Demoine courier., 1856-07-03
From the. Watchman and Reflector.
BLUE BEARD.

From he.Watchman and Reflector.
Blue BEARD.
This bugbear Of every nursery 10
Chrisiendom was no fabulous monsies
yelled in human form. He actually
lived. moved, and had q being in The a.
,eenth century. not, however, a. a long.
robec surbaned Oriental, az the pictures
which used 10 make our blood curdle,
would lead US 10 think.
On an eminence which overIooks the
little village Of Champotoca, near the
Loire, stands the imposing ruin Of On old
feuda, castle. tn grey walls, bare and
broken, rear themselves agains, the Qlo-
rious sky; and amid the tumblinp ,urreis.
the bat and The ow: beat their wings and
SHREK in their midnigk, reyeis. The
surers.itious peasan,ry avoid the neigh
borhoad from fear, and when the storm
Whistles and ,he wind means. they i'm,
agine thu sounds to be vail, from the
injured dead of the old ruin. The dread
OF the place 10 no now 10 Wing. but has
existed among succeeding generations OF
peasan!ry since the reign of Charles the
Seventh. /. was q, tina. time the dwell
ing. Of Giles de Re,z, a feudal baron.
who, as he was then. and still 10 called
the "Barbe Blue" was, no doubt, the
original Of our Gme-honored, or rather
feared, Blue Beard. His deeds of blood
which were but the everyday incidents
Of his life, made him the terror Of tho
surrounding region. The bare mention
of his name was enough 10 subdue The
mos. rebellious urchin into submission;
and even the parents believed that the
winds which reached them by passing
over his domain. we're sulphur.tain:ed.
Well does the history o! this man ra.
veal the dark superstition Of the fifteenth
century; and alec the impunity with
which one la high rank nigh, commit
the most revolving crilaes against hu.
manly. De Rstz had once been 10 pos.
session Of in. mense estates and sn,old
wealth. Bu' by the most debasing ex.
oessss he not only squandered bis Tor
tune. bot also ruined his constitution, 90
that, while yet a young man. he bore the
appearance OF dscrspuiude and old age.
He could MOI, however, consent to paw
the penalty Of his sin by becoming OLD
before his time. Ia the blindness Of his
superstition he conceived the hope ofre-
claiming both health and wealth by the
power If magic. Having heard Of 4
famous Italian alchy mist who had per.
formed some great miracles by the art,
he sert for him To- tbs castle. The cum
ming mugiciao al once read bis man, and
encouraged his hopes; he was, therefore,
employed at a high price TO undertake
the work. aud invited to make the lofty
castle his home. The frst, ask was the
winning back Of hsal.h and vigor. with
out which all other treasurers are Of little
avail. Numberless were The arts he
tried, and mysterious the preparations he
made. The dark dungeons and secret
subterranean passages beneath The castle
were the scene OF his work. Here tbs
Terrified peasantry imagined that the 1.
'aiian make a compact with the Prince
OF Darkness. and sold The duped De
Retz 10 him in compensation for his aid
in restoring his health. Among many
nonsensical and harmless experiments,
were also some Of a cruel and abomina.
BILE characrer. He induced his infaiuat.
ed employee to believe there existed in
the blood Of infants a charm for restoring
youth and vigor. He assured him thar
by bathing daily in the blood Of these in.
nocen,s. tho pure young life which had
so lately coursed through their Tiny veins
would be transferred 10 his own.
The bloody baron did not shrink for
one moment from the commission Of tho
horrid crime which this prescription
rendered necessary. Tender infants
were s.crelly stolen or forc;bly torn from
their parents, and kept in the dungeons
Of the castle, ull their blood was requir.
ed. IL 10 believed that no less than ono
hundred humble mothers were thus de-
prived Of their youngest born. This
fend in human shape hired q msalcian
but not a murderer. That office he 70.
served for himself, nor did his savage ma.
ture shrink from the horrid work it i'm
posed. With his own hand did he
pierce the hearts Of his affrigh,ed little
victims until there was blood sufficient
to co7er his emaeiated body. THE 10
but q instance Of the monatrous cru.
city Of De Rstz. We think very likely
his wives shared the fate Of the poor in
fants. and that the story Of Blue Beard
in wide trousers. loose rope, and ,urban.
was not exaggerated
But crime cannot always 60 ~unpunish-
ed. Even then, when the rich ruled.
over the poor. justice and mercy triumph.
cd at last The cries and en,reaties Of
:hs h~sartbroken people around his CO.
maine reached the ears Of his superior.
Jean v. He was arrested and broughs
before a tribunal Of justices. His palace
Was ,krown open to the public gaze. and
its horrid dens and vaults were swift wit
nesses sgainsi him. He was found guilt
y Of murders by scores, and after con-
Tossing many crimes. before unknown.
he was burn, at the stake in Nantes, l44O
This was the original Of "Blue Beard"
and there. although more THAI four hun.
dred years have passed away since no
paid the penalty OF his crimes. the bro.
ken walls and jagged tnrrsss s.ill stand