Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-14
HEART OF LOUIS XIV
Strange Story of Its Being in
Westminster Abbey.
RECOVERED FROM ST. DENIS
Bankrupts Barred From Houses of
Parliament.
RESPONSIBILITY OF PUBLISHERS
Interesting Decision by the British
Court Of Appeals-Plan to Rid
London of Smoke.
RESPONSIBILITY OF PUBLISHERS

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
LONDON, September o. 1906.
The fact does not appear in the guide
books, nor is the story told in any of the
numerous works that have been written
about the modest temple of worship in
England but friend gives me a weird
tale about the heart of Louis XIV, the
greatest king of France, being buried in
Westminster Abbey He got the grueseme
facts from the late Sir William Harcourt,
the liberal leader, whose widow is an Amer
lean, the daughter of Mr.. Motley, the his
torian.
The Harcourts, it seems, had many French
connections, who fed to England for refuge
during the French revolution. Among them
was canon of the Cathedral of st. Denis
the royal mausoleum of France, where fifty
kings and queens are buried in rows of
tombs. When he was about leaving the
Harcourt mansion to return to his home
across the channel the canon expressed the
gratitude of himself and two or three of
his associates who had enjoyed the hospi-
tally of his host, and produced from his
pocket something that looked like a piece
of leather.
Il was in the Cathedral at ST. Denis when
the royal tombs We're broken open by the
mob he said, ''and the ashes of the kings
were scattered to the winds This" and
he held up the insignificant looking object
lis the heart of Louis Quatorze, which was
Kept In an urn on the top of his sarcopha-
gus. l managed to save it and would like
to leave 1t with youn until affairs are en-
tirely tranquil in France
But the able never called for his strange
memento. He died of an epidemic shortly
after his return to his country, and the
Harcourt family found themselves in a di-
lemma. Not knowing W m IN
with the relic they concluded to do nothing
and await developments. The heart was
carefully slowed away in cabinet, but was
occasionally brought out for the inspection
of visitors. The late DIR. Buckland while
dean of Westminster, was guest at the
mansion on Ohe occasion and asked to see
the weird curiosity. He was a very sec-'
centric man and at that time was very old.
He took the heart in his hand. rubbed it
with wet finger and then for some reason
or another placed it in his mouth The
CALCULATIONS of the astonished company
seemed to rattle the distinguished prelate
and he swallowed the heart while gasping
an explanation. The old man tainted when
he realized what he had done, and a physi-
clan whom they called declared that they
had better let well enough alone because
he could never digest the thing and might
throw it off his stomach
But he never did. He died a few weeks
later from senile debility, SO the doctor
said, but 1t is entirely probable that the
tough old heart of Louis XIV, which had
suffered variety Of violent emotions has
tened his end 1t was an overdose of heart,
and by this strange combination of circum-
stances the heart of Louis XIV is now re-
posing in Westminster Abbey with the body
of an English dean for its sepulcher.
Bankrupts Barred From Parliament.
Bankrupts men who cannot pay their
debts. are not eligible to the British parlia-
-ment, and If they become insolvent after
election they must resign. The act says:
If member Of the house of commons
is adjudged bankrupt, and the disqualified
tons arising therefrom are not removed
within six months from the deed of the
order, the court shall Immediately after
the expiration Of that time certify the
same to the house of commons and there
upon the speaker shall declare the seat
of the member vacant.
Nor can a bankrupt sit or vote in the
house of lords, or in any committee thereof
nor can he be elevated to the peerage, nor
can he be elected as a peer of Scotland or
Ireland. If hereditary peer becomes bank
rupt his seat is vacated until he pays his
debts, and in case of a representative peer
a new election Is held. This might be a
good rule for the Senate and the House of
Representatives at Washington. 1t is based
upon the theory that a man who cannot
attend to his own affairs properly is not
competent to look after those of a nation.
1t is also considered necessary that
member of parliament shall have sufficient
income to enable him to live according to
the dignity Of his office, for he receives no
compensation whatever from the govern
ment.
When parlia ment meets in October 1t is
expected that at least one seat will be de-
clared vacant and a new election ordered,
a prominent member of the house Of COM
mons having been involved in bankruptcy
proceedings since the adjournment There
was a similar case in the last parliament.
One of the Irish members was ordered to
withdraw from this house until his bank
l,,I1 h1x, la
nulled, or until his creditors, proving their
debts, shall have been paid or satisfied to
the full amount" Mr.. McHugh, for that
was the gentlemans name, vacated his
seat, but made compromise with his
creditors and was at once reelected with
out opposition.
Kissing the Book.
m citation iS going on in ENGLAND oraip