Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1870-10-28
Massacre of st. Bartholomew's Eve.


Massacre of st. Bartholomew Eve.
The clock of the church of St. Ger
main rAuxerrois sounded over silent
Paris. Its ominous peal awoke an awful
clamor, such as earth had never witnessed
before. A clang of bells responded from
every tower and belfry, the adherents of
the Pope seized their arms, rushed to the
houses of the Huguenots, and murdered
every inmate, from the sleeping infant to
the gray-haired grand-sire and helpless
maid. The city had been suddenly illu.
minated, and from every Catholic house
the blaze of torches lighted up the labor
of death. Beneath their rays were seen
women unsexed, and children endowed
with an unnatural malice, torturing and
treating with strange malignity the dying
and the dead. 1t is impossible, indeed,
| to narrate the details Of this awful event
over which Catholic kings and priests re-
;oic d, and for which the intaiible Pope
at Rome gave public thanks to God.
Within the palace Of the Louvre itself.
where few days before every saloon
had rung with festivity, and where mask
and dance and throngs of gallant knights
and maidens had greeted the nuptials OF
Henry and Marguerite, now echoed the
groans of dying Huguenots, and shrieks
of the terrified queen. In the evening
Marguerite had been driven by her en-
ragged mother from her presence and from
the arms of her sister Claude. who would
have detained her, and was forced to go
trembling to the apartment OF her hus
band, lest her absence might excite sus-
picion. She lay awake all night, filled
with sence of impending danger; she
pretepds that she knew nothing of the
approaching event. Henry's rooms were
filled with his companions in arms, who
q spent the night in vain threats against
the Guises, and planning projects Of re
venge. Toward morning they all went
4 out in company with the king; and Mar
guerite, weary of watching, sank into a
v brief slumber. She was aroused BY q
n loud cry without Of " Navarro /! Ma
g varre!" and knocking at the door. 1t
,r was thrown open, man wounded and
bleeding, pursued by four soldiers, rush
. ed into tn, room and threw his arms
!. around the queen. He clung to her beg
. ging for life. She screamed in her ter
n ror; the captain of the guard came in
V and drove off the soldiers and the wound,
+ ell Huguenot was allowed to hide him
~ self in her closet. Marguerite fled hast
II iIy across the hall of the Louvre to her
.. sisters room, and, as she passed amidst
= the scene that had so lately rung witt
%. the masks and revels of ner wedding nigh
w she saw another Huguenot pierced by
as the spear of his, and heard the clamo
es Of the general massacre. Faint AM
or trembling, she went to her mother an'
"a the king, threw herself at their feet, ant
70 begged the lives of two Of her husband 4
no retainers.
;le Meantime, when Henry of Navarro has
ls left his room in the morning, he had bee
ba arrested, and carried to the kings cham
mo ber but of the throng of Huguenots VIII
he attended him in the night only few es
I'D capped. Each man, as he passed out int
IN the court, between two lines of guard;
he was stabbed without mercy. Two hun
Nv dred of the noblest and purest reiormer
of France lay piled in huge heap bt
in fore the windows of the Louvre; Charlt
ad TX, Catherine, and her infamous trai
a of maids OF honor, inspected and dcride
,rn them as they lay dead. All through thu
Inc fearful sabbath day, the feast of St. Ba
ks tholomew, and for two succeeding day
ca the murders went on; the whole city va
at, in arms every hat or cap was marke
lis with white cross, and every cathoi
are was converted into an assassin. Charl'
as raging lunatic, rode through the street
ant laughing and testing over the fallen ; Ii
or streets were filled with corpses; the Sell
cut was turned to blood; many Catholi'
for grew rich by the plunder of the Hugh
nots; and it was believed shat the kin
ON and his br, ther, Anjou, shared the spoi
bey of opulent merchants and skilful gol'
hi smiths. The papal nuncio, Salvia'
en- overjoyed at the spectacle, wrote to Il
pu- Pope that nothing was to be seen in u
IN streets but white crosses, producing I'll
mo- effect; he did not see the heaps Of dea
900 nor the scenes of incapable Grim
ulv Charles IX., shot at the flying Hugu
but nots from his bedroom window III
Dor. rage of the murderers was chiefly tnrn'
.ent against women and infants. One ma
is threw two little children into the sei
ool- in basket another infant was dragg
the through the streets by cord tied arou'
ride its neck by a throng of Catholic childre
and babe smiled in the face of man W
rect had seized it. and played with his beaI
.;n. h,t the mouster stabbed the child, an