The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-08-05
AT THE STAKE.
r0nN nE TIIE MInDI L ACES

town of Bourdonnis was thronged with
the populacc. Men, women and children,
old and young, the noble and the
burgher, priests, soldiers and common
people, crowded the spacious hall and
cried madlv for her blood.
The evening before a female, closely
veilcd and attended by two servants,
whose dark c~ountenances bespoke the
sons of Ethiopia, had arrived at Bour.
donnis and put up at n of the princi-
pal hostelrics of the place. Strange
rumors soon arose respecting her. Her
garb, her mien, her language and her
complexion were said to be those of
q Saraccn, against which accused
race the chivalry of Europe and the
church itself warrcd in vain. These ru-
mors gained additional strength when
the landlord of the inn where she had
stopped was heard to say that he had
seen her practising sorccry, q charge
easily credited in that age, and one
which few, especially in a case like this,
had the hardihood to isbelievc. In less
than an hour the whole population Of
the town was about, surrounding the
hostelry, and crying out for vengeance
against the sorcercss. Such connections
were both frequent and sanguinary IN
that superstitious age.
The soldiery, however, interfcrcd by
arresting the unsuspecting victim OF
these rumors, and at an early hour the
prisoner had been brought into the
Judgment hall to await the mockery of
trial.
"Answcr me, daughter of Bclial"
said the judge, as soon rs the murmurs
of the mob allowed him TO be heard.
"Will you confess your crime? Speak,
or you die! Know you that the rack,
aye! fire itself awaits you if your OBJ
stinacy continues"
The prisoner was a slight girlish crca-
ture, sitting with her face buried in her
hands, directly opposite to the judge.
She was apparently young and her figure,
so far as could be seen through the
thick veil which shrouded her form, was
light and agile as that of a sylph. To
the judges question she made no :
She only shook her head dcspondingly,
and those nigh her fancicd they heard
her sob.
At these fearful words, repeated now
for the second time, and growled forth
with an ominous tierccncss. appalling
even to the nearer, the prisoner was OBJ
served to tremble, whether with fear or
otherwise, We know not, and lifting her
veil up with a sudden effort, she rose to
her feet, turned hastily around to the
mob, and disclosed q countenancc of
such surprising loneliness to their gaze,
that even those who had cried out most
unrelentingly for her blood now shrank
abashed into silence, while others who
had been less eager for her condemnation
audibly murmured in her favor.
"What would We have of me" she
said, addressing the judge, and for the
first time standing unveiled before him.
GAS there is q God in whom w both
believe, l have told you only the truth.
am q stranger, a foreigner, a defcnceless
woman, but not tue less the afianced
bride of one of your proudcst noblemen,
the count de Garonne."
The tone in which she spoke was low,
but oh! how touchingly sweet; and her
words were uttered in broken French,
with a pcrceptible Oriental accent. Loud
u rose in her favor as she ceased
speaking. The tide was turning. But
the judge now spoke.
"Out on thee for a base slanderer of q
noble of France and a hoy crusader!
Thou the bctrothcd bride of G%aronnc!
AS soon would the eagle mate with the
vulturc. I tell thee, woman, that thy
story of having been shipwrccked in
coming to France, and of all thy train
having been lost except thy two Ethio-
plan myrmidous, is q foul lie, and | am
almost minded to wiring the truth from
thee on the rack"
Il have said it," said the prisoner, in
q firm voice. for she felt that her life de-
pended on her frmness, land if you will
give but one week, one little week, and
I will prove it before man us we'll as God.
I came from Syria in the same fleet with
my lord, but underchargc of his mothers
confessor-now q saint in heaven!--but
being separated by a storm, in which our
galley was shipwrecked, I was thrown
unprotected on your shores. l am q
stranger here. My servants even have
deserted Inc. do no one harm. ] plot
no treason. All l ask is to pass on my
way. OH" she continued in a burst of
emotion, eff you have a daughter, think
what would be your feelings if she was
thus to be set upon in a strange land"
and she burst into tears. Again the
crowd murmurcd in her favor.
woman" stcrnly i%nterposed the
judge, unmoved by her emotion, 'look
at the victim of your sorcery. and seek
no longer to deceive US by your lies.
Send forth Philip the Dcformed"
At the words of the judge, an official
bearing a white wand stepped into a side
room, and in a moment reappeared with
a cripple hideously deformcd, whom the
populace recognized as the landlord of
the hosiery. When confronted with
the prisoner he glared at her with u look
of demoniacal hatred.
"Know you this woman?" asked the
judge.
Gay, to my COST" answered the Grip
pie. at is through her incarnation that
/ am the being l am. 1t was but yester-
day she came to my inn, attended by two
heathcnish Philippians, whom l have
heard palmers from the Holy Land say
are kept by the PaDims-God's ban be
theirs! l no sooner behold her than ]
recognized her to be the sorccress who,
three years ago, brought on me the dis
ease by which | am crippled. could
tell her among a thousand. The curse
of God light on her for g child of the
evil one." and the witness ground his
teeth together and glanced tierccly at the
prisoner. A low murmur of approval,
at first faint and whispered, but gradually
swelling into n confused shout, rose on
the air as he ceased.
''Hc is a perjurcd wrctch,n exclaimed
the prisoner with energy, ''whom my
servants detected in an attempt to rob
my poor effects; hence his malice and
this charge"
"Silencc, woman" stcrnly intcrposcd
the judge, ''or else confess. Will YOU,
n child of Belial, malign q Christian
man."
The testimony for the publican had
worked a complete change i'll the fuc
LutCiiS lSCllhSo VI LII IlOD O"hlU lllC
prisoner, and the words of the judge
were answered back by a shout of ap.
proval. The prisoner was seen to turn
tleathly pale. She did not reply, how
ever, to the question, but shook her head
oi~espondingly, as if conscious that all
hope was over.
"Lcad her away" hoarscly crowlcd
the mob, while the dense mass Of people
swaycd to and fro in the excitement, as
if they would have rushed on the de-
tencelcss victim.
again l ask thee, woman, wilt thou
contest"
She shook her head d%cspondingly,
buried her face in her hands and muir
INJURED something: perhaps it was a
prayer. The mob burst once more into
Commotion.
"Whcrc are the servants of this
woman? let them be put on the rack"
said the judge.
They have escaped" answered an
official.
"Vcupeancc for the sufferers bv her