The Washington herald., 1911-09-04

ite. Louis de la Valliere. and his amo-
rous pleasures long enough to command
the traitors" apprehension by fair
means or foul.
1t is stated that by the aIl-powerful
cardinals request he unfortunate
count allowed himself to be inveigled
across the frontier into French territory
by some eCclesiastics, where he was fore
IDLY arrested and thrown into the dun
geOn of Pignerol in Provence King
Louis himself wrote the instructions
Look to II that no one ever Is to
know what becomes of this man.
Mantua made a feeble attempt to get
Justice for her prime minister, but it was
like mouse trying to attack a lion,
especially in those days Of absolute
autoCraCy and in a country whose con-
ceited. self-willed monarch had the i'm
pudence to challenge the whole world
by his motto: "L'etat c'est moi" CThe
State: it is y.
Saint Marc, the then governor Of
Pignerol, was ordered in an autograph
warrant by the King. Ito guard Count
Matuoli in such a manner that not only
may he have no communication with
any one. but that he may have cause to
repent his conduct and that no one may
know you have a new prisoner
Reference to him always was made
as Lestang. His wife died in a con-
vent without ever being told Of his
terrible fate
For years the King actually prosecuted
the poor fellow with malignant instruc-
tions. Here are two of them, written
by King Louis order by the chief Of
his privy cabinet. de Louvois:
1T is not the intention of the King
that the Sieur de Lestang should be
we'll treated or that. except the most alb
solute necessaries OF life, you should
give him anything to soften his cap
tivity"
You must keep de Lestang in the
rigorous confinement which I repeatedly
enjoined in my former letters"
Once st. Mars was ordered to treat
such a rascal as he deserved" and above
all to see to it that no one ever should
learn what your ancient prisoner has
done
On September IS. 169s, Mattion was
lodged in the Bastille, according to the
registers in the state department ar
chives, the journey to Paris having been
accomplished. according to the Kings
stringent orders, in such a manner that
ION the route he shall be seen by no
one" On November 10, 1903, the perse-
cuted old man died
The official register of the Bastille
identified him as follows: "Died, the
prisoner unknown; his face hidden al
ways behind a mask Of black velvet;
whom Monsieur de Saint Mars, the gov
ernor Of Pignerol. brought with him
from the Isles of SaInte Marguerite"
incidentally, the same rock-bound strip
Of land from which, as I had occasion
to state yesterday, Marshal Bazaine.
confined there under sentence of death
by court-martial for his blunders at
in the Franco-German war
Of 1870 managed to escape by being
lowered from one Of the little windows
in the rock-hewn wall of the fort into
the seal. He was buried in the church
yard Of st. Paul at Paris.
But there is still another cruel and
ironical touch to this true tale of the
Man in the Iron Mask" At the very
hour of his unheeded death in the Bas-
tile his former master, Duke Charles
OF Mantua, and King Louis XIV. whom
he was visiting, were feasting scarce a
bow shot away at Luxembourg Palace
when the body OF their intermediary,
dupe. and victim was being trailed In
the dust by two turkeys to its obscure
grave. FLANEUR.
lcogrisht Isl. b cOurt Goszp syndicAsal