Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-05-02
NO. XIV.
For the Spectator.
noman,.m in tn. Sixteenth Century.


The massacres ofthe Protestanls in France on
the feie OF St. Bartholomew, on the 24th Of Au-
gust, 1872, was, perhaps, one Of the most dlabo-
ica acts of perfidy, injustice and cruelty which
have stained the annals of our race. Every thing
was atrocous and horrible in this unexampled
conspiracy and assassination feelings of the most
sacred nature were annihated religious zeal was
changed into an impious frenzy; and 6Iial piety
degenerated into sanguinary fury. Under the
directions of the infamous Duke of Guse, The SOL
dier and the populace, en- niassc, flew to arms,
seizing every weapon that presented itself; and
then rushing in crowds to every quarter Of The
city of Paris-no suund was heard but the horri-
BILE cry of .'Kill the Huguenots!" every one sns-
pecled Of being Calyinist, without any distinc-
| lion Of rank, age or sex, was bdlscrImlpaiely
massacred. The air resounded with the borrid
cries and blasphemous imprecations of the muir
derers, the piercing shrieks Of the wounded, and
the groans of the dying. Headless trunks were
every instant precipitated from the windows into
the court-yards on the streets; the gaie-ways
were choked up with the bodies of the dead and
dying, and the streets presented spectacle of
manged limbs. and of human bodies, dragged by
their butchers in order to be thrown into the
Seine. Palaces. hotels, and public buildings,
desoaton reigned on every side, and under the
most hldeous appearances; and in all quarters
carts were seen loaded with dead bodies, destined
to he cast into the river. whose waters were for
several days suIed by tides of human gore. The
nfIriaicd assassins, urged on by the cry, 1T was
the Kings will that the very last Of this race Of
vipers Should be crushed and killed." became f!i-
rious in the slaughter; in proof Of which. one
dicrIa vin aLpd md
bloody arm, vaunted aloud that he had cut the
throats of more than 400 Huguenots in one day.
During this horrid period every species of the
most refined cruelty became exhausted; the
weakness of infancy proved no impediment to tie
impulse of lerocity children Of len years, exerci-
sing the first homicida deed, were seen commit
ting the most barbarous acts. and cutting the
throats of infants in their swaddling clothes! The
number of victims thus slaughtered in The city Of
Paris, amounted to above six thousand; and in
the provinces, at the same time, there persisted a.
bout sixty thousand souls. And, what is still
more shocking. the news of this massacre was
welcomed at Rome with the most lively trans
ports Of joy. The Cardinal Of Lorraine gave a
large reward to the courier, and interrogated him
upon the subject, in manner that demonstrated
he had been previously aware of the intended ca
u.
kindled, and solemn mass was celebrated, at
which Pope Grey XIII. assisted. with all the
splendor which that court is accustomed to dis
play on events Of the most glorious and important
consequence
The horrid practice Of dragooning, which was
used by Papsts. for converting supposed hereiics.
was q rather melancholy example Of religious
cruelty and frenzy. In the reign of Louis XIV,
Of France, his troopers, soldiers and Dragons
tered into the houses of the Protestants, where
they marred and detected their household stuff,
broke their looking glasses, let their wine run out
about their cellars, threw about and trampled un-
der foot their provisions, turned their dining
rooms into stables for their horses, and treated the
owners with the highest Indignation and cruelty.
They bound to posts mothers that gave suck, and
let their sucking infants lie langushing in their
sight for several days and nights, crying, mourn
ing, and gaspiug for life. Some they bound be-
tore great fires, and, after they half roasted, let
them 60. Some they hung up by the hair. and
some by the feet, in chmneys, and smoked with
wisps Of wet hay till they were sufocated.-
Women and maids were hung up by their feet
or by their arm.pts. Some they cut and slashed
with knives, and after stripping them Laked stuck
their bodies with pins and needles from head to
foot and, with red-hot pincers took hold Of them
by the hands and other parts of the body. and drag
ged them about the looms till they made them
promise to be Catholics until the cries of these
miserable wyetches calling upon God for help, in
duced them to let them 60. If any who escaped
these barbarities, endeavored to save themselves
by flight, they pursued them into the fields and
woods, where they shot at them, as if they had
been wild beasts, and prohibited them from de-
parting from the kingdom upon pain of the gal
leys, the lash and perpetual imprisonment On
such scenes Of desolaiion and horror the Popish
clergy feasted their eyes, and made only matter
of laughter and of sport. What a striking con-
trast to The benevolence Of the Deity, whom they
impiously pretended ioserye. Could savage A
merican have devised more barbarous cruelies?
A. w. 6.