its won
,fonal Museum Of Comparative Anatomy,
the property Of Citizen Daubenton: and
there 1t remained exposed to the curiosity
o, the crowd until one day when the
First Consul, indignant at the outrage
upon the purest military glory OF France
had 1t placed with due solemnity in the
Church of the Invalides on September
g. 1900.
Among other relics Ledru collected
crowns, sceptres. distaffs, winding sheets.
portions OF funeral robes. rings. spurs
and royal bones. A portion OF the ossu-
airy was sold before the war Of 1870 to an
English collector by the heirs Of Ledru.
It is now In London in the care of Mr.
sherbroke. who in turn is about to sell
1t to an American amateur or curiosity
shop man.
The other portion of the collection is
scattered sold in detail to several I'M
known persons. Possibly at the present
time the sword of a King of France may
be in some junk shop among old pots and
mans and rusty knives.