The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-08-03
A KINGS
SECRET
By DONALD CHAAfBERLIN

|
What are you doing, Jean?" asked
soldier of his comrade In barracks IL
Paris.
Il am concentrating the scene we
witnessed today"
He was having tattooed on his right
arm In india ink a picture Of guillo-
tine with a figure lying on 1t.
What are you doing nowT" asked
the other again.
II am beginning to have tattooed un.
der the picture of the guillotine the
words Death to kings and tyrants.' s"
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 a royalist AS TO his being
king, that Of course was absurd. He
was but French peasant and 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 a marshal of France
and married a relative Of the emperor
During the early part Of the nine
feenth 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 a 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 so 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.
domination indelibly stamped on his |
person. There was no eliminating 1t. |
The king was doomed to wear the now |
hated picture of the death of his SOW
ereign till his own death should de- |
stroy II.
The supreme object of the king of |
Sweden's life was to guard his secret. |
No valet was called upon to hand him
bis clothing when he dressed In the |
or to take 1t from him when
be disrobed at night. The office of
master of the robes was a sinecure. II
Had 1t not been for that which chung 4
ike a serpent TO his arm he might
have at times forgotten that he was a
French peasant of whom another COM
noner monarch had made king. But
he accursed spot would not out In
he morning when he performed his
Iblutions there 1t was barred to his
,aze. At night when he disrobed IL
tared at him as with the malicious
yes of a serpent.
In those days when a person was I'll
he doctors drew blood from him. This
vas done by lancing the right arm.
there is story that the king of
sweden fell i'll. and the doctors sug-
ested that he bare his right arm to
e bled. The king refused. The doc
ors told his majesty that IL be did
OF permit them 10 bleed him they
rould not be responsible as TO what
light happen to him. The king would
OF yield. but barred bis left arm. He
-as told that Il would not be profess
Ional to bleed him on his left arm
evertheless. since the king would not
leld. he was bled from his left arm.
The king recovered, but he was des-
ned TO die in his bed When his last
mess came upon him and he believed
Is end was approaching be sent for
Y. Gorgeasen. his principal physician.
I'd charged him In case be died 70
y that his right arm vas exposed 20 s
, one except himself. lie alone was
possess the secret uader 4 pledge
a.