Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1897-11-25

wall; where foul eorpses damned the
very blood that ran down the kennel,
and children - little children = played
with them!
| was at Cahors in 1850 in the great
street fight; and there women were
killed. was with Chatillon nine years
later, when he rode through the Eau
bourgs of Paris, with this very day
and his father Coligny in his mind,
and gave no quarter. ] was at Coutras
and lvry, and more than once have seen
| prisoners led out to be piked in patches
ay, and by hundreds! But war is war,
| and these were its victims, diving for
the most part under Gods heaven with
arms in their hands; not men and wom-
en- fresh reused from their sleep.
felt on those occasions no such horror.
have never felt such burning pity and
indignation as on the morning l am
describing, that long-past summer
| morning when l first saw the sun shin
ing ON the streets of Paris. Croisette
chung to me, sick and white, shutting
his eyes and ears, and letting me guide
him as / would Marie strobe along on
the other side of him. his lips closed,
his eyes sinister. Once a soldier of the
guard whose blood-stained hands be-
trayed the work he had done, came
reeling-he was drunk. as were many
of the butchers-across our path, and
] gave way n little. Marie did not, but
walked stolidly on as if he did not
see him, as if the way were clear, and
there We're no ugly thing in Gods image
blocking it.
Only his hand went as if by accident
to the haft Of his dagger. The archer
fortunately for himself and for us too
-reeled clear of us. We escaped that
danger. But to see women killed and
pass by-it was horrible! So horrible
that If in those moments had had the
wishing-cap, | would have asked but
for 5000 riders, and leave to charge with
them through the streets of Paris! L
would have had the days of the JAG
querie back again, and my men-at-arms
behind me!
For ourselves, though the orgy was
at its height when we passed. we were
not molested. We were stopped indeed
three times-once in each of the streets
we traversed--by different bands of
murderers. But as we wore the same
badges as themselves. and cried " Vive
Ia Messei" and gave our names. we were
allowed to proceed. i can give no idea
of the confusion and uproar, and I
scarcely believe myself now that we
saw some of the things we witnessed.
Once man gayly dressed, and splendid
~ mounted, dashed past us, waving his
naked sword and crying in frenzied
way: BLEED them! Bleed theml
Bleed in May, as good to-day" and
never ceased crying out the same words
until he passed beyond our hearing.
Once we came upon the bodies of a
father and two sons, which lay piled to-
gether in the kennel; partly stripped
already. The youngest boy could not
have been more than 10. l mention
this group, not as surprising others in
pathos. but because it is well known
now that this boy, Jacques Nompar de
Caumont, was not dead, but lives to-
day, my friend, the Marshal de la Force.
This reminds me too Of the single act
1 of Kindness we were able TO perform.
We found ourselves suddenly, on turn
ing corner, amid gang of seven or
eight soldiers, who had stopped and
surrounded handsome boy, apparent
~ about IA. He wore n scholars gown,
and had some books under his arm. to
which he chung firmly though only
perhaps by Notwithstanding
the furious air of the men who were
threatening him with death. They
were loudly demanding his name, as
we paused opposite them. He either
could not or would not give it. but said
several times in his fright that he was
going to the College of burgundy. Was
he a Catholic? they cried. He was
silent. With an oath the man who had
hold of his collar lifted up his pike, and
naturally the lad raised the books to
guard his face. A cry broke from
Croiseete. He rushed forward to stay
the blow.
See! see!" he exclaimed loudly, his
voice arresting the mans arm in the
very act of falling. ''Je has a mass
book He has mass book! He is not
a hereticl He is Catbolic!"
sullenly snatched the books. He looked
at them stupidity with bloodshot wan
| dering eyes, the red cross on the vellum
bindings the only thing he understood.
But it was enough for him; he bid the
boy begone. and released him with a
! cuff and an oath.
Croisette was not satisfied with this,
though ] did not understand his reason:
only saw him exchange glance with
the lad. Come. comet" he said lightly
Give him his books! Yon donot want
theml
3nt on that the men turned savagely
upon ms. They did not thank us for
the part We had alreudy taken, and this
they thought was going too far They
were half drunk aud qlarrelsome, and
being two 70 one, and two over began
to flourish their wcapors IN our faces.
Mischief would certainly have been
| done, and very quickly, had not an un-