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Show TODAY IN HISTORY I SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19. 1910. Man In the Iron Mask. On November 19. 1703, there died in tho famous French fortress-prison, the Bast lie, ono of tho most mysterious characters char-acters reflected In hlstorv, who Is known nn the Man In tho Iron Mask. Notwithstanding Notwith-standing all the curiosity and conjecture that have been employed to ascertnln his quality and pedigree, nothing authentic authen-tic has over been discovered. In lliflS ho wan brought from the Island of S'l. Marguorlto by Mons, do Si. Mars, tho newly-appointed governor of the Basilic Bas-ilic IIo was attended with greatest respect, re-spect, maintained a numptuous table, aud had every possible indulgoncc shown him until the lime or hirf death. The mysterious prisoner, on his removal re-moval to the Bastlle, was carried in a litter, accompanied by several men on horseback, who had orders to put him to death If ho made the slightest attempt to show himself. The mask which he wore 'entirely covored hi.-, head and vas so constructed that he could eat without with-out removing 11. The pains taken In his concealment show that he was n. person of considerable considera-ble quality and fmportnncc, and from the following circumstance it appears singular thnt he was never discovered. While at St.- Marguerite he ono day wrote something with his knife on a silver sil-ver plate, which ho threw from the window win-dow toward a boat lying near tho lower. A fisherman took up the plate and brought, it to tho governor, who, with great astonishment, askod the man if ho had read tho writing or showed it to any ono, and, although the fisherman answered In tho negative, kept hi in in confinement until he was perfectly satlr.-llod. satlr.-llod. after which ho dismissed him, saying, say-ing, "It Is lucky for you that you can not read." Immediately after the prisoner's death, his apparel, linen, clothes, mottresscs and overy thing that had been used by him were burnt, the walls of his room were scraped, tho floor was taken up j and every precaution was used that no i trace of him might bo left .behind. When ho was on tho road from St. Marguorlto to hh: last residence, Mons. de St. Mars( was overheard to reply lo a question of the prisoner, relative to any design against his life: "No, prince, your life Is In safety: you must only allow yourself your-self to be conducted." A prisoner told M. la Grange Chancel that he was lodged, with other prisoners. In the room Immediately Imme-diately over this celebrated captive, and found means of speaking to him by the vents of the chimney, bul he refused to Inform them who he was, alleging lhat It would cost, his own life as well as the lives of those to whom the secret might be revealed. Various havo been the individuals supposed sup-posed to have been tlvs masked prisoner The Due do Beaufort, the Count do Vcr-mandols, Vcr-mandols, natural son of Louis XIV. by tho Duchess de In Vallierc; tho Duke of Monmouth, natural son of Charles II. of England; Gerolaml Magnl. minister of the Duke of Modona.. the offspring of a secret marriage between Anno of Austria Aus-tria and Cardinal Mazarln, etc.. etc Voltaire says that the socret was known to Monsieur de Chamlllard. and that the son-in-law of thai minister conjured him on his deathbed to toll the name of the man with the mask, but he replied it was a stato secret, which he had sworn he would never divulge. The supposition now generally received re-ceived Is that this unfortunate person was twin brother of Louis XIV.. born eight hours after this monarch, and tho unhappy victim of superstition and cruelty. Louis XIII., being weak enough to give credit lo the prediction of sonic Impostors that if the nueen should be delivered of twins the kingdom would be involved in civil war, ordered the birth of this princo to be kept a profound secret, se-cret, and had him privately educated in tho country as the illegitimate son of a nobleman; bul on the accession of T.ouis XIV. the young man gavo Indications of having discovered his parentage. His brother being Informed of this ordered him to be Imprisoned for life and lo wear a mask In order to prevent his being be-ing rocosnized. ' |