The Nevada journal., 1852-05-01

revenge the murder of their father and
brothers. 1t would take too long to
narrate all the circumstances which
followed: but these two young men
placed themselves at the head of a con-
spiracy against the government, and
one year precisely from the day on
which she had learned the death of
her husband and two eldest boys, Ma
dame Soulie received short note as
follows:
Conctergerie, Thursday, noon.
Mother, dear mother--We have
conspired against the government
we have been betrayed and are to die
Tomorrow. Bear it bravely, mother /;
we die for our father and our brothers.
HENRI ET VIcToR.
What words can describe the de-
spair Of that poor mother! At first
she prayed God to take her life or her
reason. But ray of hope dawned
upon her. She might, perhaps, save
her boys; the tribunal which had con-
dcmned them could not be deaf to a
mothers prayer-a mothers despair.
But alas Madame Soulie little knew
the men upon whose compassion she
counted. In vain she supplicated, in
vain she prayed; they ended by refu-
sing to listen to her any longer. She
did all that could possibly be done to
save her boys from death; she even,
after the example Of Madame Chalais,
tried to bribe the cxecutioners. But
they accepted her money and then be
trayed her. Finding all her efforts
useless, she tried to resign herself, and
determined, as she could not obtain
her sons lives, at least to get permis-
sion to aid them to die. This was
with great reluctance granted her, and
a couple of hours before the execution
wns to take place, she presented her
self before her unhappy boys. Then
all the grandeur of her soul, the devo-
tion, the resignation which was so re-
markable in her after life, showed it.
self. No useless tears, no reproaches,
no lamenting One short burst of ag-
ony, which the sight of the manacled
limbs of her children forced from her
in spite Of herself, ard she was done
with this world. Every moment was
precious. God, and the eternity into
which those two boys were SO soon to
enter, formed the sole subject of the
conversation between the mother and
her children, until the jailer came to
announce that the moment had arrived
to say their last prayers. Madame
Soulie stood by while the chains were
knocked off; she knelt and prayed
with the priest, who had been sent to
accompany the prisoners to the scaf-
fold; and then she took an arm Of each
of her beloved boys and left the pris-
on with them. The public place was
crowded with people. They could
not help plying those two handsome
youths about to be executed but tears
ran down the hardest cheeks at the
sight of that noble mother. still in
mourning for her husband and two ell
dest children, and now accompanying
her two remaining sons TO death. She
ascended the scaffold stairs with them,
embraced them tendsrly, offered up a
short prayer with them, and then al
lowed herself to be led off by a friend.
But she was not out of hearing when
the shouts of the multitude announced
to her that all was over.
Well, in '95 she was herself con-
demncd to death, on tue charge of
concealing her brother-in-la a polit>
ical prisoner who had escaped from
prison. A second time she mounted
the scaffold, and was preparing to die,
when an order came for her release.
She then retired to a little farm she
owned near Blois, and soon after mar
ried her daughter, to a man every
way worthy Of her. But misfortune
was to be her lot through life. Her
only child, all that fate had left her to
love and cherish, died in childbirth,
eleven months after her marriage.
1t was then that Madame Soulie
turned her eyes towards the cloister.
after considerable delay she was re-
ceived into the Ursuline Convent of
Viewers, and in 1925 was made Lady
Abbess, which place she held until her
, death. Her last moments were sooth.
ed by the presence of many of those
upon whom she had conferred her ben
efits and charities, and she died as
calmly as an infant falling to sleep, her
lips sealed to the crucifix, and her es
: turned to that heaven to which GER
talhly, If Affections accord the right to
} enter, she has won.
MD nlIoII7 Al