Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-28

had she that implicit faith that had
worked such marvels. Omens of ill befell
her. In endeavoring to save a peasant
girl from the violence of some soldiers
she broke the sword of ST. Catherine. The
king again became indolent. lolling in the
pleasures of dissipation In an attack on
one Of the gates of Paris she was wound
ed and her troops suffered a bloody de-
feat. Her enemies even set up rival
| inspired maid to supplant her In the
face Of SO much evil she laid her armor
and battle-ax on the tomb of ST. Denis
in the cathedral, and sought to retire,
but was coaxed back by the king and
generals. In a few weeks, abandoned by
her mer in an assault at Compeigne, she
was taken by the enemy.
England Exults at Capture.
Great was the exultation of the Eng
lsh. From their joy one might have
thought they had conquered the French.
Abysmal was the woe of the French peo-
ple-thoIgh the court hardly seemed to
share it. In great cities public prayers
and professions were organized for her
deliyeralce. At Tours the people marched
barefoot through the streets. with stream
ing eyes. chanting the ''Miserere" Gloom
enveloped the land and the poor bitterly
accused the lords and generals with hav-
ing betrayed the holy virgin who had
been sent by God. The court of Charles
VII was singularly Indifferent to the
maids fate. She was entitled to rams ON.
but none was offered. and she passed
from hand to hand among her captors
until at last the inquisition of Paris de-
manded her that she be tried for witch
craft
Once in the hands of the inauis.tlon,
Joan's ife was one continued torture
She was beset by spies. surrounded by
cross-eX lminers. guarded by soldiers who
did nor confine their brutality to obscene
words but actually resorted to violence
to do her evil. AT Beaurevoir. having a
measure of freedom, she threw herself
from the top of a tower. but escaped
death Thereafter she was more closely
guarded and three soldiers slept in her
chamber. Finally she was placed like a
wild beast in an iron cage and at times
was chained upright to its bars by ankles.
wrists and neck.
/. Fail to Make Her Confess.
Pale from long Imprisonment, clad in
her worn boys suit, she faced the inouisi-
tors The story Of that girlish soul upon
the monasticity rack cannot be told here.
When they failed to wrest from her any
confession of Witchcraft, any Reputation
of her story of the voices i'm the garden,
they led her out into the cemetery and
showed her the towering scaffOld, and the
stake at which she had to die unless she
abiured her faith. Weakness came upon
with so isruesome a sight, and. as the re-
cording clerk noted it, Eat the end Of
the sentence Jeanne. fearing the fire,
said she would obey the church" And
later in her cell the prosecuting bishop
extorted from her the admission that her
beloved and revered Voice had lied 10
her. But later in open court she most
pitifully and bravely repudiated these re-
tantations.
TO the stake they sent her o. bright
Nav
the Church de st. Ouen. at Rouen, spot
now called the Place de la Pucelie, they
had reared the scaffold and piled the
ia bots about the sinister stake. Thither
was the Maid brought in a cart the popu-
lace silent or fearful. held in check by
the English soldiery. Though she had
been tried and condemned by the French
clergy, the English. under the implacable
Lord Warwick, executed the sentence
with open glee.
No Crucifix Given Her.
No crucfix was given her until in re-