Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-11-12
The Dog OF Montargis


dog, which has passed int tradition as
the dog Of Moutsrgis. The contest took
place On the Isle Of Notre Dame, in Par
is. in the presence Of King John. The
tradition forned the plet in play which
was presented at the Bowery Theater q
few years ago. The story goes that Mr..
Aubry de Mouldidief. . gentleman Of
Moniargis, is passing through the forest
of Bsbdy, wa, Jnurdsrsd aud buried at
the foot Of Il ,, his deg was With him
at the time and remaiasd at the grave ill
driven away by hunger, aud then found
his way to Paris to the house of an old
friend. In Paris, be did nothing but
howl, aud, had Caleb Cushing lived Al
that time, it is probable that he wsuld
have had the dog Of Msutargis killed a,
4 nrisancc. At intervals he would catch
tho panialoons OF his dead masters friend
in his effort to drag him to where pool
Aubry was buried. For some time, the
dog was not understood, but at length
connecting Aubry's absescs with the in
soParable ccmpaEiouship Of the man and
dog, aud the violent pertinacity Of tn,
aplmal in attempting to draw them aitel
him, they followed, and after a time h,
led them to the foot Of the tree in the
forest Of Bondy, where they dug away
the earth and found the murdered man
There was no doubt that Aubry was nur
dercd, but there was no evidence to cou
vict any living being with the Grim G
The eyes OF God had seen. and the doI
had seen too, but dogs are dumb. A Ger
tain Chevalier Macaire had been the enc
my Of NJ. Aubry. Perhaps iii cousequesc,
OF the knowledge, somebody, the friend
for instance, had his suspicious of tn,
Chevalier, and confronted the dog will
him, thluking. very likely, it the dog ha,
reason enough to lead them to Aubry'
grave, he would have enough to dctec
his murderer, if he saw him. In thes,
conclusions they were right. Theday direct
ly, he saw Macaire. attacked him with ~
almost invincibs ferocity. Wherever h,
saw the Chealier he attacked him; anC
as the friends of Aubry took care, as maj
be supposed, 10 throw the dog as much al
possible iAto the company Of the now sus
pected man, the life oil The Chevaliel
came to be dlurnally uncomfortable. TC
have an unpleasant dog eternally flying
at your cravat aud anywhere else lying
open 10 his tsngs, may be seriously regard
ed as the reverse Of cheerful. The Chev.
alier Aacairc probably thought so The
conduct of the dog towards this particu
lar man he being uotoriously of gentle
disposition and kind to every one else
quickly became the talk Of certain circles
in Paris. 1t was knswn to the court; i,
reached the ears of John, and then the
king ordered the dog to be brought before
him, and the Chevalier Macaire to be
placed among the courtiers as one Of then
at the sane time. Being at court, the
dog conducted himself with perfect pro
priety for short time, until he saw Mac
aire mixed up among the courtiers, and
then. dashiue at him furiously as usual
with an awful growl out of his great red
throat, oe pinned hun against the wall
In those days tho judicial arbitrament OF
battle was in full force /; the popular be-
lief being that the Judgment Of Cod
would be manifested in favor Of the inno
cent and against the guilty. The know
snmity of the Chevalier Aubry, the fac1
Of Aubry's murder, the dreadful autagon
ism of the murdered mans dog-thest
settled the question with King Johb, and
it was directed that the man must fight
the dog, as the only way to justify himself
in the eyes of Paris and purge himself o.
the suspicion of murder. 1t was the Gus
TEN in the middle ages occasionally to try
the lower animals for offences with much
Of the parade and ceremonial bestowed in
the cases Of their superiors, and from thi,
we may understand that combat between
nan and Cog was not so strange an
occurrence after all, away back in the
fourteenth century. There was no cathe.
dral of Notre Dame in Paris in 1861,
and so the open space of the island serv'
ed as capital place in which to pitch q
ring fer the combatats. The Chevalier
Macaire was armed with strong heavy
stick, and the dog of Montargs had bis
teeth and tub. This last, which might
more properly be called 40 empty cask.
was an ark of refuge for the dog to re.
treat and make his springs from. But
the dog Of Montargis had no use for the
tub. He scorned it. He few with as.
tonishing activity and fury at his oppossr
FIRST ON one side, then on the other, he
lodged the cudgel, and finally with ter.
rible bound, fastened his deadly grip or
the murderer's throat. and there was an
end of the Chcvalier Macairo. who lived
Just losg auOugh to confess his crime bo'
fore King John and the court. OfcOurst
everybody in Paris cried, "Well done
dog and was more than ever satisfied oi
the truth and justice of ''trial by battle.
We can readily understand that the faith
full dog, having nobly avenged the death
of his master, took up his headquarters
with his masters friend, looked after the
rats and was made comfortable the re-
malnder of his days. This is for only
conjecture, however. because he may
have been put in the dog-pound for uon
payment of tax : but what is not coaject
ure is the fact that over ckimney in the
great hall of the ancient chateau Of Mon
targis. in France, there is curiousl
carved representation Of this memorable
combat. and as long as the old chateat