The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-03-04
The Original Was Giles de
Laval, Marshal of France
in the Year of 1892
WORSE THAN NURSERY HERO
Clad Always In Sombre Hues, His
SwaIlowtail Black Beard Gave Him
an Uncanny Appearanee-Welrd
Search for the Philosophers Stone.

sure, he had not married seven wives,
and therefore never threatened them
with violent death; STILL the enormi-
ties of which this original has been
guilty are not surpassed by the crimes
of our hero of the nursery. The origi.
nal Bluebeard was GILES de Laval,
Lord of Reiltz, who was made Mar.
shal of France in 1929, and in the
reigns of Charles VI. and VII. distin-
guished himself by his bravery against
the English when they invaded
France. He was born in the Castle
of Machecoul, in Vendee, in 1404.
There still rise the ruins of castle,
which even to-day is called in the
whole neighborhood the "Bluebeard
Castle" and the peasants when pass
ing by at night make the sign of the
cross. It's former owner descended
from one of the oldest families, be.
longing to the Montmorencies on his
mothers side. He was married at the
age of thirteen, but his wife died in
the same year, and the second wife,
whom he married in the following
year, came to her death soon after
her wedding. In 1920. at the age of
sixteen, he took for his wife Catha-
rine de Thouars, a girl of the same
age, who, besides her rich dowry, in.
creased his estates by the barony Of
Tiffanges. A great military career
opened before the young man, who
fought at the side of Jeanne j'Arc In
all the battles against the English,
and for his patriotism ana heroism he
became Marshal Of France. GILES de
Retz was by no means the ugly, de-
monlike looking monster which the
Bluebeard Of the fairy tale pictures
Of our imagination. but rather a port
ly looking man of high stature and
great muscular strength. Only his
glossy long blond" hair and his swal.
lowtail black" beard gave an uncan-
ny impression. He was clad all In
black. The reflections of this sombre
costume. mingled with those Of his
light hair. made his beard appear Of a
blush black color. Hence the sur.
name Blue Beard, by which he is
known even to-day in all those parts
Of Brittany. Anton and Vendee, where
the ruins Of his castles are still in ex-
istence. The fortune of the marshal
was immense. He owned cities, vii
lagos and towns in Brittany, in An.
jou and Vendee, which brought him
an annual income of $4,000 livres,
more than $4,000 In our money. His
S1.000,000, an immense amount in his
time. But all this fortune was sacri-
feed to his passion for art and litera-
ture, music and the stage. The SER
vices which he rendered his country
might have immortalized his name
had he not forever blotted his glory by
murders. impieties and debaucheries,
to which he was led by his pride and
ambition to outdo princes and kings
In magniticence, pomp and power.
In order to build up new fortune
GILES became an alchemist But his
efforts to discover the philosophers
stone proved vain, and he applied to
magic in order to learn all the secrets
of heaven and earth. In dark caves,
by the light of consecrated candles
and the rising of incense, he would,
under all kinds Of magical rites and
incantations, invoke the demons and
even try to conjure Satan in his own
person. He wrote to the Evil One
letters in his own blood, renounced
the safety of his soul, and sold himself
to the devil. But neither the Internal
spirits nor their commander would |
answer him. The marshal despaired |
at his failure. There remained but !
one means-the blood of innocent chill |
Gren must surely be pleasing sacri. |
flee to the devil and dispose his sa-
tanic majesty in favor of his worship
per. And thus started the series of
murders which GILES at first commit |
ted in honor of the devil, but which |
caused him SO much pleasure that |
later on he killed numerous children
for mere lust of cruelty. He corrupted |
young persons of both sexes that he |
might attach them to him, and after |
ward killed them for the sake of their |
blood for his charms ana incantations.
A terror soon spread over the whole |
country when everywhere children
disappeared who met their death in |
the subterranean dungeons of "Blue
Boards" castles. Their number ia
estimated at from 700 to 500. At length |
he was arrested and. being found gull |
ty of numerous atrocities, was SEN
fenced. with his two accomplices, to |
be burned alive in a field at Nantes
in 1440. Popular tradition confounds
his crimes and atrocities with those
OF the nursery Bluebeard. Indeed, the
real hero of Perrault's story kills his
wives. while nothing of the kind Is
known of Gilles. whose wife, by the |
way. outlived him by several years.
and contracted another marriage after
his death. 1t Is, however, likely that the |
stories of the terrible marshal were
alive in Perrault's mind when he
transferred this bloody picture from
the grewsome abysses of medieval
N a ttnul Inc t..A<. ~