THE HOLLOW HEART
"The Heart of Empire"
"LeMarchand's Horoptrum Device"
Art research by Steelgohst
Written research by Mark Adams, José Leitão, and Steelgohst
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"This fourteenth puzzle
of LeMarchand's is activated by arranging the numerous
surface
plates in a manner
similar to the arrangement of the streets of New York City
in the time of its
construction." |
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Paris - 1749
| The Hollow Heart was one of the infamous “missing” LeMarchand boxes that was, until recently, suspected to be only a myth. Though the name was mentioned in a few texts dealing with LeMarchand, there were no documented reports of it beyond this. No accounts of its use, nor any copies of the puzzle known to exist. This was the case right up until 2001, when LeMarchand scholars achieved a break through, discovering detailed drawings of it's panels in a tome known as LeMarchand's Dreams. |
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| Further
research uncovered The Journal of Samuel Waterfield, written by an
Englishman who lived in France between 1746 and 1750, in which The
Hollow Heart was again mentioned. However, scholars now knew that it
had been created in France in 1749, and by analysing the various
journal entries, that it was probably completed in late November. Presented here is the journal extract that was the first step on the journey to uncovering the details of one of LeMarchand’s “missing” puzzle boxes. “It was only upon my third meeting with LeMarchand that I witnessed some of the subdued menace that many others had spoken of, and which I had previously assumed was borne from professional jealousy. In the previous two meetings, he had been nothing but a gentleman, and I must admit, I was most surprised by his behaviour considering the stories I had heard of him. However, my opinion was altered at a social gathering to commemorate the anniversary of the death of some local philanthropist – I rarely kept up with local politics and most of the time only turned up to such engagements in order to keep my dear wife happily immersed in whatever gossip spreads in those circles. But I digress, something I am, alas, prone to do and will endeavour to avoid in future. Returning to my tale, I had left my wife in the company of some painfully dull friends of hers and had decided to try and seek out LeMarchand who I was reliably informed, had arrived some thirty minutes previous.
Though it didn’t take me long to locate him, I was unable to
speak to him. The truth is, it was less that I was unable to,
but
more that I no longer felt the desire to do so. As I had
approached from across the room, I witnessed LeMarchand being
introduced to a surprisingly young gentleman I did not
recognise.
It was clear that LeMarchand not only already knew who this mysterious
gentleman was, but that they had some sort of history
together.
The tension that built as the two set eyes upon each other spread out
across the large room, and lowered every voice to barely a
whisper. I failed to hear the precise words exchanged, few
that
there were, but I gleamed a few details. The man was also French, that
much was obvious, and seemed very much surprised to see LeMarchand, who
I thought I heard address the man as Jacques though I could not say for
certain. I heard talk of a Princess, perhaps someone they
both
knew. Before I could covertly position myself any nearer,
LeMarchand turned on his heels and removed himself from the
conversation. Part of me desired to follow him and see if I
could
gleam more secrets of the mysterious confrontation, but having seen the
look in LeMarchand’s eyes before he left, I decided against
that
course of action. The gaze he had given
“Jacques” was
so full of menace and contempt, that even to think of it now fills me
with feelings of unease.
Some days later I heard rumour that LeMarchand, so incensed by the
encounter, had left the house and immediately travelled back to his
abode to begin work on a new puzzle. I do not know the truth
of
this rumour, but I do know that it was but a fortnight later that
LeMarchand first presented a new puzzle box that he referred to as The
Hollow Heart.”
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| Following a detailed
analysis of the journal, and researches conducted into other accounts
of the same specific period, scholars were able to uncover yet more
information about this previously allusive puzzle. Most important was
the information that the puzzle had also been known as The Heart of
Empire. Up until this point,
The Heart of Empire had been
considered
another of LeMarchand’s “missing
puzzles”. The
revelation that it was, in fact, the same puzzle as The Hollow Heart
was quite a surprising one. However, by combining the known
information about the ‘two’ puzzles, scholars were
able to
uncover yet more information that would eventually lead to the
discovery of the first known copy of The Hollow Heart. Caleb Johnson was an American writer who travelled to Europe in 1748. In his two years spent travelling, he heard a lot of talk of LeMarchand and his puzzles. Though little remains of his work, sadly he never achieved the success for which he'd hoped. Some scraps of paper survived a fire at his house during the summer of 1751, a blaze he was not so fortunate to avoid. One of these made mention of The Heart of Empire, but gave no further clues to its whereabouts. However, it was known that he had been in France during the winter of 1749. Using this information, LeMarchand scholars managed to track down a written account of a meeting between Caleb and LeMarchand that had been recorded by parties unknown. |
| “I
didn’t think much of this supposed genius. He stank
of
alcohol, and his manner was far from coherent. From what I
could
understand from our talks, (which were not aided by my own weakness for
wine), was that he was having trouble with some new puzzle
he’d
been working on. He told me the idea had struck him when, two
days previous, he had left a party in such a rage that he paid no
attention to where he was going and became lost. Wandering the streets,
alone and cold, he was struck how negotiating them was not unlike how
one would unlock the secrets of one of his indecipherably popular
puzzle boxes. He told me he rarely drank, but had been so
plagued
by nightmares, that he had relented on this occasion. Apparently,
though he had been inspired by his wanderings, he had no focus and was
having difficulty with the puzzle. I said to him, in jest,
that
perhaps he should try and wander the streets of New York at night, as
that was surely a far greater puzzle. Instead of finding
humour,
it was as if all the poison had been flushed from his body, his mind
becoming instantly clear and sharp. Without saying anything,
and
with just a small sinister smile, he got up and left.” ~ Caleb Johnson speaking to unknown parties, unknown date. |
The Hollow Heart
- Photograph by Mark Adams,
2009
