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Show I US HE HAS HAT OF EXECUTED UK Atysterious History of Cockade Cock-ade Worn by Louis XVI. Again Recalled. Special Cable- to The Tribune. PARIS, Oct. 12. It is stated that the hat which Klnp Louis XVI. wore on the day of his execution Is in tho possession of a M. Radet Contant, who lives in La Fere-Champenoiso, It is tt battered hat of folt, three-cornered, very low In tho crown and adorned by a. tricolor cocks.de affixed by a coarse pin. According: to the tradition, tho hat was jrlvcn by the Icing: to his faithful servant slery, who gave it to a widow named I.cbas, who presented it to a priest, the jVbbo Pinot. The latter sold It In IS 17 for ffiO. In order to ralue money for a charitable object. The purchaser was a 7,1. Roper. With the hat went a statement state-ment signed by the abbo that "tho hat belonged to the unfortunate monarch, Louis XVI., and it lias been in inypos-Beasion inypos-Beasion for many years, ha vine been given to me In 1S20 by Madame Lebas." M. Roer. at the time of the revolution in 1S-1S, intrusted It to- the care of his sisters, who wore in a convent at Chalons. Cha-lons. After their brother's death in 1S70 the slslors sent the relic to their nephew M. Iladot Roger, from whom It passed to Its present possessor, M, Radct Con-Thc Con-Thc question is whether it is authentic. It Is certain thuL the king wore a hat. mi the day of Ills execution. According to a contemporary, his hat was three-'ornciTii three-'ornciTii and had a now cockade attached lo it. So far the description tallies with that of the hat In M, Radet Contunt's Hut tho' king did not ive his hat to 'lory On the contrary. Clery pave It to thp king at the king's request hefore he started on his last Journey. According to sonic accounts, the hat. was torn to pieces by the crowd aft or the knife fell, rrcoidlng to others. It was solemnly burned with thr rest of tho king's ward-io'jo. ward-io'jo. Again, why .should Clery, who prc-'orvod prc-'orvod so piously all the other iclics of ldx royal niastur, have given this historic his-toric hat to Madame I.ebasV .Though thoiv is no question as to the entire good faith of th" present mid past possessors pos-sessors of the alleged relic, there Is roa-ron roa-ron lo doubt Its authenticity. |