Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-09-04
The NIurderess.

When part of Morbihan rose during the
hundred days, it is well known that combat
took place near Auray between the insurgents
and the blues. The day after, at early morning,
a woman went to the field with her sickle on her
arm. Intent upon the road she followed, she
yet looked with curiosity on either hand.
Around her the trees were pierced with balls
the bushes broken and che earth trampled. Far
and wide the way was sown with buttons, bits
OF wooden twists torn from epaulettes, cartridge
papers, shreds OF Breton hats pierced by the
lead or bayonet, and pools of blood half stiff
ened. Everything indicated that recent and
lively engagement had taken place in that spot.
As TO the dead bodies, they had disappeared.
The peasants had come during the night
to give them burial; and the women
had run over the field of battle, bag on
their shoulder, robbing by turns the dead
of the enemy, and saying prayer for their own
People spoke even of rich booty taken by some,
and could have believed the young peasant
thinking of it, too, on seeing her pre-occupation
and the sort Of attention with which her eve
searched the thickets on both sides of the road.
She had finally come to a more open place, al
most entirely occupied by bushy swamp, and
was beginning to retire, as II she had renounced
all hope, when she saw the marsh reeds move;
a gun-click was heard, the point OF q bayonet
appeared, then bloody figure rose with effort.
The Breton stopped short. She did not utter
the least cry, but she clasped more firmly the
handle of her sickle. However, some gestures
and words pronounced in the national Breton
induced her to approach. She took two or
three steps in the heritage.
The wounded man had managed TO get upon
his knees by leaning on his gun; and the peasant
saw from his blue jacket, set thick with buttons,
that he was marine. She stopped again un-
decided; but he cried to her to approach, saving
he wished to do her no harm, that he was, be-
sides, scarcely able to stir, having had his lep
broken by a ball. The peasant, emboldened, adj
vanced some steps. "What do you wish?" she
asked briefly.
care the blues near here~
"The blues are gone"
"Gone! since when"
"Since yesterday"
at is impossibleI" cried the marine; "lor we
were the strongest"
The peasant made no reply. She remained
erect and impossible, as il she had heard moth
ing She was telling a lie, however, for the
blues were at Auray. The marine commenced
his questions again. She replied to them in Il
manner to persuade him he was abandoned, and
without hope of relief. Wounded the evening
before, when he was firing against the ChOuans
toward the close of day, the unfortunate had
passed the night in the reeds of the marshes,
without being able to make a movement, and
tortured by terrible sufierings. He had hoped
the day would enable him to make known his
situation 10 his companions, but the news of
their departure threw him into despair. Strength
failed him to quit the place where he was, and
especially when he would have met with assassi-
nation, he feared, on showing himself 1t seemed
TO him then there was no more hope, except in
the young peasant whom he had just met. He
was himself of the country. His father and
brothers, fishers at Lochmariaker, could save
him, would they but come and seek him. He
employed the most pressing supplcatons, tears,
threats even; but the latter was insensible to
everything. She cast an ardent glance around
her, then fixed it on the marine at her feet.
Finally she approached him swiftly, and with a
voice quick and bold: of you wish me to 90
TO Lochmaraker" said she, "give me your
watch And, in speaking thus, she attempted
to seize the cord which retained the latter; but
the wounded man threw himself forward, land
made an effort to push her back.
"Atrerward, afterward," said he, "wben you