Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-02-04


Barry fled with a precipitation thai =
bleeding hand could not arrest.
Two days later lie Ch0iseul was exilad
to his country seat At Canteloup. HI
would give no other reason for his dis-
grace thaIrthat "a pin had changed tn.
dcstinies Of France"
Barely had Mime. du Barry arrived
from the interrupted interview with Do
Choiseul when the King returned from,
hunting. She met him with mere than
accustomed demonstrations of affection
and the King took advantage Of her amin
bic mood to ask the return Of the MIN
1t was gladly surrendered With otbar
heirlooms OF his predecessors it PASSED ia
Louis AVl.. i'll whose possession it re-
manned until chance subyerted it IL an.
other use.
Mile de Contat, charming actress Of
the French thcater had turned the bead
OF the Count de Narbonnc. the spoilnd
child of the royal family. She craved
possession Of the famous pin locked in
the jewel box Of the King, for she con
ceived the notion of using it to fastfu
the letter to Susanne in the "Marriaoe
de Figaro" which was to have a first rem
rcsentation in Il few days. DE NarboEnr
was at his wits end to discover some way
OF securing the treasure before the first
performance OF the play, only four DAYS
distant. Chance offered solution of tbr
difficulty. Quadrillcs were then the fash
ion, and of those who took part in them
Il special costume was required. The
count, by adroit questioning of NJ. Ia
Borde, the custodian of the Kings cab
met, gained Il fair know ledge of its con-
tents, and then pretended to need dja
monds with which to decorate his coat
for the quadrille nj the approaching court
bali. Louis NNl., who could refuse moth
ing to De Narbonne, gave him perms
sion To draw upon the resources OF his
jewel box. After a brief search he dis
covered the pin.
The count was just in time, the rer-
tormanre had begun The pin after being
put TO the use intended passed from hand
70 hand, and when needed for the second
performance was nowhere to be found
The actress was little disturbed bv the
loss but the count was confronted with
La perious situation, Tor la Borde had
discovered the theft. 4 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 II. dAIiaEde, the first person to ac.
company Pitatre dc Rozier in his baloou
ascensions. On his initial voyage in the
air D'Arlande wore upon the breast a.
his coat . lock OF his mistress han fae-
tened with the fated pin. A gust or wind
tore IN half the small flag carried by the
acronouts. The pin was used to mend it.
Among the spectators present when the
balloon descended was NJ. Bailli, a cca-
brated astronomer. De Rozier presented
him with the flag fastened with the min.
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, NJ. Bailli, named
mayor Of the city by reclamation. was
at his home awaiting the moment to 60
to the Hotel de Vile to receive the King.
who, arriving sooner than was expected.
a messenger on horseback was despatched
to summon Bailli. In his haste he for
got 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 it he affixed his badge and
hurried to the Hotel lie Vile.
Fate was. now speeding the pin to its
last and prcdestined end. At the mo-
ment when, as mayor, Bailli presented
the national cocardc to Louis XVI, there
was no other way to fasten it to the
Kings hat except with the historical pin.
once MS property, but now destined 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 long time,
when an undertaker's assistant. prepar-
ing for burial the body of Mirabeau-
the great orator of the Reyomtion-in
search of something to fasten his wind
ing sheet, found it in the sWcenings of a
room at the Louvre
Its chronology is remarkable; first
serving on the toilet OF Ninon de PEnclos:
then to close the fchu of De Maintenon:
now in the jewel box Of Louis XIV; then
to hold the plume in his hat at his meet
ing with James II. of England; in the
wig of the chancellor of France; to fasten
the bouquet of Nine du Barry; in the
Jewel box of Louis Nv and Louis XVI:
purloined by the Count de Narbonne:
given to Nile. Contat; lost by her and
found by dancer and used to attach Il
lock of her hair to her lovers breast; to
mend n torn flag; then hidden in the
closet of NJ. Bailli; then to pin the rcyo-
lutionary co2arde to the hat of Louis
NNI., and finally to disappear forever III
the grave of Airabeau.-New York Sun.