Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-09-19
A KINGS
SECRET
By DONALD CHAMBERLIN


a soldier Of his comrade in barracks in
Paris.
II am commemoratimg the scene we
witnessed today"
He was having tattooed on his right
arm in india ink picture of guillo-
tine with figure lying on it.
what are you doing now" asked
the other again.
II am beginning to have tattooed un-
der the picture Of the guillotine the
swords Death to kings and tyrants.'
These men had been stationed with
their corps about the scaffold on which
Louis XVI. had that day been behead-
ed. He who tattooed his arm was
young and an enthusiastic revolution
list. So devoted was he to the cause
of the people of France against their
king that he did not suppose he would
ever be rOyalist. AS to his being
a king, that Of course was absurd. He
was but French peasant and a Ser
geant in the ranks Of the army.
But that was an age when the people
of France rose to the surface. The
kings and mobiles passed away, and the
commoners took their places. A great
commander arose, and with him he
pulled up many others. Among them
was the soldier who had tattooed his
arm. Sergeant Jean Bernadotte under
Napoleon became marshal Of France
and married a relative Of the emperor.
During the early part Of the nine
teenth century Bonaparte was conquer
ing kingdoms. He did not make re-
publics Of them. He had been a re-
publican and had made up his mind
that the government France most need
ed was monarchy, with himself at
its head. The people he conquered he
placed under the control Of kings, and
these kings were usually members Of
his own family. Even If Napoleon did
not conquer a kingdom his influence
was 50 great that he could control its
government.
The throne of Sweden became va
cant, and Napoleon nominated-whom?
The man who had stood guard over
his king when he was executed and
had tattooed a picture Of the deed on
his right arm with the words under it.
death to kings and tyrants.'
Here was a king with his own con
demnation 1ndelibly stamped on his
person. There was no eliminating it.
The king was doomed to wear the now
hated picture of the death Of his SOY.
ereign till his own death should de-
stroy it.
The supreme object of the king OF
Sweden's life was to guard his secret
No valet was called upon to hand him
his clothing when he dressed in the
morning or to take it from him whel
he disrobed at night. The Office OF
master of the robes was a sinecure
Had 1t not been for that which chung
like a serpent to his arm he Nigh,
have at times forgotten that he was g
French peasant of whom another com
moner monarch had made king. But
the accursed spot would not out. II
the morning when he performed hi!
additions there it was barred to his
gaze. At night when he disrobed i
stared at him as with the malicious
eyes Of serpent.
In those days when n person was il
the doctors drew blood from him. Thi:
was done by lancing the right arm
There Is story that the king O.
Sweden fell Ill. and the doctors sug
gested that he bare his right arm t.
be bled. The king refused. The doc
tors told his majesty that If he die
not permit them to bleed him they
would not be responsible as to wha
might happen to him. The king would
not yield, but barred his left arm. HI
was told that it would not be profes
s1onal to bleed him on his left arm
Nevertheless, since the king would moi
yield, he was bled from his left arm.
The king recovered, but he was des
tined to die in his bed. When his las
Illness came upon him and he believed
his end was approaching he sent fo1
DIR. Gorgensen, his principal physician
and charged him in case he died t.
see that his right arm was exposed tt
no one except himself. He alone wa.
to possess the secret under a pledg,
that he would not reveal it. The ply
stctan made the pledge, promising tha
he would personally Ssuperintend tn,
IA ing out of the body. The king die
not exact promisa that the dQeto,