| The document goes on to report that a few days later, Caleb received a gift from LeMarchand, with a note expressing his gratitude for the inspiration that allowed him to continue work on a box he was provisionally referring to as The Heart of Empire. The gift was one of LeMarchand’s most famous constructs, a Lament Configuration. It is believed Caleb kept this with him, and had it on display at his house when he returned to America. However, after his house burnt down, there was no sign of the puzzle box… just as there was no sign of the young writer's remains. |
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The biggest question of all was, of course, why LeMarchand had
neglected to elaborate about this particular puzzle in his own journal
beyond one fleeting reference. Though there has yet to be any
definitive answer, scholars have speculated that knowledge of it was
suppressed by the Order of the Freemasons, who were unhappy with the
puzzle's unique connection to New York. A study of the map of Washington D.C. will demonstrate the hidden Masonic imagery within the heart of America. Facing the Capitol Building from the Mall, and using the Capitol building as the head or top of the Compass, the left leg is represented by Pennsylvania Avenue, and the right leg by Maryland Avenue. The Square is found in the usual Masonic position, at the intersection of Canal Street and Louisiana Avenue. The left leg of the Compass stands on the White House, and the right leg stands on the Jefferson Memorial. The circle drive and short streets behind the building form the head and ears of what is clearly an upside down pentagram, sitting atop the White House. |
| The Pentagram, or five-pointed star is both a Masonic symbol and the ancient symbol of witchcraft. With its point facing down, (or south, when placed on the ground), it is especially associated with Satanism, although the symbol itself has less negative origins. Originally representing the four elements and spirit, the corruption of the symbol into Satanism has caused a great deal of conflict in recent years between rightwing Christianity and pagan groups around the world. Religious conflict, it has been suggested, is part of a greater scheme by a group called the Order of the Gash. Little is known about them, but examinations of ancient conspiratorial texts link them to the Cenobites, and the worship of a demon named Leviathan. This is clearly linked to LeMarchand’s work, although evidence into this matter is not only scarce, but outside the remit of this particular article of research. |
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The inverted pentagram is also the emblem of the Order of the Eastern
Star, another Masonic organisation that was created in 1850.
This
symbolises how the power of America, and the heart of the
‘Empire
State’, is under the influence of Masonry. The
Washington
Monument stands in perfect line to the intersecting point of the form
of the Masonic square, stretching from the House of the Temple to the
Capitol building. Within the hypotenuse of that right
triangle
sits many of the headquarters buildings for the most powerful
departments of government, such as the Justice Dept., U.S. Senate and
the Internal Revenue Service. Every key Federal building from the White House to the Capitol Building has had a cornerstone laid in a ritual and had specific Masonic paraphernalia placed in each one. LeMarchand was known to have had dealings with various Masonic sects, and he certainly would have been aware of the significant power of such groups. It is known that LeMarchand at one point sought to be commissioned to design the White House itself, and had this happened, one suspects that we would have had even more intricate details hidden within the very heart of America. |
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This still does not answer the final question of why the Heart of
Empire was designed, for what purpose, and why its history has been
obscured. The final piece of the puzzle perhaps lies in an
account of LeMarchand discovered amongst documents belonging to a
recently deceased man, living within Washington, whose identity cannot
be revealed for legal reasons. The account, probably from a
journal, was incomplete and badly damaged. What follows is
all
the surviving material that could be salvaged: “... could be but it angered him greatly. We explained our reasons for his rejection and, when this did not pacify him, I admit to revealing my own distaste with his work. This seemed to work as he went silent, leaving with little argument... ... find LeMarchand an insidious fellow who disguises his own corruption and infernal appetites with sweet words and a vainer of sophistication. I have often suspected that if one were to scratch away at the surface, something rotten would come crawling out... ... bribery is the name of his game now, it seems as he has decided to supply me one of his damned toys. Love’s Easy Tears he called it, in his usual pretentious style. If he thinks such an attempt will sway me then he has a lot to learn, the damn box can burn as fire wood for all I care... It was the strangest thing, the box refused to burn despite sitting in the flames for hours. I don’t know what devilry he was using but I wasn’t about to give in to his mind games and so I had the box taken into the grounds and tossed down the well and a letter written to LeMarchand where I... ... another damn box, apparently his latest creation. The man's a damn fool. I hope he kept his designs as this latest toy will go the same way as the other. Strangest thing though, his letter said it was a very personal Box, made from the Heart of the state itself... ... are dead! Their bodies were found, bones and fat removed, a disgusting travesty. I will be contacting the order in the morning as I can’t help but think LeMarchand was involved somehow. Yet since I heard the news, that damn box has... I don’t know, I actually cannot find the words but despite my hatred of it and that toymaker I can’t bring myself to be rid of it. His letter said its puzzle was simple, the solution lies in echoing the streets of Washington. Even as I write these words I find myself wondering, would an examination of the box reveal some hideous clue to LeMarchand’s involvement in the deaths of my fellow Masons? Perhaps...” It should be noted the rest of that final account is not obscured by damage, but by thick bloodstains on the sheets that seem to have smudged the still wet ink. However, it seems likely that this tells some of the story behind the Hollow Heart, and other historical documents allow us to identify the man talking. Though he cannot be named here, it can be noted that he disappeared over night, the only clue remaining was a blood stained pentagram drawn on the floor of his room, his removed-heart placed in the centre. The crime was never solved, and neither the puzzle nor LeMarchand’s letter were ever found. |
A replica of the box has now been discovered in a private collection, and reports of other sightings have reached the Pyramid Gallery. It has taken some time, but a copy has been obtained, suggesting LeMarchand made more than one version of this design. Gallery staff will be verifying its authenticity as soon as possible. At the time of The Hollow Heart's construction, ninety-six Parisians had been murdered by LeMarchand. |
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