The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-05-02
Charlotte Cordayo

ity and patriotism, the ideal Of which
was reached in this martyred heroine
of France. She was born ct Seez, in
Normandy, in the year 1768, but very
little is known Of her life until she
reached the age Of about twenty-five.
The condition Of France at that
time was terrible. Louis XIV had
died, and his kingdom ~as left to his
grandson, Louis XVI, who was
married to the beautiful Antoinette.
But they were entirely too young and
inexperienced to manage kingdom
in such turmoil as was France at
that time.
The country was at war with Eng
land; the finances had run very low;
and besides all this, France was on
tho very verge of the most terrible
war known in history. The king did
not know what to do, and to make
affairs still worse, the commons form
ed themselves into the National As
sembly." This assembly wished to
meet in the regular hall used for such
purposes, but this being refused they
went to the "tennis court Of the
royal palace, where they swore SOL
emn oath not to dissolve until they
had formed constitution for Franco
and had "1owned" the king.
At the head Of this assembly were
three of the most despioable characters
in history Robespierre, Danton and
Marat. These three led the common
people on to the most horrible crimes
on record. After executing their
sovereign and his queen, they began
with still mora zeal the terrible work
Of massscreiDg all who opposed them.
No mans life was safe FOR day,
but at last when the lover Of Char
lotte Corday was foully murdered by
an accomplice Of Marat, Charlotte
determined to be revenged upon the
three Villains, Robespierre, Danton
and Marat, but she could not decide
whether it would be better for her
country 70 be freed Of Marat or Robes
pierre.
Finally, after Marat had ordered the
execution Of thousands Of innocent
men and women, her high sense of
justice could contain itself no longer;
SO she at once made her way to Paris
or May 3, 1898, with the express pur-
pose OF assassinatirg the cruel oppres-
sor Of her people.
Twice she was refused admittance
to the house Of Marat, but finally she
wrote to him as follows:
Citizen: have just come from
Caen. Grsn. me- &C interview for a
moment; / have important discoveries
to- make to you
She was then given admission, and
she vent with dagger in her bosom.
rs she entered the house she met him
coming from the bath, and seising
this as the best opportunity she plung-.
ed the dagger in his breast, and he
died Immediately. @ n 4
Some may call the letter written by
Charlotte to Marat deception, but it
was not. She did have important
discoveries to make" to him, but he
did not find them out until, by the
thrust Of her dagger, ahe hurled him
before the awful Judgment throne Of
his Maker, there to discover that be-
fore that high tribunal his deeds were
considered vile and unworthy Of man
to whom God had given soul. She
did lead him te discover tha. he who
had 30 ruthlessly sent 30 many inno-
cent victims to eternity, would in the
final judgment receive his "just
recompense Of rewardl' Her motives
were Of the grandest, and her exc
cution Of those motives the most COM
piets.
Scarcely had the blood dried upon
the dagger before che young maiden
was captured and carried TO Abbsye,
where she was tried and condemned.
The day hesc-s heT trial she said:
Tomorrow my trial begins, and I
hope the same day to meet with Bru-
tus and other patriots in Elysinm.
She was calm and dignifed. She
admitted the crime and wished no de-
fendant.
On July II, 1893, she was led to
the scaffold, and with smile on her
beautiful face djed-died for her
country as nobly as ever soldier died
on the field Of battle, and as grandly
as Polycarp died at the stake.
Heroism does not belong to man
alone, and valor is not his charrcteris-
tic alone, nor patriotism his attribute
alone, for no man has ever died or will