The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-05-16
A ROYAL MYSTERY
One Of the Leuacles Of the French
Revolution.
FATE OF THE YOUNG oAUPHlN

Whether the son OF Louis NNts ana
Marie Antoinstte Was Murdered or
Died or Was Spirited Away Is an
Enigma Without a Solution.
Every healthy minded map or wom-
nn loves mystery, aud. fortunately
for the world. history has provided
one or two problems which have been
worn threadbare without revealing
their secrets. Among these is the fate
of the nlne-year-old son Of Louis XVI.
and Marie Antoinette. which Nine.
Louise Latour recently dealt with In
lecture in London.
A child judlcially murdered or else
spirited away. another substituted for
him to die and to be buried under a
false name. the people who reported of
these things silenced or poisoned. the
period OF events comparatively recent
the story sounds incredible. but 1t
rests on q basis OF established fact.
The dauphln. delicate child OF nine.
was removed from his mother and
friends and given 10 the care OF Simon.
the brutal savetier. and his wife.
After this all remains obscure except
that while the boy was in their care
the Simons gave up their post--in IT.
self rather strange. as Il was lucra-
tive one-and on the day of the change
of residence the substitution is sup
posed TO have taken place. In the even
a child I'm haA NO chnNvn In
emissaries of the convention. and the
next morning he was removed to a
smaller room with the door nailed up.
the only air coming In by the grille
through which bis food was passed
SO he remained until he became so III
that Dr. Dessault. who had often been
to Versailles In the old days. was sum
moned to attend him aud was amazed
to ind scrofulous and dying boy.
"Ce nest pms ie petit dauphinr'
("That is not the little DauphiprD he
blurted out imprudently. and a day or
two later be died by poison.
other doctors were broIh hit who
were uDacquainted with the royal chill.
dren. and the child died and was bur.
led In his assumed character. He is
generally supposed TO have been q lad
called Gombeau, and his mother was
actually seen by people In America
where she admitted the wickedness OF
having sold her dying son when she
was In q condition of extreme poverty
La femme Simon talked. but heI
words were dlscredted by the authori
ties. who declared she was drunken
and garrulons. Nevertheless. on hei
deathbed she confessed to priest anC
a nurse that substitute had been pu
in the dauphln's place.
Such are the historical facts as re
lated by Nine. Latour. and to accoun
for them two theories have been de
duced. says writer IN the Londol
Times. The first. In which Nine. La
tour believes. was that the dauphir
was judlcially murdered by Simon II
the temple and the dying Gombeat
put in bis place to hide the crime fron
| the world. OF the second. that th'
child escaped alive from his prison
many people are strenuous supporters
Some of them describe the course o.
events thus: Gombeau was brough
into the temple on the day of the de
management In large cardboard
horse given ostensibly as u souvenir I,
the royal prisoner by the femme 81
mon. while the dauphin was carrie,
out by the woman In a big basket o
dirty linen. Others declare that th
prince was actually kept hidden In
garret ia the temple until the substi
when he was taken out Ia coffin wit
false bottom. the body of Gombea
being buried In the moat
This theory has had two startlin
contirmatiOns. A small coffin hlle,
with paper and stones was actual
found In the cemetery or La Madeleine
and General d'Andlgne. imprisoned 1
the temple Ia 1901 and allowed 10 re
lieve the tedum of his confinement b
gardening. was digging In the mon
when he found the uncoliined skeleto
OF child. 3.
But, as Nine. Latour asked, III IN
dauphln escaped alive into the worlt
where did he goT No fewer tina
thirty pretenders. one negro. at dl
ferent times have declared themselve
the son OF Louis XVI. and Marie Al
toinette. The two who attracted mos
disciples We're the Due de Rlchemor
aud "Naundorc." With regard to III
latter, II was against him that be dl
not come forward until he was thirt
years OF age and he could not spea
word of French, Nine Latour adde
that he married a middle claFs wifi
and was an excellent MATCHMAKER. ceI
sequently unlike what the heir OF d roy
al line ought TO be, obviously the sneah
er had forgotten Louis Seize aud hi