The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-08-03

from the interrupted interview WIN LIE
Choiseul when the King returned from
hunting. She met him with more than
demonstrations Of anec-
ton, and the King took advantage OF
her amiable mood to ask the return OF
the pin. He was gladly surrendered.
With other heirlooms Of his prede-
cessors it passed to Louis XVI, IN
whuse possession it remained until
chance Inverted it to another use.
Nile. de Contat, a charming actress Of
the French Theatre, had turned the
head of the Count de Narbonne, the
spoiled child of the royal family. She
craved possession of the famous pin
locked in the jewel box of the King, for
she conceived the notion of using it to
fasten the letter to Susanna in the
Marriage de Figaro" which was TO
have first representation in a few
days. De Narbonne was at his wits
end to to discover some way of secur-
ing the treasure before the first per-
Torrance of the play, only four days
distant. Chance offered solution of
the difficulty. Quadriles were then
the fashion, and of those who took
part in them special costume was re-
quired. The Count by adroit question
ing of NJ. la Borde, the custodian of
the Kings cabinet, gained fair know
ledge of its contents, and then pretend
ed to need diamonds with which to de-
corate his coat for the quadrille at the
approaching court ball. Louis XVI, who
could refuse to De Narbonne, gave
him permission to draw upon the re-
sources of his jewel box. After brief
search he discovered the pin.
The Count was just in time; the per-
Torrance had begun. The pin, after
being put to the use intended, passed
from hand to hand, and when needed
for the second performance was now
where to be found. The actress was
little disturbed by the loss, but the
Count was confronted with perilous
position, for La Borde had discovered
the theft. A large sum of money
purchased his silence.
The famous pin was found by a
dancer in the muck of the stage. She
had as a lover NJ. d'Arlande, the first
person to accompany Pizarre de Roz-
Ter in his ballon ascensions. On his
initial voyage in the air D'Arlaude wore
upon thebreast of his coat lock Of
mistress hair, fastened with the fated
pin. A gust of wind tore in half the
small carried by the aeronauts. The
pin was used to mend 1t.
THE PIN GOGES TO THE COFFIN.
Among the spectators present when
the balloon assembled was NJ. BaillL, a
celebrated astronomer. De Rozier pre-
scented him with the flag fastened with
the pin and it was put away in the
closet of the scientist.
On the memorable day when Louis
XVI was conducted by the people from
Versailles to Paris M. Bailli, named
Mayor of the city by reclamation, was
at his home awaiting the moment to
go to the Hotel de Vile to receive the
King, who, arriving sooner than was
expected, a messenger on horseback
was dispatched to summon Bailli In
his haste he forgot his official badge.
He returned to his cabinet to get it,
and not knowing how to attach it to
his coat he caught sight Of the fated
pin, which was still on the flag. With
1t he affixed his badge and hurried to
the Hotel de Vile.
Fate was now speeding the pin to its
last and predestined end. AT the mo-
ment when as Mayor Bailli presented
| the national co-carde to Louis XVI
there was no other way to fasten it to
the Kings hat except with the histor-
ic pin, once hts property, but now de-
stined to hold in place the symbol of a
revolution that was to deprive him Of
his throne and of his life
Again the pin was lost for a long
time, when an undertaker's assistant.
preparing for burial the body Of Mira
beau, the great orator of the Revolu-
ton, In search of something to fasten
his winding sheet, found it in the
sweepings of a room at the Louvre.
It's chronology is remarkable. First
serving on the toilet of Ninon de I'En-
clos, then to close the f1chu of De
Maintenon, now in the Jewel box Of
Louis XIV; then to hold the plume in
ibis hat at his meeting with James II
of England; in the wig of the Chancel.
lor of France; to fasten the bouquet
of Nine, du Barry; in the jewel box
of Louis XIV and Louis XVI; purloin-
ed by the Count de Narbonne: given tc
Nile. Contat; lost by her and found by
a dancer and used to attach lock OF
hair to her lovers breast; to mend q
torn flag, then hidden in the closet Of
M. Bailli; then to pin the revolution
airy cocarde to the hat of Louis XIV,
and finally in disappear forever in th'
lgrave of Mirabbeau.--St. Louis Globe
Democrat