The Newtown bee., 1905-06-23

poisons. Her favorite method ot rid ding the court of honest, or otherwise obnoxious persons, was to poison their gloves with a subtle poison that worked only on the brain. This room is all in carved panels, 336 all different, and behind one of them we find to-day une of her secret cupboards. And se- cret it certainly is. To open it you step on certain tile in the floor, and that ioosens place in the base board; that Happened and another spring is pressed which loosens a carved knot in the panel, where in turn there is an- other spring to be worked. Only two years ago one of her secret staircases was found in the walls, but so cleverly was 1t hidden that even now it is i'm possible to locate the doors leading to and from it. On the floor below is the room where she finally died only few days after the murder of the Due. Further along is the dungeon W here the Cardinal de Gufse was murdered on the same day as his brother, not to mention the numberless other victims who mySteriously disappeared from there. Their disappearance was, how ever, an easy matter, for to-day the secret trap in the floor still exists. Through this, which was worked by a spring from inside, person fell sew enty feet to be caught by secret cur rent Of water and carried into the depths of the Loire. So we might go on indefinitely, but it is impossible to place here. This is enough to show that though the chateau of Blois may lack external impressiveness, yet it is a landmark, and for centuries it's history if told would be the history of France. The town of Blois itself is famous for two things. It is supposed to be one of the most healthy cities in all France on account of its pure air, so it was here that most of the French kings passed their childhood. Also for many decades it has had the reputa tion of being the home of the best and pureSt spoken French. Addison came here to study French, and it's repu- tatiOn is as secure today as 1t was then. but every one seems happy and more content than in America. The ordinary wages for man are from 60 to 70 cents for an eleven hour day, and one team ster 1 know has to work from a. m., to p. m., and receives 70 cents. The peasants all work, men and women, but they are picturesque-the men with their long blue blouses, and the women in their short black skirt and liGtle Wutge CdpS, anu Uuey dll, llko tue Dutch, wear wooden shoes.
 The day we drove across the country there were clothes hung on all the bushes and trees and even on the fences of the cemeteries, till I began to wonder if the French did not sup port themselves as the Sicilians do "By taking in each others washings."
 was very sorry to read in the paper to-day of Senator Platt's death. It is not only great loss to Connecticut, but to the country at large, and it will be impossible to find his equal. l have read a very biting article to-day in the Outlook on the Corruption of Politics in Connecticut" and having read scathing articles in Boston and New York papers, as we'll as in maga- zines, in our last senatorial campaign, l hate to think of the possibility of having another blot on Connecticut's name.
 I shall write again as usual, for this does not count as letter, but merely as small sized volume. Be thankful it is no larger.
 With love,
 Burr A. Hollister.