The Grit-advocate., 1906-03-16
81 e e
! Bloody Records of !
! Old Paris Prisons }
Il Il e e
Especial Correspondence

"reminiscences of olf Paris prisons
arc very interesting. indeed. About
the Bastile everybody knows. but the
story of the Conciergerie. the Chate-
let. the dungeon of Vincennes, Lab
baye. Sainte Pelagie and St Lazare
is new to most Americans and 1t Is
generally thrilling
The Oldest prison in Europe is the
Conciergerie, whose remains now
form part of the Palais de Justice at
Paris. 1t was famous for its exquis-
lite tortures. 1t was here that Nine.
de Brinvilliers, tied down to a trestle,
was forced to swallow three buckets
OF water that was poured down her
throat through a funnel; it was here
that La Noisin was stretched on the
rack while she smilingly observed
that the torture suited her well, as
she had always complained Of being
too short; it was here that the high
wayman Cartouche, the idLl of the
gay ladies of Paris, was broken on a
wheel. after having undergone the
boot to soften his heart. For several
centuries executioners from all parts
of Europe came to the Conciergerie
to take lessons in their gentle art,
and hundreds Of thousands Of guilty
or 1hiOcent prisoners gave up the
ghost in its mephitic cells. At last,
in the year of American independence.
it was burned down. 1t was rebuilt,
regardless of expense. by Louis XVI,
who little thought that he was con-
9trucsing lodging for his wife.
Consigned to the Conciergerie by
Fouquier Tinville, Marie Antoinette
made the place the fashion, End until
1hermidor it was the main source
OF supply for the guillotine. Prison
ers of all classes and both sexes,
herded so closely that there was no
room for the decencies of life, swarm
ed. there In disorder, dirt and disease,
bullied by drunken turnkeys with saw
age dogs at their heels, and thinned
out when the tumbrils called for
batch for that days meal for the gull
lotine
From the Concierserie the guillo-
tine received over two thousand vic
Tins, among them the Grohdins, the
Duke of Orleans. the Duke OF Lauzun,
Charlotte Corday, Lavolsier, the
chemist; Danton, Camille Desmoulin
and Robespierre himself, and such
was the exaltation of the time that
many went to the scaffold singing,
laughing and shouting: Long live
France!"
vineennes Once State Prison.
A rival to the Conciergerie was Vim
cennes. Under the kings it was a
state prison-the prison Of the great.
In it's cells Henry of Navarro. the
Prince de Conde, the Marshal de
Montmorenci and the Cardinal de
Retz. with many prince and duke
and count, slept and groaned and in
more modern times it housed Diderot.
Mirabeau and, for brief hour. the
Duke d'Enghien. One of its inmates
In the old days was La Mole. who.
when he was sleepy, laid his hand
some head on the lap of the beautiful
Marguerite de Navarro. and for such
impudence was doomed by Catherine
of Medics to die at Vincennes
When the deed was done and night
had fallen, the eXecutioner was at
supper with his family. A knock
came to his door. When he opened
it he saw an armed man and veiled
woman standing outside.
You are the eXecutioner?" asked
the lady, in an imperious voice.
Yes, madame"
"You have here the body Of a gen
tleman? | must see it And she laid
a purse of gold on the table.
But consider. madame. You could
not bear the sight"
'Show it to me-" she said sternly.
And she laid second purse on the
table.
The headsman opened cellar. and
from the smeared doorway the lady
saZed upon the body. from which red
blood was oozing upon the black stone