Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-23
CASTLE OF CH|LLON
Place Made Famous by By
ron's Poem.
VISITED BY THOUSANDS
Preserved and Kept as Show
Place.
TRUE STORY OF PRISONER
Patriot Of Geneva, Who Fought
Against Duke of Savoy-Rescued
by Troops From Berne.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

Byron made famous by his poem and the
story of Francois de Bonvard. Its most cell
ebrated prisoner has been restored in an
admirable manner. When 1 was last here 1t
was filled with rubbish and was being
gradually torn to pieces by vandals. But a
society for it's preservation was organized
and obtained authority from the state,
which owns the property, to restore it as
nearly as possible to its original condition.
The work is being skillfully done under the
direction of Mr.. Neff, an architect of Lau-
same, who has twenty or thirty masons
and stonecutters constantly engaged, and
they are putting he old ruin in good shape.
The society is also beginning to collect ar
ticles for a museum of the middle ages,
and, in one way or another, by presentation
or purchase, has secured some interesting
historical relies and other material
An admission fee of 10 cents is charged
to keep up the place and carry on the work
of restoration, and good income is de-
rived from that source. The custodian told
me that they had more than $1,000 visitors
last year, and this year the number will be
much larger. The day before we were there
800 people, mostly tourists and half of them
Americans. visited the place. and the young
woman who showed us the castle said: 1T
was perfectly awful" The visitors are sent
around in SQUADS of twenty or thirty, each
in charge of young women who repeat the
story of the place and describe the different
rooms in French. Nearly all the guides can
speak English and answer questions po-
litely.
Dates to Eighth Century.
The chateau is one of the Oldest in Eu-
rope, the present building dating back to
the eighth century and it has had thrilling
history. Its records have been kept since
the year $780, when Louis lie Debonnaire of
France imprisoned Abbot Wala of Convey,
who had instigated his sons to rebellion.
Historians insist that there was a castle
here at the time of the Romans, but there
is no record. In the thirteenth century
Count Peter of Savoy enlarged and
strengthened 1t. and it was still further ex-
tended by his successors In the fifteenth
century After Geneva joined the Swiss
federation 1t became prison and then an
arsenal. and then 1t was abandoned entire
ly. 1t stands at the eastern end of Lake Ge-
neva the edge of the water. at the vii
lage of Terrtet, near Montreux, one of the
most attractive resorts in Switzerland, where
the late Empress Elizabeth of Austria al
ways spent month every season. She was
stopping here at the time of her assassina-
ton and was making an excursion around
the lake in one of the steamers.
Immediately over the castle, on the brow
of hill, perched about five hundred feet
above the water, is a handsome villa owned
and occupied by Mr.. jenkins of Baltimore.
Several other Americans are living perma-
nently in this vicinity. Mr. Remson White
Mexico and at Rome, and secretary Of the
first pan-Amercan conference, has lovely
place at Ouchy, and Is doing some valuable
historical and biographical writing Theo-
dore Dwight, formerly librarian of the De-
partment of State at Washington, who mar
ried Sally Loring, daughter of Dr. Loring,
the former commissioner of agriculture,
lives at Vevey.
The Famous Prisoner.
Francois de Bonivard, the most famous
prisoner of the Castle of Chillon, was not
exactly what Byron represented him to be
In his poem, 1.-The Prisoner Of Chillon."
Byron exercised more than the usual poetic
license, but Bonivard was a scholar, gen.
tleman and a patriot, although, like some
other gentlemen that we know or have read
Of he was short of funds at times. The
records of the courts of Geneva show that
ar innkeeper was compelled to sue him for
board and got judgment. At the same
time he founded the public library OF
Geneva, which is now one of the most i'm
portant in Europe, and was official historian
of that famous city.
After he had been released from prison he
did not pose as martyr, but hustled around
for living like his neighbors, and wrote
most interesting account of the castle with
scarcely a reference to himself and his own
sufferings. He was equally modest in his
history of Geneva, for he gives himself no
credit for leading the Genevese in their
struggle for liberty against the dukes OF
Savoy, for that was the reason he went to
prison.
The dukes of Savoy were fairly success
full in revenging themselves upon individ-
uals whom they disliked, or who interfered
with their methods of administration, or OBJ
jected to their behavior. Along about 1920
we read of one Jean Poccolat, who was
stretched on the rack in order to compel
him to give his reasons for laughing at one
of the dukes. He mentioned several rea-
sons, but as they were not enough TO salts
III r,;Ii hoe och 6 f1o
bones of Poccolat's legs and arms and
stretched the sinews and muscles until they
broke. Then he hung his agonized victim
up by ropes in his dining room, where he
could make fun Of him while he was eating
his dinner. The dukes of Savoy were not
amiable men.
Bonivard was born at Geneva in 1893, and
after receiving an unusually good education
for that time succeeded his uncle prior
of a large monastery. Such honors could be
inherited In those days. He did not pretend
to be piOuS, did he trouble himself about
the souls of the community, but spent his
time in study and travel. He read many
books, more than anyone in that part Of
Europe, and went far Rome and
SalZburg in one direction and as far as
London in another. He organized a patri-
otto society called 1.-The Children of &C.
neva," and made flaming speeches against
the Duke of Savoy. 1t was a dangerous &C.
cupation.
In 1919 the duke visited Geneva to see
how things were getting along and caught
two members Of the society, whom he tor
tured until they confessed that Bonivard
was their leader. Then he cut off their
heads and placed them on poles at the en-
trance to the bridge across the Rhone.
When Bonivard learned of this he disguised
himself as a monk and fled, but he got no
farther than the forest Of Jorat. near
Lausanne, when two men who were travel
ing in his company attacked him, bound his
hands and feet, and, under menace Of death.
compelled him to assign to them his prop
erty.
Treacherously Surrendered.
After they had done this they treacher-
ously turned him over to the duke, who
sent him to the Castle of Chillon for two
years. This Imprisonment did not quench
| his patriotism, and, after his return to &C.
neva. he reorganized his society and carried
on a feeble sort Of guerrilla warfare with
"the knights of the Spoon" a gang of
guerrilla swashbucklers in the train of the
duke who wore spoons hanging from their
| necks as their badges. and boosted that
they would eat Geneva"
This guerrilla warfare nearly ruined the
trade of the city, and the merchants, who
took more interest in selling goods than IN
fighting for liberty, offered Bonivard a pen
sion of so crowns a year if he would quit
politics and live in peace. He agreed to do
SO and, having obtained safe conduct
from the duke, set out to visit his mother