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6 THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF THE PARISH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA BY VERY REV. JOS. D. MITCHELL, V. G. XI. (The Story of Picot de Cloriviere.) Even a casual glance through the pages of the old Catholic records of Savannah would attract the reader’s attention to a signature which appears sev eral times during the years 1804, 1805 and 1806. The writing is evidently that of a practiced penman —the letters clear and legible and delicately formed. Though written rather small, the name seems to stand out on every page, and the signature is in each case exactly the same,—“Picot de Cloriviere.” Behind that signature' is a story that has figured in both the history and the romance of France,— and the signature itself has helped to un-earth a hitherto unsolved mystery. The full details of the story have already formed the subject matter of a novel (“Volupte” by Saint-Beuve), so we can give only the bare outline here. When the Parish story is published in book form the entire story can be given in all its interesting and fascinating dress. Joseph Pierre Picot de Limoelan de la Cloriviere was born at Nantes in Brittany, Nov. 4th, 1768. He belonged to the ancient noble family of Picot, of Saint-Malo, and was educated at Dinan under the direction of his uncle. One of his school-fellows was the famous Chateaubriand, who mentions the young Limoelan in his “Memoires d’Outre Tombe.” His uncle and god-father was the equally famous Pierre- Joseph Picot de Cloriviere, one of the old Jesuits of France, who did perhaps more than any other to keep the Christian faith alive during the French Revolution. He received an urgent invitation from Bishop Carroll to come to America and help him in the building up of the Church in the United States; but he declined on the ground that he felt there was a still greater work for him to do in France. He afterwards revived the Order of the Jesuits and be came their “President” in France, and died vener ated as a saint by them in 1820. The young Limoelan de la Cloriviere at an early age enlisted in the Royal Army and served as an officer in Paris until the out-break of the Revolu tion. An ardent supporter of the Royalist cause, he emigrated to the island of Jersey, then, as now, a British possession, but did not remain there long, for he soon returned to Brittany where he raised an independent company of Royalist volunteers which later became incorporated in the Vendean army of General Georges Cadoudal. Limoelan took a promi nent part in the various campaigns and rose to the rank of Adjutant-General—sometimes even com manding an entire division of the Royalist forces. Being one of the leading figures in the famous con spiracy of Nancy to release the King and Queen and restore them to the throne, it was only by an almost miraculous intervention that he managed to escape; but his immediate followers and relatives were cap tured and imprisoned and finally condemned to the guillotine. He again took a prominent part in the operations about Fougeres, but the end of the Rev- olution and the accession of Napoleon brought his military career to an end. This was in 1799. When Bonaparte became First Consul, his first ef forts were directed to putting down what remained of the Royalist Army; in order to effect this quick ly, he offered pardon to all Royalist soldiers and offi cers who would transfer their allegiance to the new regime. Generals Cadoudal and Limoelan de la Cloriviere were the chief among those who remained steadfast in their attachment to the cause of the Bourbons. While expressing a personal admiration for the wonderful genius of Napoleon, Limoelan considered him a child of the Revolution and the enemy (which indeed he was) to the cause to which he had given his life and service. Yet we have no evidence that when he went to Paris in the latter part of 1800, he had any other purpose than that which he ex pressed to his friends—namely, that he intended to submit to Bonaparte’s rule in the Consulate; and he promised the young lady to whom he was en gaged (Mile. Jeanne d’Albert) that their marriage would take place as soon as his name was taken off the list of “emigres.” The Reign of Terror. In Paris at the time was a community of nuns which had remained in the city during all the Reign of Terror; wearing secular dress, its members con tinued their religious exercises, and the uncle of Limoelan, Father Cloriviere, was their spiritual Di rector. He had already made plans for the re-or- ganization of the Society of St. Ignatius, and had established a confraternity composed of unmarried men and women based on the Rules of the Society. Among these Catholic Royalists Limoelan found himself in Paris—peaceable surroundings indeed— but early in the month of December we find him en gaged in quite a different project,—which if success ful would have changed not only the subsequent his tory of France but of every country in Europe. This is what is known in French history as the “infernal machine,”—one of the most daring and desperate undertakings of modern times. It was a conspiracy formed by Limoelan and one or two others to “rid France of the tyrant from Corsica,” and restore Louis XVIII to the throne. It is not absolutely certain just what part Limoe lan himself played in this affair. In St. Beuve’s novel, “Volupte,” he is given the principal role; but the sister of Limoelan vigorously protested against what she called the “distorting of her brother’s character,” and claimed that Limoelan undertook the plot by order of General Georges Cadoudal and though present with the other conspirators, he only agreed to proclaim Louis XVIII as King of France as soon as Napoleon’s death was made certain. Be that as it may, from all that was brought out at the trial afterwards, the following seem to be the facts in the case: Limoelan had an old family servant called Carbon and a former comrade in arms named St. Regant, who, with him planned the conspiracy. At first it was determined to shoot down Bonaparte at sight; but when it was learned that the First Consul al ways traveled in a closed ancT armored carriage with a military body-guard, this plan was abandon ed. and they decided instead to blow up the entire retinue at the first favorable opportunity. The date selected was the night of Christmas Eve (3rd Nivose) 1800, when Bonaparte was to attend the opera for the first night of Haydn’s “Saul.” On the 17th of December Carbon purchased an old horse and a two-wheeled wagon from a merchant named Lambel. This was taken to an abandoned shed,. (Continued on Page 14)