New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-24


care down to the waist when to the surprise, and
almost terror Of the spectators. the corpse Of the
great king appeared almost as perfect as when
first buried. The face was well preserved that
even the fan-shaped beard seemed II it had only
recently been dressed. The eyes were open. and the
wounds made by Ravaillacs knife were clearly re-
vealed. The upper part OF this brain had been re-
moved. and replaced by a sponge filled with arc
matte essences. The interest manifested by the
crowd seeing the body of this once popular idol
was such that the remains were unmolested until
late at night thousands OF persons going process
sionally to them. No other body was exhumed
that day. The next was Sunday, and although the
Sabbath was no longer respected in France. strange
to relate. the works at st. Denis were suspended.
and an enormous multitude OF Parisians visited the
church, in order TO behold what they were pleased
to call the carcass OF Henri "" On the morning
OF Monday Ghe 14th) II seemed probable that after
all n revuls!on OF popular feeling might occur, and
that the bones OF the kings might be left in peace
However, shortly before noon sinister looking
feIow. wearing the usual red cap, suddenly placed
himself in front OF the coffin OF Henri ~ and cried
out: "NVhy don't you stuff your Henry " into a
golden shrine. you did your patroncss, Mile Ste.
GenevIeve? Stick him on the altar, do; he'll per
form some miracle or other before night He was
such good man sort OF apostle and saint. who
used TO send to the gallOws any unfortunate peas
ant who ventured to kill his rabbits and who
ruined France to give golden coach 20 Belle
Gabrielle. When Ravaillac killed him he was
about 70 plunge France into the horrors OF war. be-
cause he wanted to deprive his cousin Condo OF his
wife, so that she might replace the charming
Gabrielle. Come patriots. look sharp! Let's set
the old rascal out OF this ans dig up the rest or
the crowned brigands.' This persons name was
JavoQues and he shot few years O1tervard
at Greaelles His harangUe produced the desired
effect. Henri " was therefore. ANONYMOUSLY con-
signed to the Dit outside and quickly covered up
with lime. 4 few minutes afterwaTd the bodies OF
Louis XIII and Louis XIV we're thrown into the
pit. The body OF Louis Mi vas dried Up Ike
mummy. but the face could easily be recognized
on account Of its curiously shaped black imperial
and mustache. The remains Of Louis NV were
treated with the utmost dlsrespect. On the 18th
and the 18th OF the month hundreds Of bodies OF
illustTious and also OF unknown persons were torn
from the vaults and cast into the limepit Among
them were those OF Marie de Medicis Henrietta OF
England. Duchess OF Orleans. Maria Theresa. wife
OF Louis Ky: Anne OF Austria and OF the great
Dauphln Very little jewelry was found in any OF
the tombs, but the hearts OF son and daughter
in-law OF Louis Nv were discovered inclosed IN
large vases OF pure gold, inlaid with splendid gems
The Commissioner OF Jewels sent them TO Paris
where they were soon appropriated.
on the 18th OF October the exhumation continued
with undated visor but a most extraordinary CO.
Incidence occurred which has been rarely noticed
bv historians At precisely the moment when the
head OF Marie Antoinete fell on the scaffold the
body Of her eldest son. the first Dauphin. was
thrown into the lmept at st. Denis At o'clock
Of tho same afternoon the bodies Of the kings and
among them being those OF Charles V and Jeanne
de Bourbon his wife In the coffin OF this king
were his crown and sceptre. and IN that or queen
Jeanne a ring and distan The body OF hlns
Charles VII was covered with quantity or little
specks of quicksilver. which had evidently been
used in the process OF emhaImment The tomos OF
these earlier kings. II was discovered mad oeeh
previously violated in the sixteenth century Inc
crypt Of the valos nearly empty. a tact winch
created much sensation among tho mob. who were
mar seem
OF Louis NJ. Somebody. however. remembered
that this willy monarch was not buried nj 81. Denis
at all but at Notre Dame dc Clery.
The mob next turned its attention to the remains
OF the greatest warrior that France had hitherto
produced-Turenne. His monument was broken
into and his body discovered TO be in state OF
almost perfect preservation. A representative or
the medical faculty OF France stepped forward and
demanded the body OF the great soldier 'as a mag
ndcent specimen OF how mummy should be
prepared" Turenne's body was transported TO the
Jardin des Plantes where 1t remained in a granary
for nine years. stretched out on the ground be-
tween the skeletons OF monkey and camel This
scandal in tho course OF time being reported to
Napoleon Bonaparte, he ordered that the body be
honorably buried at the Invalides The remains Of
Du Cuesclin, Arnaud do BaTbaZan, and OF Suger,
the founder. after Charlemagne. OF the splendid
basilica Of Matthew dc VendOme. and Of other great
personages were now cast cut OF their resting
places and flung into the limepit. The last King.
Jean was eXhumed on October 25- These scenes
of proclamation occupied exactly twelve run days.
However all was not yet. On the 31st some
one spread report that the body Of Nine.
Louise who died in 1857. at the convent Of the
Carmelltes, OF which she had been abbess had not
yet been desecrated 1t was discovered and thrown
into the common grave. In 1890 the church which
for so many centuries had been OF the greatest
glories OF France. was visited by Chatea ubrand.
who describes II as being in hopeless state OF
ruin. So little chance did there then seem OF its
ever being restored that it was actually proposed
level it to the ground and convert its site into
marketplace. Napoleon ]. however. decreed
that what 1t might. the Basilca of St. Denis
was TO be restored speedily possible to its
former condition. The restoration thus begun cost
not less than 100000 francs. but not very
satisfactory; so that II not until 1860 that NJ
Violet le Due obtained permission from the gov
eminent OF Napoleon III to complete the restOra-
ton scale of unprecedented nagnidcence
Each tomb was carefully restored and placed once
more in the position It occupied before 1873 The
ashes of the kings. mingled with the quickIInne
were gathered together and buried under the high
altar In the crypt
PROOF.
From Judge.