Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-04-24
Maid of Orleans

went to Charles VII AZ Chinon. ne hesi-
tatod about intrusting his fate TO her
hands though eha had revealed 10 him
the secret which caused his vacillation
and which he never had whispered %
any mortal that being the son Of the
notorious Isaboau De Bavicrc. he was
not sum that he was the son Of Charles
vi Of France. and so did not see why
ne should struggle against Overyhelm-
ing odds for a throne which might not
be his by right. Joan told him Of his
misgivings. in order 70 reassure him
that he was the rightful and only king
Of France: but while this convinced him
Of her supernatural gifts. Charles VII
still could not accept her as captain of
his forces, and 50 he ordered an ecClesi-
astical trial 20 be held IN Poitiers. to
decide II her mission were divine, as
she pretended. Now, although the fact
is chronicled and certain papers exist,
lis crucial importance has been strange
ly neglected by historians and COM
montatOrs, who prefer TO treat at
length Of the final irregular trial or
dcred i'm Roucn by Warwick and the
Duke Of Bedford And yet the first
trial. the only regularly constituted
one before which she was called, was
as triumphant n justification Of her as
the last and much advertised one, in
its shameful condemnation, WAS "a
travosty Of truth and Justice based ON
deception and perjury.
SENTENCED TO DEATH
OF course, what was used most
against Joan I'm the Boucn trial which
lcd tO her mdrtyrdom was her claim
% d. diviney counseled by her
voices her petention that her male
attire was commanded 10y God as pro-
lection in camp life. and that She must
neither let hcr hair grow nor put ON
aklrts until directly ordered hy her
voices To- do SO. and tho Judges Dob The
ecclesiastical court summoned by Bod-
cord Co try her. having declared all
ibis s5l7e. she was pronounced rebcl-
lous against The church and "a bl1s-
phcmer and given over to tine civil
authorities % hc put To death lrrcgu-
lariues Goo this trial were only too
evident at her own period. and became
more and more conspicuous afterWard.
d. was known that Bishop Cauclon.
chosen by the English 20 conduct the
trial had been driven out of his French
see of NeauNais before selling himself
to the Invaders. and so had mo- right TO
preside over am ecclesiastical trial about
which Rome never was consulted eycu,
% was known that the priests drawn
round Cauch0u were an either black
sheep Ike himself or else were cuerced
into compliance. ana onc-thiri of the
entire number withdrew after the first
sitting. in spite of threats. because they
saw The manifest injustice with which
the proceedings were directed. 10 was
known that the fud act of accusation
was never read tO Joan. that when the
limo came for hcr 1diuration 90 he exc
tortod. ono document Was read aloud
to her. since she could not read, and
another far gulYcr one was submitted
fOr her signature. $50 that whereas She
Thought she was merely submitting 70
tho supreme authority of tho church
which Fhc oomhatod only iu Cauch0n' q
infamous person. She boo reality Nas
signing aNuy the principle for which
ehc bod lived and for which She Was to
die ax days lateri and Do was known
that The approval of the University OF
Paris wIa given ou tho suppoFtiun that
tho facts AGAINST her submitted 40 thom
were c0rrcrf. whereas thoy wero not
established nt all. and consequently this
approval itaelf though given lu good
faith. aaa based on trouchcry and so
waa irregular
PROOF lN DOCUMENTS
Thus all the Isolated points drawn
bog against her tp lose her ana that
she meant FOR France vanished little
hy little until history uo longer took
them seriously yet the great fact re-
manned that She who had acted ln
Cod b name had been condemned and
burned hy eoclesiaatics called togcth-
co. n Gods name Co judge hor
But this version. which cast uunat-
trring reflections on tnc Roman
church for first condemning her and
tnon sanctIfying her some centuries
later when the bluuder was recognize
ed. bias been demolished bY inc docu-
mcufs brought forward relative to thc
original examination of Joan hN the
regularly constituted ecclesiastical
tribunal called together af poItier9.
Presided over bF iernuut de char.
tres. Archbishop uf heims. and come
posed Of the leading professors of The