Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-06-09
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The Story of Huguenot's Sword.
DERIVED FROM AUTHENTIC PAPERS q TRANSACTIONS


The Story of Huguenots Sword.
DERIVED FROM AUTHENTIC PAPERS TRANsLAT1oNs.
IA RELIC.
At the residence of gentleman in the
county of Prince Georgein Virginia, a de-
scendant Of one of those noble and devoted
men who fled from France, giving up all
an preference to aljuring their faith,* may
still be seen an ancient relic Of strange in
forest to the student Of the Past, aud no
less curious, from the history connected
with it, to the general reader
The relic in question is an ancient and
battered sword of singular appearance. 1t
is tri angular, with something of a spear
like form, and not exceeding three feet in
length. The workmanship is plain, and
the old brand seems to have been intended
tar more for actual bloody use than mere
ornament. The original scabbard has
been long since lost, and that into which
the weapon is now thrust was picked up
on the battlefield ofGuilford, and from it's
silver mounting and peculiar workmanship,
must have belonged to British officer.
who lost or threw it away in the engage
ment. The father of the gentleman who
now possesses the weapon, used it with
good vigor in the battle mentioned, and it
drank the blood of more than one enemy
of the American cause. This was, how
ever, no new thing for the ancient and bat
tered weapon. Manuscript and tradition
in the owners family establish clearly that
the original wesrer used the sword in four-
teen pitched battles and number of dueIs.
On two continents it had thus been WELD
rd, and we are assured, "always with hon.
or" in worthy cause.
1t is "a passage in the life" so to speak
of this singular sword that we are about to
narrate-a detached series of events which
befell one of its wearers, leaving out the
bloody battles in Europe, and the field of
Guilford, where it was used in another
struggle. This narrative will embrace
portion of the family history of two of the
worthless h0usve vc v1-s,s-ia OF To-Day
the Fontaines asd Dupuys. Ir giving
thus much attention to the subject, we
shall not be throwing away our time or
trouble, for every thing relating to this
noble race of men is full of interest, and
includes lofty moral. The Huguenots
were of the best blood of France-the
flower of the nobility, the middle classes
and the commons. The infusion of this
element into the nglo,Saxon stock has
enriched and strengthened it, still further
fertilizing, as it were, by foreign substance
the originally vigorous soil.
The singular romance of the subjec
will always render it one of deep interest
aud the following brief narrative possesse
this attraction. 1t scarcely differs in an
degree from actual fact, and where this dit
ference occurs, it consists almost wholly /
the grouping of the incidents; otberwis
the history is true to the letter, aud deriv
ed exclusively from well-authenticate
documents The whole relation Is no les
valuable than interesting, teaching as
does a lofty philosophy, and displaying tn
heroic texture of the noble men of th'
period-a period which brought ont, pc
haps, as much moral beauty and strengt
as any other in the history of the world.
IA MEETING OF HUGUENoTs.
It was about six o'clock in the evenir
on Palm Sunday of the year 1884, imm
diately preceding the revocation of t
celebrated Edict of Nantes" which b
granted religious liberation to the Prot
tants throug ghout the kingdom of Fran
Under the dropping boughs of the lit
wood Of Chatclars, near Royan, in
province of Saintogne, about dozen m
we're assembled, clad in plain dark g
mcnts, and displaying in every lineam'
.f their determined countenances that
,oic devotion to duty, in the teeth of da
.,er. which characterizes the loftiest I
,ures. The men, who were HuguenC
had been engaged in religious servi
conducted by one of their number, VIII
dress seemed to indicate either that he
minister, or at least WAS a candidate
ordination.
He was a mar of about twenty-five
six, with countenance of great persc
beauty, and bis bearing was that of 6
tleman of rank and position. His fla
peruke fell around rosv checks, from wi
a pair of blue eyes, filed with resolut
shone with serene and tranquil radia
immediately beside him stood ano
individual in appearance equally strik
He was about thirty years OF age, ap
rently, lofty Of stature, and with the e
eve of one born to command. Benz
his dark cloak, which he wrapped clo
around him, was seen at times the unit
of an officer in the Royal Guardsme'
his Majesty Louis XIV, and around
4Annnnn the Hnnnennts who fed To VIRGINIA