The daily Alaskan., 1916-03-02
4 lR0YAL MYSTERY
Most Famous State Secret of the
 Reign of Louis XIV.
THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK.
Who che Unfortunate Prisoner Wac Has Never Been Disclosed, and When He Died Elis Body Was De- strOyod by Chemicals In His casket.

haq NeNer Been DlsclosedI ah'
 When He Died His Body Was Do
 atroysd by Chemicals In His casket.
 A famous state mystery of the reigr of Louis XIV. of France was the mys terious prisoner, the Man In the Iror Mask. Many are the guesses which have been ventured as to who he was 1 Plays and novels have been writer with the Iron mask as the central char acter, but his identity has remained a secret It Is known without doubt that St. Mars during his life had as 8 prisoner a man whose face always was covered with a mask of black | velvet fastened by springs of steel be hind the head.
 The guards had orders to kill the man if he ever exposed his face, and St. Mars own life depended on mo- body finding out who his prisoner was, Ills first prison was the castle of Pl' gneroL When St. Mars was trans, Perred to the isles of St. Marguerite the king himself told the janer 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 go, 1874, a clos ed litter escorted by a troop of horses stopped at Bron, some leagues from Lyons. From the litter descended a young man of slim and active figure, his face hidden by a mask and his hands firmly tied, in which state he lay down on a couch prepared before hand. Next day ten horsemen arrived with sealed orders to convey the pris- oner with the utmost secrecy to the fortress of Plgnerol. So it was the Man In the Iron Mask began his twenty-nine years of captivity under the impassiYe, 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 a chair covered with waXed cloth. The tray, 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 bis plate.
 This prisoner was the subject of much correspondence between St. Mars and Louis KY. of France. Louis con- inually 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 a word, and you will nev. CT listen to anything he has to say on any pretext whatever. Threaten him with death if he ever opens his mouth GO 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 ne had never seen his face, although he had examined his tongue. Dishes and plates were examined each time the prisoner was served to see if there was any writing on them. The guards always were ready to kill the moment hs 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 iailer often took his meals with the prisoner.
 lust who was the Man In the Iron Mask? Some thought he was an He -ltimate son of Anne of Austria. Oth- CTS said he was a 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 Hssassl' nate the ruler. The most general be. lief is that he was Count MattiOli, first minister of the Duke of Mantuu, who had betrayed the interests of Louis XIV. by failing to secure for him. as he had pledged himself to do In con- sIderaton for a bribe, possession Of the fortress of Casale from his master Louis XIV. knew the secret but to all questions replied that If it was known a7ho the prisoner was every one would .Is surprised to find him so unlnterest' ing a person.
 The prisoner died after a short Illness iu I7O3. He was buried one autumn day, and his name was inserted in the prison register as "M. de MaTchiel."
 Elghty-six years later the frenzied citizens of Paris broke into the Basille and rushed to the cell where it was known he had been kept They stopped khOrt before clean whitewashed walls Nothing was in the room. The prison er's clothes and the mask had been burned when he dieds Chemicals had been put in his casket to destroy the body. Only one man had seen the face behInd the iron mask during the twen ty-nine years. He was St. Mars. And St Mars never told. - Kansas City Times.