The daily Alaskan., 1915-06-10
TheCardinal'S
 Enemy
A Bit of History That Is
 Also a Romance.
By F. 4. MITCHELL


 If one were asked what period in his tory furnished the most themes for sto- ries he might be right in replying that containing the administration of the government of Louis NH. of France by Cardinal Rlchelicu. Louis queen, Anne of Austria, was bitter opponent of the cardinal, and what Richclicu was to the king the Duchess of Che vreuse was to the queen. The duchess was one of the mos& beautiful, the most attractive and the most intriguing wo- men who ever lived.
 After the exposure of a reasonable plot the cardinal baniShed her to LOT. raine, where she infatuated the king, Louis XIII, mixing him up in another conspiracy. The cardinals policy for bade him to imprison woman, so aft CT punishment from France had failed be sent Mime. CheyreuSe to a country estate she owned. There. having no better subject for her fascination. she bewitched an octogenarian official.
 This amusement falling to satisfy her, she turned her attention to an. other intrigue with a view to over throwing the queens and her own de tested enemy, Richelieu.
 At this time the queen was secretly corresponding with those opposing the cardinal, among them Mime. de Che. vreuse The person who conducted this correspondence was one La Porte, her secretary. He was the keeper of her cipher code, translated her letters into 1t, forwarded them to their destination and received the replies, handling them tn the same way.
 But the cardinal was watching and suspected the frequent goings and com ings of the man. One of the queens supposed adherents was won over and told La Porte that he was going to Tours, where Mme. de Cheyreuse was held in restriction, and asked if he had any message for her. If so he would carry 1t La Porte replied that he had letter and would bring 1t to him. While doing so he was arrested with the queens letter on his person and lodged in the Bastille. The letter was not important, but the queen and her friend had been forbidden to core spond. The cardinal at once ordered the seizure of the private papers of both the queen and the duchess.
 When the queen was accused or uea- son she falsely made an oath that she had not corresponded with any foreign power. Richelieu knew better. and on promise of the kings pardon the queen confessed that she had written her relatives In Madrid and in Brussels, but not on matters of state. La Porte declared that he had carried no letters for the queen except to Mime. de Che yreuse. Fearing that La POrte's state ment and hers would not agree, Anne desired to post him on what she had declared and ask him to make the same statement. This she hoped would satisfy Richelieu and prevent his in- vestigating further.
 But how reach La Porte in his cell at the Bastille? So carefully watched was he that a warden quilted him only for a few hours during the day and slept in his cell at night. One of the queens maids of honor and devoted to her, Mile. de Hautfort, not only suggested a plan of conveying a letter to La Porte' but volunteered to carry 1t herself.
 The Chevalier de Jars, who had been Involved In a former conspiracy against the cardinal was confined in the Bas- tile and occupied q cell directly over