Norwich bulletin., 1921-06-04
ODE INCIDENTS IN AMERICAN
 HISTORY
AND THE KEY TO
 

One of the most interesting foreign relics that ever came to this country was the key to the famous Bastille in | Paris, which was presented to George Washington by the Marquis de Lafay- cite. This key today is one of the many interesting things to be seen at the Washington mansion at Mount
 On July 14, 17Ss, the Parisians stormed and took the Bastille, and thereby may be said to have com menced the first French revolution. The great key of the Bastille was talk en to the Hotel Vile. The demolition of the prison and the stones of which it had been built were subsequently used in the construction of the bridge de la concorde. The command of the national guard was gvien to Lafayette and as a special compliment the key of the Bastille was placed in his hands. He determined to present it to his friend George Washington.
 In March, 179O, Lafayette sent the ] key together with small pencil draw i ing of the destruction of the Bastille to Thomas Paine, then in London, to 1 be forwarded to Washington, dated March IT, 1790, in which occurs the following:
 Give me leave, my dear General,
 to present you with the picture of the l 1dAoG44l61 Just e1o IL 4OOlACO d 4Gn A<g b
 after I ordered its demolition, with the main key of the fortress of despot- ism. It is my tribute which I owe as
 a friend and son to my adopted father as an aide-de camp to my General
 as a missonary of liberty to its patri-
 arch"
 After some considerable delay prob
 ably caused by the difficulty of find ing safe persons to convey them to the
 United States, the key and drawing were sent to Washington by Paine, who
 wrote letter expressive of his grati- fication at being the medium of trans
 hitting such a present, and his regret
 that he should be unable, from his de-
 tention in Europe, personally to place
 them in Washingtons hands.
 Washington wrote to Lafayette on August Il, 179O, acknowledging the re- ceipt of the letter and gifts, which last
 he described as the token of the vic
 tory gained by liberty over despotism.' } There has been considerable doubt expressed in certain directions as to ; whether the key at Mount Vernon is
 actually the original key to the Bastille . A french journal in 1860 claimed the , key was in the possession of Madame Santerre, the wife of a man who dis
 tinguishes himself in the taking of the : fortress. This French lady may possess . key of the Bastille, for there must have been various keys to certain sec . tions of it, but undoubtedly the origin al key of the entrance is the one in the glass case at Mount Vernon, In commenting upon this claim of } the French Journal a writer of half , century ago says: At all events 5 though the widow Santerre may pos f that he should be unable from his e. sess one of the keys to the fortress = there is direct evidence as stated ir v MT. Lossing's Mount Vernon and it! e Associations that the main key of tn, e fortress of despotism was placed in thu
 Hotel de la Vile of Paris; that Lafay d cite sent it to Washington througl t Thomas Paine; that Washington ac t i knowleged it's receipt by letter t = Lafayette, and that it has remained a
 1 Mount Vernon ever since.
 At popular auction house in Lon V don in 1860 a key to the Bastille an, : a stone from that structure were sol
 at public sale for a considerable sun
 When this firm of relic disposers ha