The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-05-07
heCardinal's;
Enemy
A Bit Of History That Is
Also a Romance.
By F. A. Mitchell

tory furnished the most themes for sto-
ries he might be right in replying that
containing the administration of the
government of Louis XIII. of France
by Cardinal Richelieu. Louis queen.
Anne of Austria. was a bitter opponent
of the cardinal. and what Richelieu
was to the king the Duchess of Che
Treuse was to the queen. The duchess
was n Of the most beautiful, the most
attractive and the most intriguing wo-
men who ever lived.
After the exposure of Il reasonable
plot the cardinal banished her to LOr.
raine, where she infatuated the king,
Louis MIL. mixing him UP in another
conspiracy. The cardinals policy for
bade him to imprison Il woman, so aft
or Punishment from France had failed
he sent Nine. Chevreuse to a country
estate she owned. There, la wing no
better subject for her fascination. she
tpwitchcd an ~octoGcnarian official.
This amusement failing to satisfy
her. she turned her attention to an
other intrigue with a view to over
throwing the queens and her Owl de-.
tested enemy, Richelieu.
At this time the queen was secretly
corresponding with those opposing the
cardinal. among them Nine. de Che.
aus The person who conducted this
correspondence was one La Porte. her
secretary. He was the keeper Of her
cipher code, translated her letters into
it, forwarded them to their destination
and received the replies, handling them
in 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 w%S won over and
told La Porte that he was going to
Tours. where Nine. de C~hevrcuse was
held in restriction. and asked if he had
any message for her. If so he would
carry it. La Porte replied that he had
Il letter and would bring it 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 of trea-
sol she falsely made an oath that she
had not correspondent with any foreign
power Richelicu 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
vreuse. 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 Che
same statement. This she hoped would
satisfy HichcIicu and prevent his in
vcStigating further.
But how reach La Porte III his cell Ht
Tie HaStille: SO carefully watched was
h. that Il warden quilted him only f.!
Il few hours during the day ami $ltpt
in his cell at night. One of the uutpN',
maids of honor and devoted t, iIra
~ liz " I. 1ioj III Ttt-s%IE1E\Nt -
plan Of conveying Il letter to Ia Purtu
but volunteered to carry il herself
The |hcvalier de Jars. who had '"."
involved in Il former conspiracy l~r'"-'
the cardinal. was confined in til" ii3%
lille and occupied Il cell directly OVci
Ih0t Of La Forte. though between the
~"llcvalier'S and La POrtp'S cell were
TWO others. 1t was hoped by the
queens adherentS that De Jars mi~ln
find some way of conveying II Irtt""
from the queen to La Porte. De .JHlS
had suffered a paral.ytic stroke and WIS
allowed the privileges OF an invalid. hn
ing permitted to receive friends AMI
converse with them in the courtyard Of
The prison.
Mile. de Hautfort early one morn
ing issued from the palace of IT,,
Louvre before the inmates were
awake. being dressed in the costume of
Il maidscrvant. Mademoisellc'S hair.
which was luxuriant and l~Hutirnl.
was concealed under a large Golf. ana
she was robed in q loose gown which
)1ncealed her superb figure. Calling a
!ihcre. she was driven to the BaStille.
where she asked TO see the Chevalirr
ne Jars. saying that she WAS Il lady's
maid OF a niece of the chevalier and
bore a message for him.
The hour was before the prisoners
time of rising. and the queens maid Of
honor was obliged to wait in the guard
oom among a lot of soldiers Of low
degree. After some time the cllrvAIirr
arrived and asked what was wanted
Mademoiselle drew him into the court
and. raising her Golf. showed him VIII
she was and handed him the queens
letter with her majesty's request that
find means to convey it to La Porte
De Jars was no coward. us he had
demonstrated in the schemes in which
he had embarked to overthrow the car
dinal. Nevertheless he hesitated to
'ecome mixed up in a scheme which #
discovered would cost him his head
But when mademoiselle reminded him
ct the terrible. risk she was herself
running he consented.