Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1878-04-12


Just ninesy years ssotkers lived %
TIE Zee e Saiory. Versailles m cd
ard weIl-to-do hIegksmithl MsthnFiu
LupsehaFf by name. desoseA 10 his craft
and proud &c L. = luynlisi Uf he loyal
rats and y prof9snd hatef uf tbe nesR
ideaa thek weBe beginning 60 ugilats
France. "Shogten mHiess ears, se
wumld say. lead yun d0a't make u q
heFse.'' He had 01s child, Jean Lsas1
Chart BIS pecnliss pride andj0y. shaAds
some and siaiwaft young Fnan % wh0lB
had been given the ndacaliDn Uf q gen-
tlemsn, though his faIheF Insisted On his
succeeding 70 the business and beingy
e fhe LeoaoRafas haa fnr ggneF=za0ns
henu hInrhsmifh. ne gxE CO. "
= -. ne sdn enmnanie
buA hetwss already an omnisoFousre read
eF. particularly OF works Of the school
Of Jean jacques Rousseau, VOltaire,
Montesquien and Diderut. authoFs Whom
be reveFed while his sire regarded them
a. creatures Of the devil; and one day
at dinner the discovery was accidental
iy made BY the old man that his son was
freethinker Of the most advanced sort
and an advanced Republican. A hot
dispute followed, ending with the aid
mans peremptory injunction to the boy
to hold his tongue. The boy retoEted
sareastlcally that his father had curl
ous way Of convincing an opponent, and
bis father turned him out Of doors IN
continently and refused all has overtures
for reconciliation. va5
A COUSIN Of Master Mathurin tsous-
chart had little while before come TO
lave with him, the widow VerdieF, tho
brought With her her daughter Helen, q
pretty and loveable girl, being in both
respects unlike her mother. The girl
had fallen in love with Jean aud Jean
with the girl, but the mother hated the
young man, and when he was turned
out Of doors, labored assiduously 10 keep
his father incensed against him. She
was successful, for first the old man dis
inherited his son; then--it should have
been said he wasa widower-he pressed
his attentions on Helen, attentions which
Nine. Verdier encouraged.
Jean meanwhile had found work with
one Lecointre, afterwards to become a
noted member Of the convention, and
his master advised him to elope with
his sweetheart. On the appointed night
he went to his fathers house; he waited
long. but the girl did not appear; then
he heard piercing shrieks from the in
terror Of the dwelling, and, breaking in
the door, found that Nine. Verdier had
discovered the plans of her daughter,
and, pouncing on her as the girl was
stealing to the door, vas beating her un-
mercifully, while his father looked grim
~ on.
The young man sprang to rescue and
protect his wectheart: the father stepped
forward to upbraId him, and at last spat
in the boys face, and when the latter
reviled him violently sprang on him with
9 crowbar, aiming at ham blow that
would certainly have killed him had the
weapon in descending not struck the
wall Of the narrow passage. Jean strove
10 fy, but Nine. Verdier was blocking
the doorway. so. dodgihg second blow,
he rushed past his father towards the
workshop, intending to escape thence
through the window into 6 the street.
The door was locked, and a. Jean dashed
against Il his father hurled the heavy
sIedge hammer at him, smashing pam
FL, then grappled with his son. The
young man succeeded m wrencbing the
hammer from bis furious father, aud,
throwing hIm TO the ground, dashed the
door from its hinges, flung down the
hsmmer behind him and escaped. AS
he flung il from him The old man was
struggling to his feet; the heavy mass
Of iron struck him on the temple and
Iell him dead. g! az
Jean Louschart was promptly pur-
sued and arrested, the widow VerdieT
insisting that he had willfully murdered
his father, and heU-daughter being too
bewiIdered by the confusion and horror
OF the struggle TO tell any clear story OF
it. The young man was horrifed to
learn what be bad done, and, breaking
from his guards, threw himself upon
his fathers corpse, kissed the dead face
passionateIy and declared that he should
not defend himself, but, as he bad un-
willingly done the deed, 50 should he
INCREASINGLY suffer the penalty. p
In due course he was srraigned at the
ChateIet. Meanwhile public feeling
had greatly changed. At FIRST the pop.
ulace had greeted The parricide with
hosts and Kisses; the King had ordered
the prosecution to be pressed with es-
pecial vig0r. Then came the revulsion.
The young man had many friends, and
they, though dot believing that bis faith
er's death had ensued through accident,
spread the story that the son bad only
acted in self-defence, after being the
patient victim ofacnmony and violence.
Then he was Republican. and has faith
er had been an uItra-Loyalist; the King
had ordered N. de Lamoignon 10 pro-
ceed against the slayer without delay.
Here was 10 The crowd proof of political
interference. Again, there was tbe ro-
nance Of the young lovers; so that u
was moi surprising that when Jean
Louschart was brought TO trial his Partl-
sans were many and determined.
Jean would not defend himself; Nine.
verdier's evidence was precise and the
court ordered the Parricide tObe broken
upon the wheel, exempting him, how
ever, from the formsiity OF making
dmende at the church door and Provid'
log not only that bis hand should not Be
burned of on The seafoId, but that he
should be secretly strangled on the cross
before his limbs were broken wIih the
iron bar.