The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-02-18
A ROYAL MYSTERY
Most Famous State Secret of the
Reign of Louis XIV.
THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK.
Who the Unfortunate Prisoner Was
Has Never Been Disclosed, and
When He Died His Body Was De-
stroysd by Chemicals In His casket.

stroysd by Chemicals In His casket.
A famous state mystery of the reign
Of Louis XIV. OF France was the mys-
terious prisoner, the Man In the Iron
Mask Many are the guesses which
have been ventured as to who he was.
Plays and novels have been written
with the iron mask as the central char
acter, but his identity has remained
secret 1t Is known without doubt
that st. Mars during his life had as
a prisoner a man whose face always
was covered with q mask of black
velvet fastened by springs Of steel be-
hind the head
The guards had orders to kill the
man IL he ever exposed his face. and
st. Mars own life depended on no.
body finding out who his prisoner was
His first prison was the castle of Pi.
gnerol. When st. Mars was trans
ferred to the isles Of st. Marguerite the
king himself told the jailer to take his
prisoner with him and cautioned him
not to let him speak to any one. even
his guards.
On the night OF April %. 1914, clos
ed litter escorted by n troop Of horses
stopped at Bron, some leagues from
Lyons. From the litter descended
young man OF slim and active figure,
his face hidden by mask and his
hands firmly tied, in which state he
lay down on couch prepared before
do hn, I'D
with sealed orders to convey the pris-
oner with the utmost secrecy to the
fortress of Pignerol. So 1t was the
Man In the Iron Mask began his
twenty-nine years OF captivity under
the impassive. silent. remorseless st
Mars
Several years later the man of the
mask was seen again when st. Mars
was transferred to St Marguerite
This time troopers surrounded chair
covered with waxed cloth The trav.
elers stopped at an inn for supper
The more daring Of the curious peas.
ants peeked through a small window
from outside the locked supper room.
The prisoner sat with his back to
the window and they could not tell
whether he had on his mask. St
Mars sat opposite him with a pistol on
each side Of his plate
This prisoner was the subject OF
much correspondence between st. Mars
and Louis NV of France. Louis con-
tinually was asking about him. He
gave full instructions as to the care
Of the man, and about the cell he was
to occupy the king wrote:
Let there be so many doors closed
one after the other that the sentinels
cannot hear word, and you will new
er listen to anything he has to say on
any pretext whatever. Threaten him
with death II he ever opens his mouth
to speak OF anything but of what he
may be absolutely in want Of"
The blindly obedient st. Mars fol
lowed his instructions carefully. The
doctor who waited on the prisoner said
he had never seen his face, although
he had examined his tongue Dishes
and plates were examined each time
the prisoner was served to see IL there
always were ready to XIII the moment
he took off his mask.
In other respects the greatest atten-
tion was shown him, and nothing which
he requested was refused. He always
was dressed in. black. st. Mars him
self stood uncovered in his presence
and remained standing until the pris
oner had requested him to be seated
The jailer often took his meals with
the prisoner
Just who was the Man In the Iron
Mask? Some thought he was an lille
gitimate son OF Anne Of Austria 9th
ers said he was twin brother of Louis
XIV, whose claims might have de-
prived the king of his throne. Another
writer makes him the leader of an as
sociation which was formed to assassi
nate the ruler. The most general be-
lief is that he was Count Mattioli, first
minister OF the Duke of Mantua, who
had betrayed the interests OF Louis
XIV. by failing to secure for him. as
he had pledged himself to do In con-
stderation for bribe, possession Of
the fortress of Casale from his master
Louis XIV. knew the secret, but to all
questions replied that If 1t was known
who the prisoner was every one would
be surprised TO find him 80 uninterest-
ing a person.
The prisoner died after short illness
In 1703. He was buried one autumn
day, and his name was inserted In the
prison register as IN. de Marchiel."
Etghty-six years later the frenZied
citizens of Paris broke into the Bastille
and rushed to the cell where 1t was
known he had been kept. They stopped
short before clean whitewashed walls
Nothing was in the room. The prison
ew's clothes and the mask had been
burned when he died Chemicals had
been put in his casket to destroy the
body. Only one man had seen the face
behind the iron mask during the TWEEN
ty-nine years. He was ST. Mars. And
St Mars never told. = Kansas City
Times