The Washington herald., 1909-08-01
DISSERTATION OF TOMBS
Recent Events TranSping in France Recall Notable Days
of 1893

he4s DSCdAoo ne wanted 70 QeprNe MI /.
cousin Conde OF his wife, so that shl
might replace the charming Gabrielle
Come. patriots. look sharp Lets get thi
old rascal out Of this, and dig I'D the res
Of the crowned brigands."
This persons name was Javoques an +
he was shot few years afterwart A
Grenelles. His harangue produced III
desired effect Henry ~ was, theref)rl
iSnominously consigned 20 the pit outld
and quickly covered UP with lime. A e'
minutes afterward Louis XIII and Lou
XIV were thrown into the pit The bod +
OF Louis XIII was dried up like a mum +
my but the face could easily be recos
nized on account of its curiously shape
black imperial and moustache. The re
mains Of Louis XIV were treated Wit
the utmost disrespect.
On the 18th and the 18th or the mont
hundreds OF bodies Of illustrious and als
OF unknown persons were torn from thl
vaults and cast into the Ime-pie
Among them were thO-e OF Marie az
Medicis, Henrietta OF England. Duchess
OF Orleans Maria Theresa, wife OF Louis
XIV; Anne OF Austria, and OF the great
Dauphin- The odor they emitted was 81
dreadful that immense quantities on
vinegar bad 20 be burnt In various parts
Of the church 70 disinfect the overcharged
atmosphere In fact. not a few Of thei
workmen contracted maladies from thel
effects OF which several died.
Very little jewelry was found in any
OF the tombs. but the hearts OF q son
and a daughter-in-law OF Louis XIV We're
discovered inclosed in large vases OF
pure gold inlaid with splendid gems.
The Commissioner Of Jewels" sent them
TO Paris. where they were soon appropri-
ated. On the 10th Of October the exhu-
nation continued with unabated vigor.
but a most extraordinary coincidence oc-
Cured which has been rarely noticed by
historians. At precisely the moment
when the head OF Marie Antlonette fell on
the scanold. the body OF her eldest son.
the first Dauphin. was thrown into the
lime-pit at Denis. At o'clock OF the
same afternoon the bodies of the kings
and queens OF the earlier dynasty were
disturbed among them being those OF
Charles v and Jeanne de Bourbon. his
wife. In the coffin Of this king were his
crown and sceptre. and IN that Of Queen
Jeanne. ring and distaff. The body
Of King Charles VII was covered with
[
which had evidently been used IN the
/ process OF embalmment. The tOmbs OF
these earlier kings, II was discovered,
had been previously violated In the six
teenth century. The crypt Of the ValOis
was nearly empty. q fact which created
much sensation among the mob who were
particularly anxious, It seems. 10 secure
f the body OF Louis XI Somebody, how
ever, remembered that this willy monarch
was not buried at ST. Denis al all. but az
/ NOtre Dame De Clery.
/ TIE mob next turned its attention 70
the remains Of the greatest warrior that
/ France had hitherto produced-Turenne.
His monument was broken into and his
/ body discovered 10 be in a state OF al
most perfect preservation. repre-
/ sentative Of the medical faculty Of France
! stepped forward and demanded TIE body
Of the great soldier "as a magnificent
] specimen OF how a mummy should ba
/ prepared 'Turenne's body was trans
ported 10 the Jardin dss PIantss. where
/ IL remained In a granary for nine years,
1 stretched out on the ground between the
/ skeleton OF monkey and a camel. This
/ scandal IN the course Of time being re-
ported 20 Napoleon BonepaTte. ne ordered
/ that the body be honorably inferred ~
the Invalides.
The remains OF Du Guesolin. Arnaud de
Barbazan. and OF Sugar. the founder.
after Charlemagne. Of the splendid basi-
lea OF Matthew de Vendome and Of other
/ great personages, were now cast out Of
their resting places and flung into the
lime-pit The last king. Jean, was ex-
humed on the 25th OF October. These
scenes Of PROCLAMATION occupied exactly
twelve full days.
/ However. all was not over yet On the
31st some one spread the report that the
body OF Madame Louise. who died an
17Q at the convent OF the Carmelltes. OF
which she had been abbess. had not We.
been desecrated II was discovered ant
thrown into the common grave In Isl
the church. which for so many centurie
had been one OF the greatest Rlorles g
France was visited BY Chateaubrienc
who describes II as being in a hopeIes
state Of ruin. So little chance did the-
then seem Of its ever being restored. tbs
IL was actually proposed TO level Il 10 III
ground and convert its site into a ma
ket place.
] Napoleon Z however. decreed ths
cost what Il might. the Basilica OF
Denis was 70 be restored as speedily
/ possible TO its former condition B
restoration thus begun cost not less tia
| 100000 francs, but were not very sat
factory; so that II was not until 1850 TT
NJ. ViOlletle-Duc obtained permissn
from the government OF Napoleon 7
70 complete the restoration on a scalef
unprecedented magnifcencc Each tob
was carefully restored and placed oa
more in the position It occupied befe
4 1855. The ashes Of the kings. mingl
with the Quicklime. were gathered
gether and buried under the high alr
in the crypt; and round them are plad
the bodies Of those members OF Il
French Royal Family who have deceas.
since; and the supposed relics Of Lou,
XVI and Marie Antionette were fetchd
from the cemetery Of the Madeleine an(
placed in the royal vault, where also sleeJ
Mesdames Victoire and Adelaide, the ex
He'd Tarrol,ee-c 2 ,..r-