Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1855-08-09
JOAN OF ARC.

lnc story Of Joan OF Arc - famlllar To all.
But doubt long existed us to the exact ma
ture Of her character. F;Lii,g 4 victim to
/! trcachery, and executed by Che enemies of her
country, every means was ak,u. J." her muir
derers, to blacken Ier reputation English
history. even to ,li> day, ;n -"nerally unjust
to her
~, ....'.. -. A!;,hri'., rstlS1lshu,. lcIn
temporary writers, is that Joan was IN cnthu-
sia>t who being endowed with vivid imagi-
nation. realized what to others We're mere
dreams. The advanced science Of the nine
tccnth century recognizes such phcnOmena.
Joan honestly believed that he saw angelic
visions, that she was in communication with
spiritual advisers, and that heaven had dele
gated to her the task Of liberaing her country
from the English yoke.
After having been the terror Of the inva-
derS for more than \ year, and achieved Il
series Of successes wbicA ceased only with the
liberation of France, Joan was captured by Il
party Of BurgundianS. who HAD j0ined the En-
glish against their native lani and were then
beseiying Compiagne 10 the disgrace OF her
king. Charles the seventh, no effort was made
to procure her exchange To the still greater
disgrace of the French prclates, they sought
to get her into the hands of the lnqulsltlon,
instigated by secret leaning to the British
Her doom was not left long in doubt. The
unscrurulous men, who directed English affairs
during the infancy Of Henry the Sixth, BE-
licving that the disgrace and death OF Joan
was necessary to the retention OF the British
conquests, determined to buy her OF the Bur-
gundians. Ten thousand livres, and an annu-
ity of three hundred more, large sums IN that
day, were the price of her blood.
TO have merely executed the poor girl
would not have answered the ends OF her ene'
mics 1t was requisite to destroy her influence
as well as to take away her life; for tins pur'
pose there was nothing so eticacious, IN that
age, as a charge Of sorcery. The traltorous
French prelatcs lent their aid to this mallg'
nant plot. The bishop Of Beauvals and tive
others, with the Vicar-Geneal of the then
French Inquisition, were the prominent Judges
selected to be the tools of, the British party
Every ingenuity of mental torture was exhaust
ed in order to induce Joan to xsa.tteeSs to crime
Her answers were perverted; SIZE was denied
counsel the rack was threatend and even
the pretended authority of the church was in
voked against her. At last, OH the promise
of life, she was induced to sign confession
artfully put before her. But nothing could
save her, for not only did the brutal English
soldiery, who had been prejudiced against hel
as a witch, cry out for her blood, but ever
the nobility demanded it.
The vile arts which were now adopted, tt
bring her to the stake, would seem incredible
on any authority less positive than that which
has come down to us. At last the base in
trigues succeeded. Having laid aside ths
male attire, which she wore before her con
demnation, she was trickcd into resuming it
and for this was condemned to the flames as ;
relapsed hereto and sorcerer. Placed III
cart, she was hurried to the market-place o
Roun, where the dreadful doom was to be in
ficted.
The stake was fixed upon lofty scattolt
not only that all might see her suffer, bu
that the executioner might not be able to ap
proach her to shorten her agonies. Brough
to the foot Of the pile, Joan knelt down, AM
after mploring pardon for herself and audibl
forgiving her enemies, turned to the bystand
ers and besought them to pray for her. He
behavior was so devout, humble and touching
that sympathy for her became contagious.
The bishop of Beauvais himself melted int
tears; the Bishop Of Boulogne sobbed aloud
and even the English cried, the cruel Win
chester with the rest
But this emotion was only temporary. Re
covering himself, Beauyais began to read tn