Bogalusa enterprise. [volume] (Bogalusa, La.) 1914-1918, 1915-10-21
CHAPTER XIII.
The Torture Chamber.


AS for the young American herself,
she had remained these hours alone il
the palace Of the king
The palace. as she now reflected,
was more nearly deserted than ever
she had seen it. The household staff
seemed disorganized. Fright had
caught hold of all. The most conflict
ing rumors went this way and that.
! II wonder" said Kitty Gray to her
self after a time, as she sat alone-"l
WONDER
| Now, what she wondered had to do
with certain questions which she long
had had in her own mind
, "'Cruciati cam did cam mean
camera -'chamber' - torture cham
ber?'"
If SO. where was that torture cham
Der? Was il under the battlements yon-
der, or here in the palace itself!
Where had the CID king concealed his
wealth?
She rang the bell and summoned
once more the woman Of the palace
who thus far had cared for her at the
kings behCst.
"largot.' said she. talk to me.
have Travelled far and am weary. an
distressed-nervous perhaps. Talk to
me- .~s. s..... a.. Il ,'
1--WE are all distressed, eXcelency,
said the woman. 1--WE know not what
there may be wonder. Perhaps this
moment the two kingdoms may be al
war. But what can ! do to make your
excellency more comfortable?'
She was willing enough to curry ia
vor with a favorite of the king.
Tell me Margot,' demanded Kitty
Gray, about this country here. am
stranger from a far country, and
know very little of this land and o
it's customs. Is it an old land, this o
Gretzhoffen, Margot?"
more immemorially old, your excel
lency, than most people have eve
dreamed of. The first kings of Gret1
hoffen date back so far in history tina
almost they merge into myths. Tn
Oldest kingdoms of Europe are not 8
: old as this little one
Does the history of this countr
date back SO far as the middle ages!
Lob, easily. We are very old,
y smiled Margot.
Those also were times Of war an
bloodshed, were they not? Why, Ma
: got, in those days they tortured pri
Oners, did they not?'
Not only prisoners, excellency, BIZ
, many others. II king wished new
or money, If an official wished confe
sion OF q crime-if bishop desire
confession of faith from heretic-th
:, torture chamber was the place to &c
:. such results
But not here, Margot-surely ne
i, here?"
These very walls saw it, excellence
yes,"
= But that was long ago-those place
e were all wiped out and forgotten age
1 since"
= Destroyed? Indeed. not DO NJ
h the people of this country always pr
n serve their monuments, their museum
a Of weapons, their chambers of horrors
e Dc they not take a certain pride
g that? Monarchs even of today kno
e the secrets of the old torture chan
Il bers in this land, and perhaps in man
I another
g Il could not have believed il, An
h so there was such place here, in tn
G palaCe"'
Surely. can give warrant for G.
r cry word ] have told you, eXcellenc.
/ The tradition is that the old tortur
p chamber of Gretzhoffen was over yol
8 der-under the corner tower CT tn
palace-where the embellishments IA
Il in. There is a corridor which lead
+, yonder, down below, into the vault
| would not 60 there for all the worl
6 Few of us know the way. indeed
i have never been there. We folk
O Gretzhoffen palace-we are wiz
), enough not to ask too many question
}. or to learn too many truths. Beside
| should die with terror to think
9 what spirits aust haunt such . plac
II But, exce]lency,' she concluded. q.
Us speak Of more pleasant things"