Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-11-24
JOAN OF ARC.
Facts which Go TO show that She
Was Not Burned at All.

Facts which Go 10 show that shs
Was Not Burned at All.
london Standard
Though Joan of Arc is French hero
ine in little danger of being forgotten,
the citizens of Crotoy have thought fit
to make assurance doubiy sure by rear.
ing fresh statue to her memory. The
Maid Of Orleans having had the misfor-
tune to be sound Catholic sacrificed by
bishop, the clericals and their oppo-
nents have seized the occasion for n re-
newal of their ancient combat against
everybody and everything considered
inimical to the Warrior Girl of DOM
rciny. The story of Jeanne d'Arc's life,
as conventionally received, is tragedy
which aptly lends itself 10 the legion of
painters, aenlptors, poets, and prosers
WHO have chosen it for their illustration
OF their genius, or the demonstration of
their dizziness. But, in truth, after an
interval OF four centuries and half, his
tory Is apt to grow 9, little moldy, aud
though 50 orthodox chronicler as Mr..
Henri Martin, who was chosen to pro-
nounce the Crotoy eulogv, might have
proved equal to the demands on his i'm
agination, the least exacting of historians
must now and then be staggered as they
try TO repeat the oft-told tale of the
foundress OF the noble family OF De Lys.
A career Of nineteen years, so obscure
IN It's beginning, 50 sad, and yet SO bril-
liant at its close, could not fail to enlist
the sympathy and admiration of every
age. Thus Jeanne d Arc has been ac-
corded an Immortality of glory, and q
wealth OF pictures, statues, memoirs, and
epics such as have fallen to no other
woman Of her nation. Unhappily, we
live in Philistinish times. The iconoc-
lasts of history delight in hewing down
their fathers gods. With such spirit
let loose among the records, it could
scarcely be expected that the Maid of
Orleans would escape the cruel investi-
cations of the spotless critic
1t is true that, though there is ques-
ton how far the fanfticism of Jeanne
aided in routing our countrymen, no one
doubts that they were defeated II is,
therefore, needless revising the verdict
then passed ut the ppear-point. But
after a hundred works hal described her
death, and Thousands Of reverent pill
grims have wept over the scene of Ler
martyrdom in the Place de la PuceIle Of
Rouen, it was shock to hear, not only
that the English were not responsible
for her martyrdom, but that the heroic
damsel was never burned Mt all having
lived to be a respected matron and welt
to-do- citovenne This Is, nevertheless
what Father Vignier asserts to be The
fact, and III. Delapierre has confirmed
with documents regarding the anthem
ITCHY OF which there cannot lie much
skepticism, There always was q belief
that the woman executed i'll 1881 was
not the real "liaid and at different
towns during the subsequent years num-
erous impostors were punished for at
tempting to pass themselves off as the
authentic martyr. NJ. Vignier, how
ever, fouUd in the archives of Mentz a
contemporary account of the arrival OF
Jeanne IN that city on the Goth OF Nav,
1896, and her recognition Of her two
brothers.
This paper Furthermore mentions that
in due lime she was married to Sieur
dc Hermoise or Armoi8e, and though it
might be admitted that the document
discovered was modern forgery, it is
certainly staggering TO disinter from a
fauliiy imminent chest of O. NJ. dies
Armoise, of lorraine, contract Of mar
riage between Robert des Armose,
Knight, with Jeanne darcy, surnamed
tine Alaid Of Orleans" This GIso might
have been a coincidence, though rather
riling one, but among the archives of
the Maison dc Vile of Orleans, under
dates 1435 and 1876, are records OF GER
tain pay inents made to messengers bring
ing lett rs from Jeanne the Maid" t.
her brother John du Ills or Lys. Now,
this suruc ne is well known TO have been
that under which. as q reward for long
service the Are family are ennobled. So,
here--uulcss we at once cut the knot by
declaring the entire mass Of documents
Chose ia Aentz, in Lorraine and III Or
leans) to be gross Jorge. ies, which has
not vet been attempted--is a curious net
work Of facts, out of which it is rather
difficult to escape from the conclusion
that there must have been some mistake
about the Maid OF Orleans having been
incinerated in that lively city on the
Seine in which stands one of her many
statues erected to attest the truth Of the
event. Most curious OF all--and N.
Delopierre, in his "Doutes Historiques,
adduces numerous other data tending in
the same direction--in the Orleans &C.
counts, under date Of Aug. l, 1430 (eight
years after she ought to have beed dead),
there is an entry of $40 liyres presented
to Jeanne d Armoise by the Town Coun-
ell for services rendered by her at the
siege of 1929. It is difficult t. get over
these facts.