Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1901-07-31
MARRIAGE AT
THE SCAfF0LD

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In the seaport Of Calais, which To-
over 100 years was under the power O.
the English, there once lived bache
| Tor, jesse Dullart, who had come ther,
to carry on business. He was native o.
Observation-Disclosures, well qualified to Sc
| cure for the London merchants the WOO
| Of which the Flemish weavers make
their various materials and to derive
an honest profit from each. Naturally
because of his commercial subtlety anG
because Of the pleasant and comforta
BILE life which came to him in conse
quence, our man became exposed to the
jealousies and Ill will of the other
tradesmen, English for the most part
He did not know 1t. since the hypo.
critics allowed nothing to become evi.
dent, but, on the contrary, made every
endeavor TO present an agreeable ex-
terror to him, so as not to compromise
in the least the slight advantages which
accrued to them through his kindness.
Nevertheless they decided to ruin hin,
and to that end contrived a device so
black and so wicked that Sir Satan
himself in his demoniacal mind could
not have imagined better. In pursu-
ance Of the scheme one of them secret
ly concealed In the house of jesse Dull
lart leather bag containing a sum Of
100 livres sterling in gold crowns. Hav-
Ing done this, he went to the criminal
magistrate with two comrades as wit
nesses to accuse his colleague Of hav-
ing robbed him.
At that remote period there had not
yet appeared under the canopy Of heav-
en- any Of the impudent sharpers, slug
CARDS and swindlers who in the course
Of time have shamelessly said and writ
ten that ownership means theft, and
the money earned by some is so much
lost by others, with the sole intent that
they may put everything into confu-
sion and be able easily to slip into their
purses that which is another's.
The world has indeed heard of much
folly and seen many iniquities, but not
that, and human justice. which had new
er known of any jesting upon the mat
ter. would have hung their like high
and in short order. dealing with them
precisely as she would with veritable
robbers.
Who was amazed at seeing the po-
liceman Of the provostship invade his
home, ransack his Golfers and chests.
produce from them a sack of gold of
which he knew nothing and legal
clerk take down disquieting notes of
the affair in his illegible scrawl? 1t
was the i'll fated Dullart.
The poor fellow strove with them In
vain. vowing to God his innocence. but
words could not prevail against deeds.
Now. he could not explain how the
sack, the evidence of his crime, had
come into his possession. whence ii fol.
lowed that the innocent man was con-
demned to the halter as II he had been
guilty.
The affair. however, let loose i'm an
uproar all the devils of Calais. Think
of tia great merchant. with a house
Of his own. convicted of common lar
ceny, like vulgar rascal!
In the end the populace. while 1t
was not privy to the plot laid by half
dozen arrant rogues, was nevertheless
not mistrustful. 1t rather inclined In
favor of the pitiable citizen of Bailleu-
lois. This without taking into consid-
GRAFTON the peasants on the outskirts
~ tho foyvn Who u,ara E,ra,nb nnt how
Ing been expelled from their Preside
by the conquerors, as had been the
poor commoners of the city. and who |
hated all the English within their bor- |
ders
So IT may be said that the throng
crossways on the day when Dullart |
was to be taken TO the gibbet entertain
ed more compassion for him than deri- |
sion, above all. II you take into &C.
count the fact that he was young, good
in every respect and of a prepossessng
appearance.
From the Jail to the gallows Josse |
walked with bowed head by the side
IF priest. who enjoined him to re-
|oice that he was about to pass into a |
better world. He did not glance at a
single person, so great was the shame
ne felt on account of the filthy mischief |
If which he was accused. 1t was only
when he had assembled the first rounds |
of the fatal ladder, having the cord |
about his neck, that below the soldiers
grouped around the base OF the gibbet,
he perceived the crowd and recognized
among them fair young woman for
whom in happier days he had conceiv-
ID tender and violent passion.
At the sight of her he experienced a
yet more poignant sorrow at leaving so
soon and so painfully an existence
rom which he had expected to derive
,uch delicate feliclties. And then. i'm
}elled by sudden "reminiscences and
BY natural instinct for preservation.
he began to cry out with all his might:
ct ovsa vovca hv God tho Eathar