Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1904-01-30

see what the matter was, and observ-
ing q squad OF soldiers, followed ny
quite a concourse of villagers, l sprang
to the ground.
Down the hill they marched. some
ten or fifteen fellows In a dirty half
uniform. I knew not whatitwas while
struggling out behind them seemed 10
follow the entire population OF n
hamlet. The old and -naired
fathers, the motherc. the stalwart
children and toddling babies, all came
to stand and cape. In the lead there
strode a burly ruffian, proud OF his
low authority, who shouted at inter-
walls:
"So-with- the H-u-g-u-e-n-o-t-s!"
Behind him skulked four stout var.
lets, bearing between them a rude
plank, on which was stretched a naked
body, the limbs being not yet stiffened
in death. I hardly credited my sight
Before they came abreast of us / in
uuired of the driver what 1t all meant.
He only shrugged his shoulders, "A
adHuguenot,I suppose" and gave his
care to the horses. Verify this was
past belief.
1 placed myself in the road and babe
the leader of the procession pause
He stopped, staring stupidity at my
dress.
w Il 10 ~ A"S
what crime hath he committed?'
He, like the driver, answered care
lessly:
None; she is a Huguenot."
She" echoed, and stopped the
bearers who laid their CHASTITY burden
down, having little relish in the task.
Yes, 1t was in very truth a woman.
For the sake of decency, comrade,
why do you not cover her n give her
Christian b~urial?"
TT Is the law" he replied stolidly.
yes, yes, it is the law" eagerly as
sented the people who gathered about
the corpse, not as friends, not as
mourners, but as spectators of the hor-
rid scene. Among them, u~nrebuked.
were many white-faced children, halr
afraid and wholly curious. / looked at
them all in disgust. They went thelr
way and came TO the outskirts of the
village, where they contemptuously
tossed the woman from the plank
across a ditch into the open field. In
spite Of my loathing l had followed.
perceived now a feeble old woman
hobble up toward the body and try
with loud wailings to make her way
through the guard which
It. They showed her back with their
pixies. and finally n Of them struck
her for her persistence.
Pierre, look at her old mother; ah.
holy virgin, what a stubborn lot are
these heretics."
Her mother! Great powers OF
heaven, could it be possible? My In
dignation blazed out against the In
human guard.
why do we this most un-Christian
thing?" and to the crowd:
do you call yourselves men to
stand by and witness this?"
At my words one sturdy young fell
low, Of the better, peasant-farmer
class, broke from those who held him
and would have thrown himself un-
armed against the mail-clad guard.
Many strong arms kept him back. He
struggled furiously for awhile, then
sank in the sheer desperation of eX-
haustion Upon the road AS soon as he
was quiet the mob, gathering obout the
more attractive spectacle, left him
quite alone. l went up to him, laid my
hand upon his shoulder, and spoke to
him kindly. He looked UP, surprised
that one wearing a uniform should
show him sympathy. He had a good,
honest face, blue-eyed II frank, yet
such an expression of utter hopeless
ness as never marred a mortal counte-
nance. 1t haunts me to this day.
l was touched by the mans sullen
apathy, succeeding so quickly to he
desperate energy l had seen him dis
play, and asked concerning his trouble.
Continued Next Week.)