Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-15
FALL OF THE BAST|LE
ENDED FRENCH TYRAN NY
Americas Declaration of Indc-
pendence, l3 Years Earlier,
Was First Blow to
Autocracy.

Thirteen years and ton days separate
| the independence days of America and
| France. but freedom was beating in the
! heart OF France-even in the royal court
! of Louis XVI when the Declaration of
| Independence was signed at Philadelphia.
Had IT not been for one young noble
man, who said: The moment heard OF
America | loved her; the moment knew
| she was fighting for liberty burnt with a
| desire of bleeding for her; and the moment
| shall be able to serve her mt any tiinc, or
in any part of the world, will be the hap
piest of my life''-had IL not been for the
young LAFAYETTE America might never
have attained her freedom.
Americas million sons, holding their
places ON the long battle line, in their
fight for world freedom today arc paying
Americas debt to Lafayette and France
They stand, aa Lafayette stood, for the
right OF democracy against the night oi
| might.
The Bastile stood for the right Of might
For more than four centuries (13b9 to
1850 the State prison and citadel OF
Paris. built 10 protect the palace OF
Charles against the Burgundians,
frowned tyranny over Paris and the
world
The walls, seven feet in thickness at
their ton. iolninq its towers rose so feet
above its court Incongruousy enough,
one of the SIX towers IN the first court OF
the Bastile was called the Tour de la
Iiberte" For many wears clock In the
first court was rhecrfully decorated with
statues of men in chains. All oaken doors
Of the prison were three inches thick.
Every window was doubly barred with
iron.
No prisoners name was ever spoken
within the Pastile. All unfortunatcs,
with their "lettres dc cachct, imprisoned
AT the whim Of a sovereign inviting them
To be entertained nj my chateau OF the
Rastllc or through the tyranny of
ministers or favorites, were known only
bv the number of their room and their
tower: for example, Number !, dc Ia
Bertaudiere.
HISTORY OF THE BAsTIIr
Into the PRISON were thrown men OF the
highest standing who, IN certain instances
had done no more than displease ms
tresS La Porte, one of the Bastllo'a
prisoners, tells of, rack rooms and cage
rooms These there NAV well have been,
but no instruments Of torture were found
in 1899 and there is no proof that any one
XIN assembled the throne Every prisoner
entering the Rastile took oath never to
reveal ANYTHING heard or seen within its
walls
The Bastilc stood on the FauhOurg
ST Antoine, its walls looming above the
palaces Of the wealthy, which were pro-
tected by its guns Into ITS dungeons
we're thrown without process Of law the
prisoners of state many OF whom, once
imprisoned were lost to the world of tho
living forever.
70 this day the mystery Of 'Trhe Man
With the Iron Mask remains unsolved
The Bastile numbered Noltalre, the Abbc
Rlondel, or Friar Lawrence; The Pom
padour and the Duke of Richelieu among
Its prisoners,
Upon its records one finds the name of
a priest suspected of being concerned in
treasonable designs against the King of
Denmark" the name OF the SIeur La
Perce, fencing master, accused of
having said that the hing oppressed his
subjects and only thought OF amusing
himself with his old woman Madame dc
Maintenonl and that he would soon ''bc
a king of beggars, and Laurence d IIoury,
imprisoned for disrespect to hing George
in not mentioning him IN his almanac rs
King Of Great Britain
The Duke de Nemours, condemned
daily TO the rack hY Louis NJ, and CaglI
ostro. charlatan Of Europe, who stole the
diamond necklace Du Barry coveted, were
among its victims
On July 13 1889, the people of Paris
marked themselves with the red, white
and blue cockades Of liberty On the Iith
they seized cannon and 10000 stands Of
arms from the Invahdes and marched to
the BastiIe. The revolutionists assaulted
the stronghold, crossed the first draw
bridge and demanded that the Governor,
De Launay. surrender.
A sergeant showed a white handker-
chief from the battlements. A drummer
beat the "chamade The defenders of
the prison laid down their arms and the
second drawbridge was lowered The
revolutionists streamed into the courts of
the Bastile DE Launay and several of
his officers were put TO death; seven
prisoners, all that were found IN the
prison, were liberated The demolition OF
the prison was begun
Today only a bronze column, com |
memorating the deeds of July IA, 1889, |
marks the site of the Bastile, and that |
Of freedom today is protected |
against the bombs OF Hun airmen and the |
shells Of their child-slaying, church |
destroying long-range cannon.
Cagliostro. 80 years before the over
throw Of the BastIle, scrawled on the walls |
Of his cell. The Bastlle shall be de- |
and the people shall dance on
the area where il stood The prophecy Of |
the charlaton was fulfilled. History |
records that the people Of Paris danced |
the "Carmagnole" on the site Of the |
ancient prison
Even before the fall OF the Bastile |
Prussian propaganda was at work IN |
France Had it not had powerful IN |
auence IN the Court OF Versailles France |
might never have suffered the Reign Of |
Terror and the excuses of the Commune. |
In all probability LOUIS would have ac- |
,epted peacefully the viii Of the people
or freedom
But Marie AntOinette, Louis's queen,
vas Hapsburg, and her influence and |
he influence Of the courts Of Berlin and |
Vienna brought German mercenary troops
nto France, as German mercenaries were
brought to fight against America when !
,he was struggling for freedom. Ready !,
With grapeshot, growing in harsh gut
erals, the Prussian hirelngs, 100000
strong, marched toward Paris and Yer
ailIes
The call to arms sounded throughout
Paris. The Germans and Swiss were
coming to massacre the French! Small