The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1879-11-14

regarding the peremptory order Of death
to deserters and gratifying his wishes
"Give this" he said, "to your escort
and charge him to deliver II TO the ser
geant on his return TO camp"
When she went away neither the gov
ernor nor the count proposed 70 make
any search for the papers. The dispatch
bearers, In response to the governor
inquiry, said the maiden went up among
the fafters.
Uomrade Jacques showed Mistress Pru.
pence to her fathers door by the light OF
his lantern, and, nothing 10th, went In,
The mistress herself mixed him q punch
Of tremendous strength, which he drank
In her honor. Then Squire Strong In
sisted on another, and the minister sug
gested that they drink to the cause, &c
that by the time Comrade Jaques wa
ready to 60 back to the camp he must
have had more than pint of Medford
rum t" warm him. The cold night ali
from without and the heated rum from
within sent his brain at once into whirl,
and an hour after the sentinel took him
to his tent In q state of the widest intox'
ication, In which he constantly sang the
praises of Mistress Prudence. They
found on him at noon the next day the
Count de Rochambeau's remission Of the
sentence of death.
At sunrise the sergeant and ak weep.
ing comrades, drawn by lot, led Duplan
through the snow, across the highway,
nearly opposite the old mill. He knelt
in the snow on the bank and begged
them to stand not more than five PAGES
away. He calmly repeated a prayer,
and then turning TO his comrades, said
in clear voice: "Aim for my heart"
and dropped the handkerchief. He fell
over in the snow dead, and by noon was
buried where he fell. His comrades
took from the stone wall dozen or more
boIlders and placed them In pile over
the grave. The little heap may be seen
to this day.
At noon, as the sun came out, Mistress
Prudence appeared at the oven on the
green. She asked for Mr.. Duplan, and
the Frenchmap smiled and pointed to
the earth. Even then she did not I'm.
derstand. Looking across the common
she saw the Count de Rochambeau en-
tering the war Office, and to him she at
once went.
Where Is Mr.. Duplan?"
"In his grave, Mistress Prudence"
She psled, but did not faint. She
stood like q rock. Sc saw that the Count
de Rochambeau was not jesting. The
count himself looked sadly at her, and
was about to tell her of the drunken
Jacques, made drunk by the mistress
own attentions, but she stopped him.
"You are a murderer" she said.
"You have killed brave and innocent
man without cause. You have killed
me. You trifed with me last night.
You care for women only to play with
their feelings. I hate you and all yours.
Oh! why did you kill him, sir? He was
q good man, and noble man. Oil you
are all servants of satan. War! Is
this war? Then I hate it. Better had
there been no war. Yes, better have
been slaves of the throne. But l tell
you, sir, you will never know whom you
murdered. II the constant thought that
you may have killed one equally gentle
with yourself may be a punishment, I
hope that 1t will ever rankle in your
breast. / have concealed the papers
He asked me to keep them forever, in
csse he was not released. They are
safely hidden. You will not find them
unless you pull the governors Office
down. Perhaps not then, and 1t will
not come down while you are alive"
Then she tainted, and an hour after
they carried her home IN q delirum.
In thespring when the snow was gone,
they found q flower or two planted
around the boulders over Duplan's grave.
No one ever saw any person plant them,
but every one knew that Mistress Pru.
dence had been there. Before the next
spring she was laid away in the old Gem.
etry, near the Trumbull tomb (you may
see the slab over the grave to this day,
and she never revealed the mystery.
Search was often made for the papers
without success, but there Ia no one who
has not heard the story who does not
believe they are hidden In the war office.
1t Is said that the Count de Rocham.
beau subsequently learned who Francois
Duplan was, and that he was of gentle
blood.-NeD York Sun.