Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-02-01
the cause of puchesueau. Act

the cause Of Duchesneau. According
ly. he was dragged ANONYMOUSLY from
prison by the public executioner and
led by a rope around his neck, with a
torch in hand, to the gate of the Cha
teau. there to beg pardon of the king;
thence to the pillory of the lower town,
where he was branded on the cheek
with a fleur-de-lis and set in the stocks
for half an hour; then he was led back
to prison and placed in irons. This
was to be repeated three times.
The man while passing through the
terrible ordeal of the day had seer the
face of Madame BLIZZARD in the crowd,
who smiled and nodded encouragingly.
They had become great friends, and
the Comte was glad to find one kindly
glance. The room in which he was
confined was on the gr~ound-f1oor of the
Chateau. Scarcely had he thrown
himself exhausted upon the bed placed
beneath the little grated opening that
admitted air and light, when a sum-
mons at the door engaged his guards
attention for the moment. Just at this
juncture the prisoner felt something
drop on his chest from above, and saw
that a tiny parcel had been thrown in
through the window. He quickly
opened it and recognized a key fitting
his letters, wrapped in a piece Of pa
per, on which was written:
Escape tonight at IL; there is
worse in store for you. You will find
all the doors unlocked" There was no
name signed, but he recognized the
writing.
At dark his jailer left him and was
replaced by four trusty soldiers Of
Frontenac. They examined his irons
and then left him to himself, a SEEM
ingly half-unconscious being, huddled
upon the bed neal the door, which was
fastened upon the inside by an iron
cross-bar. After their conversation be-
gan to flag they stacked their arms,
took the one light in the room to a
further corner, leaving the bed in a
half shadow, and proceeded to pass
away the time with cards. The prison.
er hearkened to a distant clock in the
Chateau striking ten and heard the
sounds of closing the Building for the
night as the inmates retired. Care
fully he inserted the key into the lock
of the iron on his right hand, which
was freed; then into that of the left.
and it was liberated also. Slowly he
reached down, watching with half
closed eyes the group of soldiers in the
corner attentive to their game, and
withdrew his legs from the encircling
letters. He waited impatiently for the
clock to sound II and wondered what
he would do if he found his informa-
ton false. Perhaps it was all a trap to
induce him to attempt to escape! He
would chance it. Eleven o'clock
struck; the players laughed guardedly
at their game. He arose, and with ore
bound seized the four guns.
The rafting noise attracted the at
tention of the soldiers, who started up
only to find their prisoner freed and
with one Of the guns pointed at them.
Before they recovered from their as
t%onishment he had slipped the bolt:
the door swung open. Speeding down
the corridor, he found the doors that
barred his way were all unfastened.
He heard the shouts of alarm raised by
the soldiers; the last door opened into
thu nirhf CIV. ho r,oc frnn7
The next day all Quebec was astir
with s~earch-parties hunting for the
escaped prisoner; he raj not found.
The day after it was learned that
Madame BLIZZARD had disappeared also.